Category Archives: Recreation

Be a VIP, help clean up Seattle Parks July 20th

Posted on July 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

We all love our Seattle parks, so why not show your love by giving back a little?  Friday, July 20th is VIP Day – “Volunteers in Parks” Day – where you can help pull ivy, restore trails, and spread mulch at various Seattle parks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

One of those parks is north Seattle’s own Lower Woodland (the other parks are Lincoln and Dr. Jose Rizal).  To register to help cleanup Lower Woodland, click the link here and sign up through EarthCorps.

But it’s not all work and no play.  Following the volunteer efforts, all helpers are invited to a thank you party at Lake Union with live music, food trucks, the beer boat, activities and a commemorative t-shirt.

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Start chugging that milk – the Milk Carton Derby returns July 14th

Posted on July 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s not too late to get your registration in for the 42nd Annual Denny’s Seafair Milk Carton Derby, held at Green Lake Park this year on Saturday, July 14th beginning at 10 a.m.   The traditional event will include around 100 milk carton boats competing for $10,000 in prizes.

For those of you wanting a last-minute entry, there is no charge to compete in the racing, military, and open categories.  There’s a $250 entry fee for the Groups/Commercial category, which allows the vessel to race with a name/logo on it.

Children as young as eight can participate, as there is a special “youth” category for ages 8-13.  Besides the boats, there will be land-lubber activities also: displays and exhibits, the Seafair pirates, Seafair princesses, and Seagals will all be on hand.

For full details and the rules & regulations of building your craft, visit the event’s website here.  To see more of last year’s boats like the one below, visit my photo post from last year here.

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PHOTO: Sunny Evening, April 2nd at Green Lake Park

Posted on April 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m not a great photographer, but every now and then my Windows Phone snaps a decent pic of this beautiful neighborhood.  Here’s a snapshot of the sun sinking lower over Green Lake on April 2nd!

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A Very North Seattle Easter – Where to go, when, for your neighborhood Egg Hunt

Posted on March 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m not very good at paying attention to holidays, probably because I don’t have children.  The only way I know which holiday is approaching is usually by the displays of candy at the grocery store – Halloween to Christmas, Christmas to Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day to Easter, and so on.  The marshmallow Peeps are out, along with the jelly beans and Cadbury Creme Eggs, and so Easter must be on its way.

And for those of you that DO have children, that means Easter Egg Hunts.  You have a few to choose from in north Seattle this year – and North Seattle Sarah has you covered on what to do.

Wallingford: The Wallingford Center presents their annual Easter Egg Hunt featuring…wait for it…The Bubbleman! The celebration will be Saturday, April 7th at the Wallingford Center (1818 N 45th Street) and will go from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  The Bubbleman begins performing at 9 a.m., and the egg hunt takes place at 10 a.m.  From 10 a.m. to noon there will also be face painting, crafts, and a chance to meet the Easter Bunny.

Woodland Park: The Zoo is hosting their annual Bunny Bounce from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 7th.  Egg hunts for age groups 3-5, and 6-8 will happen in half-hour increments starting a 10 a.m.  Egg hunts for toddlers will be at 9:30.  This is the 11th year the Zoo has put this on, and there will be crafts, bunny encounters and more throughout the day.  Cost to participate is regular Zoo admission.

Green Lake: Egg Hunt at the Green Lake Community Center is back this year, after being cancelled last year from lack of funding.  Visit the Community Center at 10 a.m. on Saturday April 7th at 7201 East Green Lake Drive N.   It’s free for kids 10 and under.

Ravenna: The Spring Bunny Hunt at Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center at 6535 Ravenna Way NE is also hosting an egg hunt.  This one starts at 10 a.m. and is for children 12 and under.

Loyal Heights:  Children 10 and under can hunt for eggs at the Loyal Heights Community Center at 10 a.m. on April 7th, at 2101 NW 77th Street.

Ballard: Same goes for you, Ballard.  Children 10 and under can egg hunt at the Ballard Community Center on April 7th at 10 a.m.  The Ballard Community Center is at 6020 28th Ave NW.

Bitter Lake: Finally, we can’t forget about our friends on the northern border.  Visit the Bitter Lake Community Center at 13040 Greenwood Ave North for an egg hunt for children 10 and under at 10 a.m. on April 7th.  Note: Meet at the Bitter Lake ANNEX which is attached to Broadview Thomson Elementary School.

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Pluto is TOO a Planet! Annual Pluto Day and March coming up

Posted on February 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

The more I write this blog, the more I end up saying to myself, “Is it really that time again already?”  And yes, it really is just about time for the annual Pluto Day March and Rally, presented by the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company.

The rally is to protest the downgrade of Pluto as a planet in our solar system to the status of “dwarf planet” (which, GSTSC says, makes the other planets laugh at it, call it names, and not let it play in any planet games). 

It will all kick off March 10th with a sign workshop at 12pm, followed by a march at 1pm which will lead to the rally at Neptune Coffee (8415 Greenwood Ave).  The kickoff starts at the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company (8414 Greenwood Ave N).

The whole event is a really fun experience for all ages.   For those unaware or new to the area, the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company is actually a front for a 826 Seattle, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center for children.

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Photos: Green Lake Valentine’s Day Dash 2012

Posted on February 11, 2012 | 1 Comment

Today was the annual Valentine’s Day Dash 5k run at Green Lake Park, with about 3,000 runners in attendance.  One of the most fun things about this run is the costumes, and I caught a few of them on camera!

 

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Readers, help me! What are the can’t-miss attractions of north Seattle?

Posted on January 13, 2012 | 1 Comment

Let me give you a little family history (or if that’s too boring, skip down a ways!).  I was born in England, and when I was three years old my family moved to the USA.  Specifically, to Federal Way.   Due to, well, absolutely no good reason at all, my parents changed their minds every few years so I ended up moving back to England three times before settling in Washington while in high school.  My family made a tough choice so that my sister and I could be happy – I wanted to live here, she wanted to live there, so my mother and sister stayed in England and my father and I moved back to Federal Way.  As I graduated college in Ellensburg, my father too made the move back to England and I’ve been here on my own for several years now.

As those of you with friends or family in Europe know, visitations can be not only expensive but very difficult to take (it’s not a weekend trip, and I work a lot).  The last time I visited England to see most of my family was in 2005.  But this year, I got big news – my mother has booked a flight to Seattle to spend three weeks with me in June, her first time back here in years.

My mother and me as a baby

Which begs the question, what are the can’t-miss attractions to take her to?  Although she lived here for some time, we very rarely ventured out of Federal Way and I can only ever remember her visiting the city with us once.  I don’t remember her ever seeing any part of north Seattle and I’m proud to show off my home up here.  So, I’m starting a list. 

Red Mill Burgers seems like a great place to take her, and there’s a slew of other local spots that I love (I’m actually considering throwing a birthday party at Naked City while she’s here).  I want to show her a good time, so I want reader responses as to where we should go!

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PHOTOS: Fall at Green Lake, November 20th 2011

Posted on November 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sometimes Green Lake in north Seattle is just so darn pretty, you don’t need a professional camera to capture it.  Which is good for me, since these were taken with my cell phone:

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Annual Green Lake Gobble November 20th (warning – this is actually an opinion piece)

Posted on November 15, 2011 | 2 Comments

I’ve been hesitating to write this post, because there are aspects of the event that I disagree with. But I’m going to start with the part that I do:

This Sunday, November 20th is the Green Lake Gobble, a 5K run around Green Lake to help raise money for the Union Gospel Mission.  Specifically, funds and food raised will go to their 1Meal…1Hope Campaign, with a goal of raising 167,000 meals for the hungry in Seattle. The run begins Sunday at 9:30 a.m., with a kid’s dash at 9:10.

If you want to run, you can still register online or in-store at Super Jock n Jill for $30.  You can also register on the day of the race for $40.  Besides paying your registration fee, people are asked to bring canned food to Green Lake where volunteers will be collecting it for the cause.

The reason I didn’t want to write the post is that the second part of the day is the Annual Mashed Potato Munch-Off, a competitive eating event tied in with the run but without benefitting the Mission.  Honestly, and I get to say this because it’s my blog, I disagree with several aspects of this event.  First, I oppose competitive eating competitions overall, as it reflects a greedy nation while people in our country and all over the world are starving.  In fact, to me this almost seems worse because it’s tied into a run that helps feed the homeless and hungry.

My second issue with the event is that the winner receives all the money earned from the event, instead of the mission receiving the money.  To participate, people purchase a raffle ticket for $1 and then eight names are called for the contest.  I *might* be able to get over the idea of the munch-off if it benefitted the Union Gospel Mission, but being that it doesn’t, it just seems wrong.

Maybe I’m being a little too prudish on the issue, or maybe I’m just missing something.  But I highly encourage folks to bring canned food to the run, and participate in the 5K, while passing up the mashed potato eating competition.

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North Seattle Sarah’s Safety Tips for Daylight Savings

Posted on November 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but when I was in my office yesterday and looked out the window at 4:30, I wanted to cry.  It was dark outside.  The icky, depressing, rainy cold season is upon us, and that means we need to change our habits for the winter. 

1.  Light up yourself, and the people/things you care about.  This goes in two ways – one, as a pedestrian.  If you’re walking around in the dark, avoid all dark clothing and preferably wear reflective clothing or an LED light.  In fact, don’t stop there.  North Seattle Lola has her very own LED light, so that people see not just me but my dog also.  You can pick up a decent dog LED light at any Mud Bay, or at Gregg’s Cycle.  which brings me to another point – light up your bike as well!

2. Find a running/walking partner.  I often walk/run through the wooded trails at Woodland Park – but not alone when its dark out (sometimes you’ll meet some awfully creepy people in there).  Don’t just abandon your plans to leave the house because it’s a little scary out – just find a buddy to walk with you for safety in numbers. 

3. Homeowners - please keep the area in front of your house free of debris and leaves.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost slipped and fallen on my face because leaves get slippery when wet.  Do us a favor and keep the walkways clear.  Also, and this goes for everyone, “adopt a drain.”  Keep an eye on the drains on your street and help unclog them to prevent street flooding. 

4. Set your outdoor lights to timers or motion sensors.  Did you notice that it was a little harder to find where the key fit in the door after work yesterday?  Try setting your outdoor lights to a timer, or else install a motion sensor.  It also helps deter prowlers from breaking in.

5.  Go to the store THIS WEEK and buy a flashlight, if you don’t have one, and tealight candles plus a lighter or matches.  Don’t wait until the day of the big storm, when the power goes out, to realize that you need these items.  You can save yourself a lot of hassle by being prepared early.  (If you’re me, you also want to make sure you’re stocked up with beer, blankets, and that the laptop is always fully charged).

Other than that, I hope everyone has a safe and fun winter – and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some puffy white stuff again this year!

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