The Sick Bed Tour of Wallingford

…or, “what you can get here when you can’t get out of your house.”

Some backstory to explain the title & theme of this post:  in late January I suddenly became immobile due to a lower back problem.  I spent a month in bed, and then a few weeks recovering from surgery.  As this event affected our lives, we quickly realized how lucky we are to live here in Wallingford, particularly since we don’t drive or own a car.  When delivery wasn’t available, my partner Laura was kind enough to fetch everything below or do some scouting/shopping up front.  And our local businesses sure did oblige:

• Bedrooms and More (300 N. 45th St.). We knew they rocked after we read Wallyhood’s previous post about them last Fall.  What we didn’t know is that they would deliver our new bed in record time, that they’d revise their return policy because I wasn’t able to try out the bed myself before purchasing it, and that they would remove our old bed & donate it to Solid Ground.  And the bed itself — wow.  Wow, wow, wow.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
• Bartell Drugs (1820 N. 45th).  I know, they’re not a Wallingford business, they’re a Puget Sound business.  But I was surprised to discover the kind of stuff I could get right here at our local location– things I’d never needed before:  a walking/support cane, pre-surgery antimicrobial soap, sleep aids, non-slip socks, ear plugs (don’t ask!) and in one case a prescription that required I hand-carry it to the pharmacist.  When I couldn’t do that, a simple phone call to the store explained their security procedure, which allowed Laura to go pick up the rx(unfortunately it’s gone now, so I must quit writing love sonnets to the rx bottle).
• Julia’s of Wallingford (4401 Wallingford Ave. N).  A little sugar and a good quick bread can perk you right up.  Those chocolate-dipped face-sized cookies really hit the spot.
• Access Medical Equipment (7612 Aurora Ave N.).  Just north of Green Lake, these guys delivered a comfortable, clean, high-quality wheelchair to lower Wallingford in under 2 hours.  And came to pick it up exactly when they said they would.
• Restraurants on the Run (711 6th Ave N.).  Not in Wallingford, but they can bring stuff here!  And I gotta tell ya, there is nothing like a little Southern comfort food when you’re laid up.  Thank you, Marie Callendar’s.
• Safeway Grocery Delivery.  The large Safeway chain does deliver to Wallingford, much like AmazonFresh (which I haven’t yet tried.)  They always show up when they are supposed to, and if not they call and tell you so.  Just beware of substitions, as these can increase your bill quite a bit.  Otherwise, it’s a great service when you aren’t willing or able to slug everything home on your back but aren’t willing to rent a car just to buy groceries either.  Nice.
• Blue Star Cafe & Pub (4512 Stone Way N.).  A great place to eat & drink when you finally escape your house.  Delicious everything.  Plus I took one look at the bar & decided to go back during football season.  Very nice indeed: good views via flatscreen, full bar, plenty of game-time food, and some really friendly staff who will call a cab if you need one.
• Yellow Cab.  We’ve all had negative experiences with cab drivers and/or dispatchers, getting line-jumped by other people, etc.  But recently I’ve been really lucky with Yellow Cab drivers who show up, pull up to where I’m standing, move the front seat to allow me more wiggle room, and help me into the car.  And sometimes, they arrive in Lower Wallingford in just 3 minutes.  Sometimes.  (Note:  my favorite comment by a cab driver this year, “You’re not afraid of going to the hospital are you?  Cuz if they can keep Dick Cheney alive all this time, they can probably fix you too!”)

And now, it’s time to start hoofin’ it again.  I hear there are lots of pretty flowers blooming out there in the ‘hood.

Thank you, Wallingford.