You may have heard the Christmas ships if you were by the water any evening in the past few weeks; they have been parading in the waters of the greater Seattle area since the end of November. But the best chances for viewing them near our neighborhood are still ahead of us, and the grand finale, on Monday, December 23, can be viewed from Gas Works Park.

If you’re asking yourself, “What is he talking about?” here is a bit of an explanation. The Christmas ships are a holiday tradition around these parts. Lead by an Argosy cruise ship with …

In a newsletter sent out last week to subscribers, wallyhood among them, Dustin Ronspies, owner and head chef at Art of the Table which has been a neighborhood mainstay for over 17 years, said that he is closing his restaurant for good come late November. He pointedly said he would not be looking to open a new place, and implied that he and his family would be moving out of the area. No specific reason was cited for the closure other than the cumulative toll of 17 years of “long days and longer nights,” and a desire to move on.…

There’s an intersection in the south part of our neighborhood that’s always been bad for users of the Burke Gilman Trail and drivers trying to cross it. I don’t think it’s actually terribly dangerous — although the intersection has some risks for trail users – but it’s been a source of many moments of frustration and angst over the years. And now, with an increase in the number of cars in that area, the problem seems to be getting worse.

Let me explain.

The intersection I’m talking about is one of those irregular ones between Pacific St. and …

This Saturday morning, the 12^th annual Obliteride to fight cancer will kick off at the UW with close to 4,000 riders, runners, walkers and others beginning their journeys at the UW and ending at Gas Works Park. The festivities start Friday night, however, which will bring a couple days of potential traffic snarls not just to drivers in our neighborhood, but users of the Burke Gilman trail, as well.

Obliteride participants raise money through donations from their networks of friends and colleagues. Funds raised go directly to the Fred Hutch Cancer Center to support their work. Local t.v. …

A popular koan asks, “If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make any sound?” And what if it falls at the Wallingford Playfield? That’s exactly what happened on July 26.

Mary wrote us to say:

A seemingly healthy and very large tree in Wallingford Playfield apparently just toppled over, probably yesterday. This a much loved conifer near the children’s playfield. Parks and a City arborist have been notified. Children need to warned about danger of climbing on this downed tree.

Seattle Parks was on it pretty quick. By the early …

Back in August of last year, Gary wrote about the possible elimination of #20 bus service which, then, never happened. However, the drama continues.

Wallyhood was contacted by neighbors several weeks ago concerning the elimination of #20 bus service in September as part of a reduction and consolidation of bus service as the Link light rail Lynnwood extension opens this Fall. The #20 serves the northern and eastern extremes of Wallingford. (See Metro’s map here.)

It is surprisingly difficult to substantiate this. Metro’s own blog detailing bus route changes, published in May, notes merely service reductions for the 20. At …

With the weather we’ve been having recently, you may have thought that summer is already here. But it is not. And that’s because we have not yet had the Fremont Solstice Parade. The traditional harbinger of summer around these parts, the parade is just one of the events comprising the Fremont Fair produced by the Fremont Arts Council. The fair will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23.

As in past years, the fair will feature music, craft vendors and food in addition to the human and dog parades. This year’s Fair will feature some 300 vendors. …