Back on October 21, we posted photos (many from readers) of some “unique and bizarre” (or perhaps “whimsical and original” as one reader preferred to term them) items to be found around the neighborhood. We challenged readers to identify the locations where the photos were taken. Scroll through the gallery below to find the answers as well as some interesting back stories that some contributors sent in, and some late entries we just received. If you want to create unique artwork, you may draw inspiration from photos generated by a photography ai tool.

Some might wonder about the peace sign …

When I first moved to Seattle in 1993, I regularly visited a coffee shop in the University District called The Last Exit on Brooklyn. The large, rustic, high-ceilinged warehouse space was a sanctuary for the artistic, bohemian counterculture—a vestige of the beat generation—that once defined the city. The large, round wooden tables were always filled with “long-haired hippies” (both old and young) sketching in notepads and painting at easels; reading and writing (with actual pen and paper) poetry, novels, and song lyrics (maybe for that evening’s open mic); playing Go, chess, or backgammon; discussing philosophy and politics; and drinking coffee …

With the end of the school year and that long-awaited but brief Seattle sunshine just around the corner, we thought it would be neighborly of us to offer some (mostly free!) family-friendly ideas for that small window of opportunity for sun lovers in Wallingford.

Hot Spots to Cool Off

With the closing of the school doors comes the opening of the many spray parks and wading pools in the Seattle area. The wading pool at Wallingford Playfield is one of the most popular spots in the neighborhood to cool off. Scheduled to open on Wednesday, June 28, the pool will …

Seattle Night Out, the city-wide block party, is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1 this year: streets all over Wallingford (and beyond!) will be blocked off and turned into sprawling cook-outs, parks and playgrounds.

So, maybe in years past, your street has put together a potluck, enjoyed each other’s company and had a decent time. Kids were rolling back and forth in their Big Wheels, throwing marshmallows and generally getting heady drunk on staying out late.

But this year, maybe you want to step up your game. You want to have a band. You want to have hacky-sack tournament. You want …

In a time with plenty of bad news, I’m thrilled to announce that this small business will NOT be closing its doors. Kids on 45th, which we shared about in this January article, has been sold and is looking at a bright future with new owner, Elise Worthy.

Serendipity

It all began when Elise, a Wallingford mom of two boys (Isaac, 3, and Cooper, 8 months), missed her consignment appointment. “I called to reschedule and they refused, stating they were closing. I think it was the day they had decided to shut the door,” shared Elise over coffee recently. “I …

On April 5, 2017 the Wallingford Community Council hosted a meeting for renters, landlords and single-family home owners. The meeting was put on by the Tenants Rights Bootcamp, a partnership between BE:SEATTLE and the Catholic Community Services Legal Action Center. Devin Silvernail, Executive Director of Be:Seattle conducted the meeting and Maureen Roat, Senior Staff Attorney for the Legal Action Center presented the legal aspects as well as answered questions from the audience.

The meeting resulted in a wonderful dialogue between renters and landlords which provided a better understanding of each other’s position, concerns and issues that each is facing in …

If you have kids or shop for kids, it is likely you have had the pleasure of finding treasures at Wallingford’s own Kids on 45^th, a bustling consignment store which sells new and used clothes, toys and baby gear. Early on with our son, we would be in there every other week finding that cool new shaker toy or a baby food mill to try or taking home seemingly untouched pants from…France? And we also enjoy bringing things back to receive in-store credit and for other families to enjoy (that musical walker that he played with for weeks …