This is purely a coincidence, I think.  But almost immediately after one of Wallyhood’s loose cannon editors included a snarky joke about the Route 44 bus line in an article that was mostly unrelated to it, we heard from Darrell Bulmer, communications/outreach lead for the city’s Route 44 upgrade project.  For the record:  Darrell lives in the neighborhood AND rides the 44 bus.

Darrell graciously overlooked (mostly) my previous snide jest, and wanted to update Wallingford about the Route 44 corridor work that is just now beginning to take place.  The kickoff is likely one that will trigger at least …

Many of us, especially the cranky old-timers (like me), have gotten pretty good at lamenting the pace of changes in the city and our neighborhood.  It’s a kind of standard Wallingford small talk, perfect for sitting in the rocking chair, chewing tobacco, and spitting into coffee cans…oops, sorry, wrong century…perfect for getting caught up, drinking sauvignon blanc during happy hour on the deck at Ivar’s Salmon House: “Have you seen all the condos and apartments going up on Stone Way…?” or, “They sure messed up the 44 route, didn’t they?”

Well, the city—SDOT (Seattle Department of Transportation), specifically—is offering you …

While Wallingford is not without its local celebrations—think Wallingford Kids’ Parade, or maybe the Wurst Festival—we really don’t have anything on the same scale as, say, the Fremont Solstice Festival.  That’s why we are telling you about the return of the iconic U District Street Fair, which is back once again this year on May 21-22, within walking distance of Wallingford directly to the east.  The U District event is the unofficial kickoff to the summer street fair season in Seattle, and of course has been superceded by the events of the last couple of years.  Go enjoy what promises …

For those of you, like me, who own cars in Wallingford, this could be an important development for you to consider:  the City has begun enforcing the 72-hr. street parking rule once again.  On Friday, SDOT sent a notification whose bottom line was:

The City of Seattle is resuming full parking enforcement for any vehicle that has remained in one place unmoved for longer than 72 hours, returning to the normal standards which were temporarily paused in 2020 due to COVID-19 public health guidelines. While full enforcement is resuming now, parking enforcement officers will continue to provide official warning notifications …

Apparently, not everyone books a staid eggs benedict brunch with Mom at Ray’s or Salty’s or the other usual and accustomed Seattle locations for Mother’s Day.  Or—credit the Octopus Bar for a little creativity to get the old girl out for something she might really WANT to do this time, god forbid.  We received this heads-up from the Octopus about their plans for the day, and it would be something of a travesty to not give it some airplay on our heavily trafficked site

Don’t let Mother’s Day be stale again this year. Sure the spa is nice, sure brunch …

Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat:  It’s NOT Mexican Independence Day.  That’s September 16^th.  Cinco de Mayo DOES celebrate the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  The way I read the history of this unofficial* holiday, Cinco de Mayo had its beginnings, not in Puebla—or even Mexico—but rather in California.  There, it has been celebrated continuously since 1863.  And like many things spawned in California, Cinco de Mayo leaked out into the rest of the country and now has become a celebration of …