What if it Opens at 8:47 A.M.?

These mixed-use skyscrapers that are rising up throughout the city usually post opening dates with a month and a year expressed, such as, "Opening May 2006." For the Madison Towers, their Web site says:

Madison Tower and Hotel 1000 are scheduled to open on Monday, June 27, 2006 at 8:45 A.M at 1000 First Avenue, on the corner of First and Madison in the heart of Downtown Seattle and just steps from the waterfront and Pioneer Square.

Is it me or is this a little too specific as to when they're opening? I mean, what if they open at 8:43 A.M.? Or, 8:47 A.M.? Will heads roll?

Details on the development: It's a combo hotel/residence site with 47 "homes" on floors 15 through 24, atop Hotel 1000, a boutique property. With only five homes per floor, residences will range in size from approximately 805 square feet for a one bedroom to nearly 3,700 square feet for a penthouse home. Not to be overlooked, but this place has a dog park on its roof, too.

Discovery Park Getting Bigger, Better

I thought I'd mention that the City of Seattle was given the deed to the West Point Lighthouse this past October and it will be officially made part of Discovery Park.

Other news surrounding the park is the city's acquisition of the Capehart housing parcel, which is no longer being used by the Navy and was in the hands of American Eagle Communities until the city of Seattle struck a deal with them. The property will be turned over to Seattle and the Capehart housing will be demolished in the coming years, turning the land back to a natural area.

Rudy's Place to the Rescue

Magnolia Ristorante, that pink neighborhood place on 34th in Magnolia that has been out of business for a while, is getting spruced up by a crew (looks more like a family) sawing, hammering, painting and cleaning up the joint. Then I saw a little ad in the Magnolia Weekly that said, "Watch for the opening of Rudy's Place Restaurant, 3656 34th Ave W, Magnolia." Whoo-Hoo! We have a new place to look forward to. I was wondering if it would be a Starbucks since it's across from a dry cleaner, but it didn't have enough oil stains in the parking lot.

A Nod to Mom and Dad

I'm taking a break from posting today to say this to my mom and dad:

Thanks. You done good.

I'll be back on the job on Monday.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Retirement on Everyone's Mind

So, where do the old, the tired, and the gay go when it's time to retire? Carefree Boulevard in Fort Myers, Florida, is one place and Rainbow Vision in Santa Fe is another. What about Seattle? Is there a gay retirement facility in Seattle, which has a healthy gay population? Or San Francisco? Tell me because I need to make a reservation before it's too late.

The Seattle Times ran a piece about retirement communities, breaking down the semantics of level of care (e.g. nursing home vs. independent living facility). Whatever way you slice it, it just means you're going to need help somewhere along the line.

Photo above is a sunrise over Magnolia a month ago. No airbrushing or touchups --promise! I thought this would be a good chance to post it since we're talking about going off into the sunset...

Cheap House: Queen Anne

Got a goodie on Craigslist today: Headline to make you click:

"Cheapest House on Queen Anne"

At $249,000, it is a freaking bargain! Who cares if it's only one bedroom and you can't fit your bed in? Hey, it's QA, baby!

Condo Nation

Seattle's rental market is increasingly shrinking due to developers turning apartment buildings into condos. In September, The Stranger ran an article with this incredible stat:

"In the first half of 2005 alone, 579 apartment units in Seattle became condos, according to the Seattle Department of Planning and Development."

Like, wow.

The latest apartment building to bite the dust is the old Queen Anne High School where The Seattle P-I reports that residents will have the first shot at one-and two-bedroom units.

Shangri-la on the Olympic Peninsula

Craigslist never fails to entertain, never fails to amaze me at how people live. Today I stumbled upon this post about a guy who has acreage on the Olympic Peninsula, about an hour west of Bremerton. The headline was:

$20,000 - Who wants to live inexpensively on a nearby mountain?

It looks like he's looking for people he can trust to help him develop the land and who might want to buy a chunk of it, assuming you're into an alternative way of living -- in the mountains with streams and creeks and nary a McDonald's in sight. He's seeking "... only positive, practical, intelligent folks/families. An average American consumer doesn't qualify and need not respond." Love it. That should eliminate more than 99 percent of the U.S. population.

BTW, he inserted the pix of the treehouse in the listing, but said it does not come with the property.

Let's SHAG, baby!

Last weekend, the Seattle Times ran a package on how housing for seniors is so scarce. If it's scare now, what's it going to be like when the boomers really begin to retire? (This is like Hurricane Katrina: We know it's coming, but we're not going to do anything about it until it's a catastrophe).

Anyway, during my lunch-hour walk, I spotted a place in the International District which is under construction. As I got closer, I see it's for seniors. What an odd spot, I thought. Up here, on a pretty steep hill on 6th and S. Washington Street, next to the Nippon Kan Theatre.

So, in researching it, I stumbled upon the Senior Housing Assistance Group -- SHAG for short (you go, seniors!) -- which is subsidizing affordable, rental apartment communities for seniors in western Washington, including this one in the photo above, the Washington Terrace Senior Housing facility.

This is all very well and good, but how will these seniors venture very far? It's really, really up a big hill, guys!

Chainsaw Greg

I'm keeping an eye on Occidental Park, a refuge for many homeless people and an area of Pioneer Square that Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels wants to turn into Club Med, or something like that. OK, I'm being silly, but WTF? Nickels wants to remove some trees because he feels they're enabling drug sales and encouraging the homeless to gather and yada, yada. "Oh No You Don't!" say the folks who live in the 'hood. I have to agree. Removing trees is a band-aid and not the answer. The answer is: Fix the homeless problem, keep the trees and keep yer stinkin' bocce ball court.

Farewell O Little Bungalow

Last week, the Seattle P-I's Jennifer Langston wrote an article about teardowns in Seattle, the headline telling it all: "Houses on Steroids." Within the article was a poem she viewed on a nearby telephone pole:

"Farewell O Little Bungalow,
A victim of pure greed.

In your place a Bellevue Mega-Home
Will rise up like a weed.

A monument to arrogance, status and consumption,
And to a timid City Hall without an ounce of gumption."

Part of me hates it, while another part of me totally understands. I mean, I wouldn't want to live in a two-bedroom bungalow with tiny rooms that can't even fit a bed. Been there, done that. But on the other hand, let's show a little restraint and try not to hog the sky.

Lusty Lady's New Neighbor

Lusty Lady, that peep-show joint on First Avenue that has a knack for highly creative messages on its marquee, will get a new neighbor in a couple of years: The Four Seasons Hotel. In the photo above, that ugly above-ground parking lot will make way for a 21-story multi-use building that will have 150 guestrooms and 50 condominium suites. Allegedly, each guestroom will have its own fireplace, a first in the city. The Lady should really start rocking when the wrecking ball starts knocking.

Beckoning Cistern

I jumped off the bus early one morning to poke around the neighborhoods on my way to work when I spotted what looked to be a vertical dumpster on Vine, between 1st and Elliott. Getting closer, I see it's practical art. Called the "Beckoning Cistern," it's an installation to catch rainwater for the shrubs and plantings for the building and its tenants. Tres cool.

Cats and Median Sale Prices

As I was reading my P-I yesterday about a cat that survived a leap from a pickup, jumped off a 70-foot bridge and then swam 600 feet to shore in Wenatchee, another headline caught my eye:

"Housing Prices Rise on Strong Demand"

Is Seattle the only city that is going against the national tide of a real estate slowdown? Also, I want that cat. (helluva cat, eh?)

Slumming with Your Kids

Here’s a new acronym making its way on the Eastside: ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units. According to the Seattle Times, ADUs are great for in-laws, rentals, offices or any kind of facility in which local codes need to allow units within single family homes. To me, it just sounds like a nicer way of saying you're slumming with your kids.

The Invisible Hand

A most interesting article in Slate yesterday, by their architecture critic, Witold Rybczynski, is his discussion of urban sprawl, based on the book, "Sprawl," by Robert Bruegmann. It details the genesis of sprawl, where it got its name and how it's not an American nuisance. Worth reading. At the end of it, I wondered: Will major cities in the world eventually start looking like a donut? The middle is empty, but the exterior is filled with people who have fled to the outer core to be alone, but they're really not?

House For Sale: Must Love Lime Green

I scan Seattle's Craigslist almost every day to see what kind of craziness has taken place. Today, this headline:

$172500 - AN ESTATE ON .86 ACRES

Me, being curious, clicked on the link and saw this neon, lime-green kitchen. So, I wonder: Will the seller have to pay thousands of dollars to the buyer to correct this catastrophe?

Olympic Sculpture Park Update

Driving along Elliott Ave yesterday, I see the Olympic Sculpture Park is quickly taking shape. As I tried to catch up with what's going on, I stumbled upon this wonderful Web site by Bruce Moore, a photographer who lives nearby and has a birds-eye view of the construction. He says, "Ordinarily I photograph musicians and the great outdoors. I'm getting better at shooting dirt."

Sodo a go-go

Sodo -- south of downtown or, originally, south of the Kingdome – is a hodgepodge of light commercial, hip-happening, fast foods, and low-rise buildings that are pretty ugly, let's face it. Mayor Nickels is determined to clean the joint up, which is good, mainly because the people who live and work there want it.

Read this snippet from the Seattle P-I:

In an unusual proposal, major property owners in south downtown approached the city about contributing half the estimated $400,000 in planning costs. They've been frustrated that tight budgets have prevented the city from moving faster.

When is the last time you've heard people who actually live and work in an area WANT their area developed?

Ballard Beauty

Love it, Love it, Love it. Way up on 78th-ish, in Ballard, is this bungalow-turned-dream-home. It used to look like the one next to it. So, how did this modern, industrial-style looker turn up in Ballard? It turns out the owner is an architect.

Dogs in the Sky

Walking through Belltown on 2nd, past the homeless who are sleeping in doorways, is a pricey little condo residence named Cristalla. The lobby has a cozy fireplace, beautiful chandeliers and some security people behind the desk. And somewhere up high in this 22-floor building is a dog park -- for residents only. These are things that don't escape me as I walk through downtown, observing the haves and have-nots. Even the dogs have it.

It looks like there's a penthouse available for $2,690,000.