The *New* Underground Seattle

A couple of months ago, I watched as they demolished a building on the corner of Denny and 1st Ave. When I asked the hard hat what was going in, he said, "A parking lot." Knowing the hard hat was full of it, I watched as they dug down and down and then laced the site with banners and signs touting the latest, greatest condo project for Seattle: Trio! Nothing is posted on their site yet, except a registration form. I can't imagine living on this corner of Seattle, though, which is one of the most trafficked in the city.

Four Seasons, Here We Come!

Take a good look at this decrepit old parking garage because it's coming down soon to make way for the Four Seasons. Interesting bedfellows, neighbors will be the Lusty Lady, Seattle's daring peep parlor whose popular marquee is filled with double entrendres to make even the most prudish snicker. The downtown nabe will have some interesting tenants side-by-side since five-star hotels will be next to peep shows and other multi-use projects will have tattoo parlors and needle exchanges from which to borrow sugar.

Go, SEE-Hawks, Go!

Ah, the Lusty Lady, ya gotta love her. I walked down 1st Ave. specifically to see what Ye Olde Lady had to say about the Seahawks going to the Super Bowl. And, if I may say so myself, going to a Supe with an "XL" after it makes it special. XL... X-tra Large. The 40th -- 4-OH. Nice. I wouldn't want to be going to the 50th, which is just "L." "Super Bowl L" Blech.

Bidding Wars Still Alive and Well

A friend I work with found a house on Phinney Ridge and fell in love with it (above). It was a quintessential Craftsman with tulip leaded-glass windows, gleaming hardwoods, built-ins, and crown molding. It was listed at $499,950 and her realtor warned her it could be "competitive." And competitive, it was. My friend and her fiance bid $525, thinking they were in the running. What they didn't know was 10 other folks got their Jones up for the place, too, and it ended in a bidding war, with the "winner" buying at $599. My friend didn't get it. What she did get was a good dose of bidding wars, Seattle style.

A Sign Up High

On Magnolia, around 30th and Dravus is a teeny-tiny house that has a sign up on the chimney that says, "Duplex for Rent." First of all, what poor sucker had to climb up there to put that sign on the chimney and second of all, you see that size of this house -- 900 square feet total -- and this is a duplex?? Get your shoehorns out... we're going home!

We Have a Name: Ella Bailey Park

If you've been following my blog for the past few months, you'll know the great vacant space behind Magnolia Elementary with fab views of downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier is going to be turned into a park and a "Name This Park" contest was held. And, we have a Winnna! It will be named the Ella Bailey Park, named after the woman who first owned the land and then sold it to the Seattle School District. She was a teacher in the Seattle school district for 30 years. Good choice, people, good choice.

Grocery Store Anxieties

The brouhaha on Queen Anne is about a QFC taking over the space where the beloved Metropolitan Market is. And now I hear Albertson's in Green Lake is leaving -- probably due to today's news of its sale to SuperValu. No one knows whether a new market is coming into that spot, but it's highly likely that condos will be part of the equation, if not the whole equation. We live on Magnolia and have a choice of two markets -- Thriftway and Albertson's and if you count Interbay, it would also be QFC. We live closest to Albertson's, which is the lesser market, but hey, it's a market. And, if the takeover does happen, Now that Albertson's was sold, we can expect a new chain to come into Magnolia in a few years. Whoo-Hoo!

Fixing the Pike/Pine District

It has always amazed me that right across from Pike Place Market, a tourist destination that is Seattle's jewel, is a section of seedy businesses and rundown buildings that essentially wall off the other part of Seattle's vibrant hub: the Westlake Center area and the shops along 5th Ave., and Pacific Place. I've watched tourists do a 180 when they start heading down this stretch because crossing this moat is tricky: There are homeless people wandering around, mentally unstable people, and even shit on the sidewalks. I'm talking about human feces.

This will all change in the next few years when developers get the green light to develop properties that will be taller and will replace pawn shops and tattoo parlors for Gucci and Fendi shops. The Seattle Times had a great article yesterday with a map that outlines the sections that will change as soon as the city codes are passed. While I don't covet shiny, plastic people, I do think something needs to be done to nudge Seattle into a world-class city and to clean up this no-man's land.

The Future: Exurbia Sprawl

New York Times columnist David Brooks had a column this morning titled "A Nation of Villages," which is oh-so-important if you're at all concerned about suburban sprawl -- or, as he calls it, "exurbia." While cities are being revitalized by New Urbanism, the pace to get outside of cities is still very much the norm. The main point of his article is the development taking shape outside of Phoenix in the next decade, which will put a million people there by 2025. But, here's the clincher from his article:

"According to a Brookings Institution study by Arthur C. Nelson, half of the buildings in which Americans will live, play and work in the year 2030 don't even exist yet."

The photo above is screwy-looking because it's a panorama of suburban sprawl near San Ramon, Calif., taken by Matt Jalbert. Once you get to the photo, pan to the right.... Are you crying yet?

McHoney Bucket Mansion

Remember that 28th St teardown in Magnolia that we captured on film (?) ... oops -- in cyberspace a while back? Well, we took a drive by this past weekend and either the builders forgot to stop building or we're going to have one hell of a McMansion on our hands. I'm sure the folks across the street are tickled pink to have their views blocked by this place.

Even Millionaire Pros Feel Pinched

My cross-country blogging friend, Ben Katz, gave me something perfect for my blog today. In an interview with an Atlanta newspaper, Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback David Greene, who is from Georgia and is now gettting a taste of Seattle real estate, was interviewed about life in Seattle. Here's an excerpt of his interview:

Q. Are you renting or buying?
A. We're renting right now, but we're looking to buy a place pretty soon. The only thing that drives me crazy is the real estate out here is unbelievably expensive. We would think back at home with $500,000 you could build the house of your dreams. Up here? I promise you, you wouldn't even want to live in a $500,000 house. They're like shacks, which is ridiculous.

So, I looked up homes in Atlanta that run around half a million. The photo above sold for $524,900 in East Cobb, Georgia, which is north of Atlanta. Pretty nice homes down there in Jaw-Ja.

Rudy's Place is in Business!

Bust my buttons, Magnolia! Rudy's Place is the savior of Magnolia's very limited dining scene and thank goodness they are up and running. Imagine my surprise upon hearing that Magnolia -- a thriving community of approximately 30K, had no breakfast place. "Rudy" saw a need and delivered. Yay, Rudy! R-U-D-Y! Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!

I stopped in the other day to see how things were going and the precious little thing that spoke with me was giggling over the fact that they're not really up-to-speed, nor do they know what they're doing -- "A couple walked out on us after waiting 45 minutes for their meal!" -- but that didn't seem to faze her or anyone else. They are the ONLY breakfast place in Magnolia. They could give a s**t whether you wait 10 seconds or 10 years. Are we talking monopoly, or what???

(Note: This is not to be mixed up with Rudy's Barbershop, which is also in Seattle.)

Own a Piece of America! Watch This Guy's Eyes!

Stumbled upon a Web site that claims you can own land -- for free! -- in America! Gosh, you have to just love this country, don't you? So, here's the deal: Just by signing up and providing your e-mail address, you can own a 1 inch-by-1 inch square of land in America just by entering your e-mail address and choosing the state you want the land in. I'm sure my Inbox will now be subject to all kinds of s**t, but I had to try. (What else is Hotmail good for?)

P.S. On the Own a Piece of America Web site, watch the guy's eyes follow your mouse around the page. Creepy.

Needed: Mansion for Party

While trolling through the Seattle's "Housing Wanted" section of Craigslist, I found a headline that caught my eye:

$10000 - earn money by letting my company use your house

Evidently, a guy (?) who owns a small production company needs a mansion for a party. But, hey, don't worry! His company, "will tka ecare of everything from set up to clean up, i have my own security team to make sure ppl are not screwing things up or stealing, you will make 50 percent of door profits, usally about 500 dollars, our parties last about 8 hours, DJ, Bands, lots ofbeer," And, after seeing the photo on the post (above), it occurred to me that there are still a lot of stupid people in the world. Who wouldn't want to have their house filled with people smoking, drinking, and trashing your house? It's a no-brainer. Right?

Speed Traps Before You Enter a Time Warp

One benefit of riding the bus is that you have no chance of getting a speeding ticket, which makes me happy after reading an article in the Magnolia News about how police are setting up radar traps to nab speedsters who go 60 over the Magnolia Bridge. My point is, what's the rush? Once you cross into Magnolia, time slows down by 20 years anyway. So all that rushing just to step back in time is wasted. Know what I mean?

P.S. The photo above is from the Kent Police Department. Hopefully, Magnolia won't go to this extreme, with camouflaged radar.

Dark Days in Queen Anne

Queen Anne, my beloved former neighborhood, is ch-ch-ch-changing in many ways and not for the better. All of a sudden the main drag is getting dark, with buildings rising up and hogging the precious sky. (Look at the photo above. See how dark it is on QA these days?)

Lately, everyone's up in arms over the Metropolitan market giving way to QFC -- even this reader on Judy's Book. Lost in the furor is the impending development of the 76 gas station, which lies right smack in the middle of all of QA. According to the Seattle Department of Planning & Development, plans calls for a "4-story, 36-unit apartment building with 15,400 sq.ft. of ground floor retail. Parking for 80 vehicles will be provided below grade. Existing gas station to be demolished."

So keep in mind that when you park your SUV below grade, you'll be parking in the same spot a gazillion-gallon tank of gas once sat. Tip: Don't light a match down there.

Macrina Under Wraps

Belltown's Macrina Bakery hasn't lacked for business despite the big, white wrap and scaffolding that has consumed it. Someone at the bakery was kind enough to reveal that the building has a problem with leaks -- hey! it rains here! -- and that has compromised the building's roof and walls. Must be a big leak. Oy vey.

Magnolia Triangle

There's the Bermuda Triangle and soon, the Magnolia Triangle. Behind the Village and adjacent to Bartells Pharmacy (I love Bartells) is a development planned for 13 single family structures with garages on a triangular-shaped lot. So says the rain-soaked, yellow project board at the site. Right now the triangle is home to old sofas, dumpsters and temporary parking for Magnolia's rich folk and their SUVs.

Phoenix Rising

On the north side of Queen Anne Avenue, past the hip restaurants, coffee houses, organic pet-food shop and tea shop, is a teardown that is suddenly rising like Phoenix. And, this is not trick photography, but it looks substantially higher than the bungalows next to it. Or, maybe it's a flat roof, which means they have hit their height for this photo. Looks to be a mod box-like structure a la this Ballard beauty I spotted this fall.

Beefcake in Belltown

I thought it would be fitting to start the New Year with a photo of this billboard in Belltown of a buff model for Abercrombie & Fitch. Especially after we've all consumed way too much for the past two weeks. So, my observations on this are:

1.) Does Abercrombie go a little too far to reinforce its image as "abs" and asses?
2.) They sell clothes, right? So, why do we always see half-nude models?
3.) Their company should be renamed "Abdomen & Crotch"