Keeping the Creeps away

Interbay is not the only area of town that has had problems with break-ins, graffiti, vagrancy and people up to no good.  Queen Anne and Magnolia have also been working hard to take back their streets.  For the most part constant vigilance and keeping eyes on the street have prevented crime from escalating, but then we get a period of car break-ins and the awful graffiti of Counter Balance Park.

In an effort to give neighborhoods the tools to control crime,  Sgt. Paul Gracy and Terrie Johnston of Seattle’s West Precinct will brief South Lake Union, Uptown, and Queen Anne neighbors on how and when to report suspicious or criminal activity to the Seattle Police Department.  They will explain how the Police respond to citizens’ reports.  Learn about the actual crime levels in our Center City neighborhoods.  Hear about the staffing that is now available for patrols in South Lake Union, Interbay and Uptown/Queen Anne.  Learn how you and your neighbors can participate in the Block Watch Program to discourage criminal activity where we live and shop.

Daniel Sims of Seattle Public Utilities will brief neighbors on when and how to report graffiti  and how it can be removed promptly.  

Hear presentations and interact with a panel which will include City Councilmember Tim Burgess who will explain how the City Council is supporting crime prevention, safety of the public, and improved civility on our streets.  Captain Steve Brown, Commander of SPD West Precinct will show how police protection for Seattle’s citizens in being improved and will answer questions.  Eileen McComb of Catholic Community Services will speak about the role of shelters in helping homeless individuals and families to fit into our Center City neighborhoods.

 Comments about public safety and civility today from those attending this Forum will be gathered and heard.  The comments will be consolidated and made available to City government.

Latest Call for Alcohol

Interbay’s past has always been a little troubled when it came to alcohol.  From the early settlers to the hobos that rode the rails Interbay was a place to get  liquored-up.  The Interbay Neighborhood Association was successful driving out the last remnants of that past by closing the dreaded SoundTrack tavern. 

Of course most people drink responsibly and occasionally  like to grab fixings for a night with friends.  If you are one of those  people and live on Queen Anne you know that the lower Queen Anne liquor store is not convenient.  The store on 1st. Ave. W. is one of the most difficult to park next to and you run the risk of getting your fender bent as people race north on this major arterial.

You need not fret any longer.  A new Liquor and Wine store is opening up in May as the newest tenant in the Whole Foods Interbay parking lot.   The Interbay Neighborhood Association welcomed Whole Foods  and think that Petes makes a darn tasty cup of joe.   Subway and the questionable food at the Magic Dragon offer nothing special but are better than an empty store front.

We waited in anticipation of what types of businesses would fill the remaining store fronts.  The new liquor and wine store is a welcome addition and has a large parking lot for easy and safe access. 

Meanwhile, the lower Queen Anne store will remain open for those that like to shop on the wild side.

INA receives Department of Neighborhood Grant

The Interbay Neighborhood Association was concerned that there were no places to sit outside for the over 100 employees working north of Dravus Street.  Bruce Wynn, Executive Director of the INA applied for a Small and Simple grant through the Department of Neighborhoods to build two small sitting areas. 

The grant was awarded for $20,000 in matching funds to make the parks possible.  One sitting area will be located next to the Denali Fitness building on Bertona, between 16th and 17th Ave. W.

 

The other sitting area will be next to the Dusty Strings building at the north end of 16th Avenue West. 

Denali Fitness has hundreds of customers that come and go throughout the day.  Nearby there are several employees working at ScreenPlay and The Seattle Storm headquarters. 

At the north end of Interbay, there are over 50 workers building harps, dulcimers and guitars for Dusty Strings.  Also, KERF Designs which did the interior for Poppy restaurant on Capitol Hill, and Read Products which builds pizza and cutting board equipment.

When the parks are completed employees can relax and soak up the rays on a beautiful day in Interbay.

Another Great Chowdown

The Mobile Truck Chowdown team were nervous about the weather for this weekends event.  Would it rain, be cold and unpleasant?  Fortunately, even though it poured the night before, Saturday morning was dry and warm as the sun came out amidst cloudy skies.  By 11:00 a.m. mobile truck food fans came streaming in ready to chowdown on some great food. 

The organizers made some great changes with a food tent, clearly marked food truck lines and music.  Even though Marinated Nation continues to be the biggest draw, mobile truck fans had lots to choose from.  With great food choices and prices that can’t be beat, all food vendors did great business.  The appeal and draw of mobile food trucks  is captured in this wonderful article in Wasabi Prime’s blog posting on the Interbay Chowdown.

The Interbay Neighborhood Association estimated that over 2,000 people attended.  Unlike the chowdown in October, Saturday’s event had none of the jam-ups and crowding.  With the food tent set-up, everyone was able to sit down and enjoy their food, as the band Ajedrez played on.

Mobile Chowdown returns to Interbay

Food Trucks Gather on Jan. 9 for Round Two of Mobile Feasting

The Mobile Chowdown is back after a smashing inaugural event. Some of Seattle’s best food trucks – including Marination Mobile, which was voted by Good Morning America viewers as the best food truck in the country — will rally on Jan. 9 at Interbay to celebrate all that’s great about “curbside cuisine.”

Vendors include: Marination Mobile, El Camion, Dante’s Inferno Dogs, Veraci Pizza, Anita’s Crepes, Kaosamai Thai, and Gert’s BBQ. Once again, the trucks will convene at the lot at 1616 W. Bertona in the Interbay neighborhood. There will be live music and a dining area.

The Mobile Chowdown is sponsored by Seattle Magazine, the Freehold Group/Interbay Neighborhood Association, and Suzuki + Chou Communimedia

EVENT DETAILS:
Mobile Chowdown

Jan. 9, 2010

1616 W. Bertona (Interbay)

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Twitter: @mobilechowdown

Web: Seattle Magazine

Interbay Thieves in Jail

There have been a string of break-ins and robberies throughout Interbay and around Nickerson Street.   New developments have occurred that I wish to share with you.

Due to this string of crimes, a meeting was arranged with the Seattle Police Department, Star Protection Agency (a private security firm hired by The Freehold Group), John Gaines and Cindy Axthelm from The Freehold Group and Bruce Wynn from the Interbay Neighborhood Association . Also in attendance was Detective Wes Friesen, who works with the Criminal Investigation Division, which investigates burglaries and theft on the west side of Seattle.   He had some good news to report.

On Friday, October 30th, a stolen computer was found at the Brown Bear Car Wash on 15th Ave. W. The owner of the car wash took the stolen computer to the Apple store where is was identified as one of the stolen computers. The owner of the mini storage across the street heard about the computer found at the car wash and was aware of a white pick-up truck making frequent drop-offs at the Public Storage locker late at night. He contacted the police department which had criminal reports on the Interbay break-ins and also had pictures of a white pick-up truck leaving the neighborhood the night of the break-in. Their pictures matched the truck coming and going from Public Storage.

The police department had been tracking an individual by the name of Dino, who was selling stolen computer equipment. They got a search warrant for the locker in which they found Dino’s large collection of computers, laptops, and other high tech equipment.

In particular, they found the computer of a cartoonist Stu Heinecke , who had his life work of drawings taken when his computer was stolen. (Story was reported by the Magnolia blog http://www.magnoliavoice.com/2009/11/01/thief-targets-interbay-steals-work-of-cartoonist/   Stu Hynecks, who works on Nickerson St., was able to reclaim his stolen materials.

The detectives took Dino into custody and searched his vehicle, which also provided more cues. The vehicle had been stolen from a seafood processing plant in Interbay by a female suspect. Her interrogation led to information about a home on Leary Way. Upon surveillance, the main suspect pulled up to the home in a white pick-up truck. The police entered the home last Thursday, in which they found guns, computers and two pipe bombs.

The three criminals are now behind bars. Hearings are underway to prosecute these individuals. Two of which have extensive criminal backgrounds and will go to prison. The third is awaiting their hearing.

Our hope is that this will be the end of the crime problem in Interbay (and throughout lower Queen Anne and Ballard).

The break in this case was due to people communicating with each other. The police file reports and patrol the neighborhoods along with a private security firm hired by The Freehold Group, but it wasn’t until the owner of Brown Bear Carwash and Public Storage  spoke to each other that a link was made.  The information on the white pick-up truck  led to the locker which allowed the Police to make progress against this string of robberies.

Communication and sharing what you know is the key to solving many cases like this and keeping your neighborhood, home, and work place safe.

The Safe Way out of Whole Foods

It can be a bit scary trying to go north on 15th Ave. W. from the Whole Foods parking lot.  Yes, there is a middle holding lane, but you have to cross three lanes of southbound traffic to get there.  Let’s not even think about how hard and risky that can be at rush hour. 

Once out in the middle of the street, try not to be unnerved by the cars barreling towards you, as you wait for and opening to merge right.  We know how accomodating Seattle drivers can be (Oh sure).

In other words, if the north bound turn isn’t an accident waiting to happen, it certainly is not the ideal after having a great time shopping and eating at Whole Foods.

There is a better and safer way out though.  Perhaps not what Whole Foods wants to promote, but having your customers come back in one piece is probably prefered.

Next time you shop, head west towards the far end of the Whole Foods building.  There is an access corridor that will take you to Armour Way.   From there, take a right and go up to the light.  Enjoy dreaming about the great food you will have for dinner from Whole Foods while you wait for the light to turn green. 

Take a left and go on your merry way.

Whole Foods welcomes the Neighborhood

                                         

Whole Foods rolled out the red carpet for a pre-opening party for local businesses and residents.  Chicken and mushrooms on skewers, a vast array of sandwiches and cookies were just a few of the delicious treats for the curious noshers.  A vast selection of wine, beer, sodas and drinks were there for the tasting. 

Everyone in attendance was soaking-up the sights of this shinny and spick-and-span new store.  The colors of autumn were everywhere with pumpkins and cornstalks. 

A wander around the store showed why Whole Foods is unique with a vast selection of deserts, salad bars, gelatos and ready to go meals.

With Whole Foods now in Interbay, it was clear that distributors saw  a whole new group of consumers coming from Queen Anne, Magnolia and commuters traveling north and south on 15th Ave. W.

I left at 5:00 as a band was moving in to set-up for the people getting off work.  It was clear that Whole Foods was excited and relived that after so much planning and challenges, the day had finally arrived to fling open the doors and begin to feed the hungry masses. 

The Interbay Neighborhood Association is thrilled to have this first-class operation in the area, and hope that they begin a trend of more businesses moving to Interbay.

Interbay Chowdown Party

Saturday’s Mobile Trucks Chowdown in Interbay was a great success! Hundreds of people gathered in the Interbay/Dravus area to feast on food served by several mobile food providers. The weather cooperated and there was plenty of elbow room for people to spread out. Tables and chairs were provided, but others brought fold-out chairs or leaned against their cars.

Food providers such as Marination Mobile, Skillet and Maximus Minimus exceeded beyond their wildest dreams with people excited to gobble-up tacos, rice dishes and sliders with Asian inspired sauces and spices.

As a first time Interbay community event, the Chowdown producers worked with the Interbay Neighborhood Association to spread the word through blogs, local papers, Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth. The networking resulted in people coming down to Interbay from far and wide with family and friends to experience a mini-version of The Bite of Seattle.

Interbay is the perfect place for such events with open lots (for now) and plenty of parking. Nestled between Magnolia and Queen Anne, it provides easy access for people coming by bike, bus or car. Based on the successful outcome of this event the Interbay Neighborhood Association will plan on producing more foods festivals and entertainment events. With the opening of Whole Foods this week, Interbay will continue to grow and be recognized as the place to open a business.

Mobile Meals Chowdown comes to Interbay

For those of you who have been eating the fantastic food from Marination Mobile each Tuesday on Dravus St., you are in for a treat. For those of you who haven’t, you are about to have your taste buds blown away.

On Saturday, October 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in a lot across from Denali Fitness (north of Dravus St. on the corner of 17th W. and Bertona), a gathering of the best meals on wheels will converge in Interbay.

On location will be Marination Mobile, Skillet,  Kaosamai Thai, Maximus Minimus, El Camion, Gert’s BBQ and Parfait Ice Cream. More delicious food than any one person deserves in one place. This is a rare event to sample all of these cheap and tasty meals in one place. Don’t miss the chance to partake in these delectable meals that are the talk of the town. Something this special should be shared with one and all, so post the flyer around your neighborhood.