Seattle Weekly‘s annual “Best of” list is back with its awards for the very best of the best in all things Seattle. While Queen Anne didn’t take home the distinction of “Best Neighborhood to Live in” (that title went to our neighbors over in Ballard), QA was recognized for a bunch of other citywide bests that call the hill home. And so, without further ado and in no particular order, here are all of Queen Anne’s bests:
Every year Queen Anne gets a number of shout outs in the ‘best of’ issue, because, well, there are just so many bests we Queen Anne-ers have to boast. Last year Queen Anne’s Easy Street Records, El Diablo Coffee, and our many secret stairways (the “Best Alternative to the Stairmaster”) were just a few of the winners. Check out last year’s wins here.
The Seattle Weekly “best of” list includes people, places, food & drink, sports & recreation and shopping & services. To see the entire list, click here.
Reader Ann V sent us a link (via KING5) to this video of a snowboarder who recorded his run down Queen Anne Ave N using a camera attached to a pole, which he held out in front of him as he traversed the icy hillside. No need for a second camera man here!
Though the snow didn’t cause nearly the same amount of chaos on the hill as last time, there were still a few minor incidents of cars slipping around on the ice, and sometimes up on the curbs.
Madeleine sent us this picture of a car that slid up onto the sidewalk, taken at Queen Anne Ave N and W Armour Stat around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
Updated 10:30 p.m.: All King Country Metro buses are now on snow routes. The Seattle Department of Transportation has announced that it will begin to transition to plowing snow routes as they continue to spread salt throughout the city. Though it is still falling hard out there, there is some good news, at least for those who face a morning commute—forecasters expect the snow to transition to rain sometime between midnight and 10 a.m. Wednesday. For the time being, however, Queen Anne Avenue and West Olympic/10th Avenue W are just a few streets drivers should avoid.
If you’re still planning to head up or down the hill tonight, you might want to find a way around Queen Anne Avenue. Just after 9 p.m. this evening the Counterbalance claimed its first victim of tonight’s snowy slope when a vehicle lost control and went over the curb of the southwest corner of Queen Anne Ave N and Aloha.
Remember, if you have to head up the Counterbalance as the snow piles up tonight, use four-wheel drive and/or chains, keep distance from other cars, and be careful. If you can, take another way up the south slope (5th Ave N or Olympic to 10th Ave W). And if you’re parking on the slope tonight, try to find as flat of a space as possible, and don’t forget to turn your wheels into the curb.
Seattle City Light crews are doing some work along Queen Anne Avenue N today.
As of 11:15 a.m. three City Light trucks were blocking the right-hand, southbound lane along the Counterbalance from Aloha to the bottom of the hill. If Queen Anne Avenue is part of your commute today, keep in mind that it may be a bit slower leaving the hill due to the lane closure.
Update 12 p.m.: City Light crews have finished work on Queen Anne Avenue. All four lanes are now clear for through traffic.
One Lower Queen Anne woman, Camille, was assaulted outside her apartment late last Tuesday night, having her bag snatched only after she was repeatedly kicked in the face and chest by the assailant.
Many neighbors who heard her screaming during the ordeal, and many more who live in the area, were so moved by Camille’s story and concerned with the growing prevalence of violent crime in Uptown as of late–especially in the area between the Counterbalance and the entrance to Lower Kinnear Park on Roy that is very poorly lit–that they’ve decided to organize a new Block Watch program to connect neighbors and hopefully prevent future assaults like this one.
Reader J.P. Flores, who is spearheading the effort, wrote in the comments,
I am fairly new to the area (10 months or so) But I love my Neighborhood. I haven’t seen anything about a Neighborhood Watch in this (Specifically from Counterbalance Park to Kinnear Park along Roy where most of the recent disturbances have been happening) And I would like to propose one. I am married and I don’t like that I have to worry about my wife walking to the store or even from the car to our apartment. I know there are a lot of other young couples in our community who I am sure feel the same way. I would also urge the businesses in this area (On The Boards, The Sitting Room etc..) to participate as it is their community as well. Shall we do something about it? Let’s make this neighborhood safe for our kids and all those who live in this beautiful part of town.
J.P. has agreed to organize the Block Watch if he can find enough interested parties, and hopefully local businesses, to participate. If you’d like to take park in the Counterbalance to Kinnear Block Watch, contact J.P. at jflor84@gmail.com or comment below.
For more information on Block Watches or to find one in your area, contact SPD Crime Prevention officer Contact Terrie Johnston at (206) 684-4741 or terrie.johnston@seattle.gov. If businesses in the area would like more information on what they can do to encourage public safety, they can contactFran Tello at (206) 684-4730 or francisco.tello@seattle.gov. Read up on ways to get involved with community crime prevention here and here.
Today is the deadline to take the Seattle Planning Commission’s neighborhood plan survey.
Queen Anne has really stepped it up in the last week, with 140 participants taking the online questionnaire as of yesterday, August 20. If you haven’t had the opportunity to take the survey yet, this is you last chance. The survey can be found here.
It only takes a few minutes, so go out and tell the city what you think of Queen Anne. Community involvement just might speed along some of the neighborhood plan projects that have been ten-years in the making, like the Ship Canal Trail that would encircle Queen Anne with an accessible bike path, or the electric trolley service at the Counterbalance, which would provide a strong transportation link between Upper Queen Anne and Uptown.
During the heavy snowstorms of last year, we ran a story about an interesting video posted to YouTube recording an altercation between an inebriated driver coming down the Counterbalance and the sledders on the hill. A link on our blog was posted to this YouTube video. Unfortunately, the video has been removed, and we are wondering if anyone has a contact to the person who shot the video and or does anyone know why it was removed?
The Uptown neighborhood celebrates the holiday season and the new light display at CounterbalancePark: An Urban Oasis on Saturday, December 6, 2008 from 5 * 7 p.m.
Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Uptown Alliance, and the Greater Queen Anne Chamber host the community celebration which will include music from theMcClure Middle School Combined Junior and Senior bands., hot cider, s*mores, and holiday cheer. The park is located at 2 Roy Street on the corner of Queen Anne Ave. Nand Roy Street. Read more about this park.
Congratulations to Queen Anne resident Jean Sundborg, founder of the Uptown Alliance for her nomination for a 2008 Denny Awards for volunteer service. This award is given by Seattle Parks & Recreation for exemplary volunteer service. Jean was nominated for her work on Counterbalance Park, an Urban Oasis.
The Uptown Alliance attained the siting and acquisition of land at the corner of Queen Anne Ave. N and Roy St. for the development of a new urban park in the heart of Uptown. This park was great collaborative effort between the city and private donors. Seen here at night, the park, with its colorfully-lit walls, is enjoyed by all.
According to the Queen Anne News, Jean Sundborg has been a long-time activist who was inspired by her mother to do the work.
“My earliest models were my mom and dad,” said Sundborg, who explained that her parents were inveterate volunteers in PTAs and churches they attended as she grew up. “I was pre-programmed.”
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