At approximately 12:40 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6 a tourist was walking back to his rental car (on the NW corner of 5th Ave W and W Comstock) from Kerry Park when he was approached by two unidentified men who robbed him at knifepoint, according to a Seattle Police Department incident report. The two suspects had been loitering at SE corner of 4th Ave W and W Comstock when the victim arrived. According to the police report, the victim told police that he felt an “innate fear” when he first saw the suspects, and almost didn’t turn onto W Comstock.
Despite his gut instincts, the suspect continued toward his rental car, crossing Comstock so that he was on the north side of the street opposite the suspects. The victim then heard both suspects cross the street behind him, shouting at him. The victim ignored them and continued on, when one of the suspects (Suspect #2) ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. From the police report:
Suspect #2 shouted, ‘Give me your bag,’ (camera bag with sling). [The victim] said, ‘No I’m not giving you anything-there’s nothing in the bag’. Suspect #2 pulled a knife (fixed blade 3 inch, black handle, stab knife) and said, ‘You don’t want to risk it man’. [The victim] then gave the bag to suspect #2. Suspect #1 was standing there behind Suspect #2.
Both suspects ran off eastbound and continued northbound up 4 Av W, according to the report. The victim walked to his vehicle and drove around the area looking for the suspects, with no success. The suspects made off with the victim’s Canon 5 D mark 2 camera, camera bag and iPad. The victim flew back home later that day.
One of our readers, Audrey, spotted ABC News’ David Muir filming a segment at Queen Anne’s own Kerry Park earlier today and got the scoop on the story from David himself.
Muir pictured with a fellow ABC “Made in America” rep Sharyn Alfonsi on July 7 at Kerry Park in Queen Anne. Photo by Audrey Wennblom.
According to Audrey, David is in Seattle “on his nationwide quest to find manufactured goods made in the US” as part of an ongoing series called “Made in America” on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, which airs weeknights at at 5:30 p.m., on Channel 4 here in Seattle.
“Tonight he will be previewing what he found in Seattle, and this coming Monday through Wednesday he will be showing what he unearthed in making the rounds of Seattle stores and other places, which he told me include a clothing store that sells stuff made only locally and a bike clothing store that sells apparel made only in Seattle. ABC photographers were shooting David and friend riding in Kerry Park, up and down W. Highland Drive (you will recognize the houses when it airs), and in many other locales across the city. After watching him interview protestors in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and on the streets of Libya’s Benghazi, it was quite a shock to find him in front of Kerry Park this afternoon, I must admit. He is very sweet, very smart, and not a bad biker!” Audrey writes.
Can’t wait to check out what Seattle-made items made the “Made in America” list!
A few readers wrote in earlier this week wondering about a film crew shooting at Kerry Park Tuesday evening, blocking off most of the block on Highland Drive. The crew was apparently from America’s Most Wanted, filming a segment on the unsolved homicide of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Wales, who was fatally shot by a gunman at his Queen Anne home in October 2001. Coincidentally, the dedication for Thomas C. Wales Park, renamed in his honor in 2007, is happening this Saturday.
According to the Seattle Times, the AMW crew is filming all around the Seattle area this week, shooting in Pioneer Square, Queen Anne, Bainbridge Island and Lakewood for a number of re-enactments and features for the episode, which is scheduled to air on April 23 on KCPQ-TV.
One reader, Ted, noticed some more filming happening in the neighborhood, on W Lee, on Wednesday. Ted wrote,
They had the street signed off for no parking for most of the day so they had to file for permits. There were also alot of supply trucks and a huge RV which leads me to believe this is a bit more than a Microsoft training video.
I haven’t been able to confirm if this shoot was affiliated with the AMW shoot on Tuesday. Does anyone have any ideas what was filming on W Lee yesterday?
“The Details” stars Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney and Ray Liotta. Maguire plays Dr. Jeff Lang, who along with his wife Nealy (Banks), lives a regular middle-class life in Seattle. What begins as a series of innocuous events and bad decisions by Lang ultimately becomes something a bit darker in this black comedy.
Writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes sold the film for a reported $8 million, one of the festival’s biggest sales and ensuring a well-publicized theatrical release sometime soon.
If you’re planning to stick around Queen Anne to celebrate New Year’s this year, then there are plenty of places you can go for a prime view of the fireworks at the Space Needle at midnight.
Photo courtesy of the Seattle Center.
Here are just a few places you can ring in the New Year, for free, around the neighborhood.
Center House, Seattle Center—Ring in 2011 with the rocking sounds of The Machine, and witness the fireworks up close and personal.
For many years, The Machine has been playing around the Pacific Northwest, offering the best PARTY music in town. When you come and see The Machine, you will only hear DANCEABLE, FUN, PARTY rock and roll, AND you will have a great time.
Kerry Park—Climb up to Kerry Park, Seattle’s quintessential viewpoint (211 W Highland Dr.) to see the city skyline, Elliott Bay, and of course, the fireworks at the Needle. But remember, Kerry Park is a small space and likely to be packed, so get there early to scope out a prime viewing spot.
The South Slope—If you’re looking to have a more low key New Year’s, while still enjoying the festivities, you can have your own private viewing party from a number of sites along the south slope. Just drive around and pull over anywhere you have a clear view of the Needle. Advantages: these viewing spots are likely to be less crowded, and offer you a quick way home if you live nearby.
From the Water—If you’re lucky enough to own a boat, or know a friend who does and are comfortable battling the cold and wind, the view of the fireworks will be picturesque from Elliott Bay. Ahoy matey!
Wondering what’s in store for New Year’s at the Needle? Check out this footage of the 2010 New Year’s fireworks show, courtesy of PJtheFey.
While the weather today left the possibility of snow open, the forecast predicts mostly sunny skies on Friday, December 31, with a high of 40 degrees, a small chance of precipitation, and an overnight low of 28 degrees. So wherever you plan on watching the fireworks, the skies should be clear.
Have a favorite—and free—place to catch the fireworks? Comment below to add them to our list. Happy New Year!
Wondering where all the holiday happenings are, well, happening? Check out My Northwest’s new Holiday Map, a guide for holiday activities throughout the Puget Sound region.
Using the map, it’s easy to see what festive events are happening in your neck of the woods—you can even search by address.
Back in August Lorig Associates, the developer behind the 200 West Highland condo project, slashed prices on the remaining million dollar units located across from Queen Anne’s famed Kerry Park. At the time only two units had sold. Now, nine months later, Bank of America is moving forward with foreclosure on the remaining units, according to reports by our news partner, The Seattle Times.
From the Times:
In a notice filed Tuesday with King County, the bank said it intends to sell the 18 unsold units at 200 West Highland Drive at auction Aug. 6 unless developer Lorig Associates repays a $26 million loan.
The loan came due Jan. 1, according to the notice. The other seven units in the 25-unit, five-story condo have been sold, according to county records.
The two and three bedroom condos vary between 1,500 and 2,800 square feet in size and currently range in price from $895,000 to $2.25 million, according to the 200 West Highland website. Back in August, prices went as high as $3.15 million. Units have views of either Elliott Bay, downtown or both.
The 200 West Highlight units first went on the market in March 2009. Lorig Associates have been behind other prominent Seattle developments, including the International District’s Uwajimaya Village, Wallingford Center and Marketplace North near Pike Place Market.
Despite the fact that spring is teasing us with sunny days interspersed with the usual Seattle gray and showers (we should be used to it by now, right?), somehow this city is still beautiful!
I snapped this picture while walking down Queen Anne Ave N at Highland St. If you pass by, walk over t0 Kerry Park and enjoy the gorgeous, albeit gray, view! A few showers won’t stop us–we live in Seattle after all.
We’re just hours away from 2010, and if you still don’t have plans for ushering in the New Year, here are a few ideas for celebrating the teens on the hill.
The Space Needle fireworks show is always a hit, and if you’re willing to drop some cash to welcome in the next decade, you can be front and center at midnight. For $250 guests can enjoy a six-course meal at SkyCity, followed by dancing to Seattle party band Grüvbox on the Observation Deck. For $125 you can skip dinner and go straight to the countdown party. Details here.
The Spectator Sports Bar in Uptown is having their 2nd Annual 80′s New Year’s party, equipped with a DJ and prizes for the best 80′s mustache and wig! The festivities start at 7 p.m. (They’ll also be playing New Year’s day games on Friday, and will have a hearty New Year’s breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon).
For those of us you who’d rather celebrate the New Year on a shoestring budget, Farmers Life Insurance New Year’s at the Needle fireworks show can be seen from Kerry Park on W Highland Dr. The viewpoint is the perfect place to watch the fireworks, but get there early to get a good spot because the park isn’t big enough for thousands of New Year’s onlookers. If you’d rather get a close to the action as possible, you can join the 20,000 others expected to gather at the base of the Needle for the eight-minute display.
I won’t be on the hill for New Year’s this year, so if any of you happen to snap some great pictures of the fireworks show and would like to share, email them to tips@queenanneview.com. Happy New Year!
“The Details,” an indie black comedy about a couple whose lives are led astray due to a series of events stemming from disagreements over how to deal with their raccoon infestation (oddly appropriate given the numerous reports of raccoon attacks on the hill this summer), is filming at Kerry Park today.
Sixty or so onlookers shuffled in and out for most of the morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tobey Maguire, who is filming a scene at the hilltop location.
Tobey arrived at around around 12:40 p.m. (That’s him in the white t-shirt). He enjoyed the beautiful Queen Anne view for half an hour, then rehearsed for about five minutes, before disappearing amidst the production set-up.
According to one of the location managers, Mark, who has lived in Ballard with his wife since November (yay Seattle pride!), in today’s scene Tobey’s character, Jeff, parks his Toyota Prius at the Kerry Park Viewpoint in a red zone, a meter maid comes to give him a ticket, and he runs over to the car. In the words of Bugs Bunny, “That’s all, folks.”
“The Details” has been filming all over town recently, shooting at Fuel coffee house and in front of the Seattle Police Department downtown last week.
LM Mark said the team chose these specific locations around Seattle in order to capture the city’s vibe. “One of the goals of this movie is to show Seattle for Seattle,” Mark said. “I would take my lunch break here…It’s beautiful, it’s real.”
One thing’s for sure, Kerry Park sure is gorgeous. At least four tour buses came by while I was there, and each time the production team had to shoo them away from the shoot. But despite filming going on today, the iconic viewpoint is still open to the public, In fact, the men’s and women’s soccer teams from SPU were taking their team photos at the lookout, next to the production team.
“The Details” is scheduled to be at the park until 5 p.m. today, though the no parking signs on Highland list 3 p.m. as the cut-off.
No word yet on which film it is, or if there will be any star-studded appearances. It might be indie dark comedy “The Details,” staring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks and Laura Linney, which has been filming around town this summer.
On Saturday, August 22 they were filming at Seattle’s own Fuel coffee house, an employee told us, possibly as a replacement location for Caffe Zingaro at 127 Mercer Street, which turned down the film. Last week they were filming downtown, in front of the Seattle Police Department (thanks MAS for the tip!).
Around 3 p.m. yesterday a flash mob gathered at Kerry Park and danced to Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ for what would have been the late pop star’s 51st birthday. The mob at the famous Queen Anne viewpoint, was the last of three that happened all around the city yesterday, put on by One Degree Events.
Above is a video that shows all three flash mobs – first in Pioneer Square at 1:10 p.m., then at Pike Place Market at 2:05, and then at our very own Kerry Park. One Degree Events says that over 300 people participated. And as you can see, this was a very coordinated event.
Kept super secret until the very end, the locations of the three events were only released to participants who showed up at Cal Anderson Park at 10 a.m. this morning at to learn the choreography. That’s one dedicated group of flash mobbers!
A good crowd gathered in the hot sun at Kerry Park this afternoon to watch the Blue Angels swoop through the air on Seafair Sunday.
The Angels kept their distance from Queen Anne for nearly the entire show.
But they flew by the Needle a couple times, and once, a single jet buzzed the neighborhood to “ooohs” and “aaahs” from the crowd.
For cool close-up photos, check out these and these on Flickr
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