Next Saturday, February 9th, is Seattle’s 19th annual Neighbor Appreciation Day. The day originated in 1995 when a Phinney Ridge resident asked the city to designate “a special day to celebrate the goodness in those around us” – then-Mayor Norm Rice designated the Saturday before Valentine’s Day “Neighbor Appreciation Day”.

What happens on this particular day? Well, it’s up to you – the day is set-aside to reach out to neighbors, meet new neighbors, and thank people, businesses, and organizations that make our Queen Anne neighborhood special and a great place to live.

If you don’t already have plans, the city has resources to help get Neighbor Appreciation Day kicked off. Suggested activities include block parties, potlucks, coffee, e-cards, neighborhood clean-up projects, Block Watch meetings, hosting a SNAP Preparedness meeting or just sharing stories about great neighbors.

The current list on the Neighbor Appreciation Day calendar for Queen Anne only lists the sold-out Stairway Walk and a Ballard Pool event – but there’s more:

• Queen Anne Neighbor Appreciation Day Clean Up: The Scientology Environmental Task Force, Uptown Alliance and Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce will lead a community cleanup, 9am – noon, starting at Counterbalance Park. Tools and gloves will be available and maps with projects will be provided. For more information contact Ann at 206.284.0604.
• Queen Anne Fire Station 20: Visit your local fire station on Saturday February 9, 2013 for the 19th Annual Neighbor Appreciation Day Celebration. Open from 11am-1pm.

Let us know if you have any additional Queen Anne Neighbor Appreciation Day events planned – or are planning one – for next Saturday.

Here are a few headlines from nearby neighborhoods:

Offshore oil drilling rig from Alaska moving through Puget Sound

Wallingford transfer station gets unanimous recommendation for reconstruction plan

Actor/director Sean Penn seen running around Green Lake on Monday

Tips on swimming in Green Lake

Couple eating their way through Ballard

Kids paint, dance & play all summer long at Fremont Abbey

It’s that time again, the Queen Anne Community Council is having its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, February 2 at the Queen Anne Community Center.

Here’s a look at what’s on the agenda for tonight:

Update 9 a.m.: The QACC released last month’s agenda by accident, which was subsequently republished here. Below you’ll find the corrected, February meeting agenda.

• 7 p.m.: Adoption of Agenda; Approval of Minutes; Treasurer’s Report
• 7:10 p.m.: Open Forum—Comments
• 7:20 p.m.: FOLKpark—Don Harper
• 7:30 p.m.: Solarize Seattle—Update Don Harper
• 7:35 p.m.: West Mercer Place—Glenn Avery
• 7:55 p.m.: Smith Cove Land Trade—Don Harper
• 8:00 p.m.: Committee Reports

1. LURC/Planning—Craig Hanway
2. Transportation—Glenn Avery
3. Parks—Don Harper
4. Communication—Michael Lapin
5. District Council—Mike Warren
6. NAC—Kirk Robbins, Jim Smith, Glenn Avery, Don Harper
7. Social Issues—Kirk Robbins
8. Police & Crime—Allen Panich

• 8:45 p.m.: New Business
• 8:55 p.m.: Adjournment

Upcoming QACC meetings, sub-committee meetings, and events:

• QACC: March 2, TBA
• Parks Committee: February 15, Queen Anne Community Center, 7:30 p.m.
• LURC/Planning: February 28, Queen Anne Community Center, 7:00 p.m.
• Transportation: February 23, Queen Anne Community Center, 7:30 p.m.
• NAC: February 16, Port Headquarters, 4:30 p.m.
• District Council: February 14, Magnolia Community Center 7 p.m.
• Queen Anne Clean and Green February, 12 9 p.m.
• SNAP: Queen Anne Library February 8 6:30 p.m.

Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 25th annual Seattle Weekly Best of Seattle contest. Vote for your favorite coffee shop, art gallery, neighborhood activist, tycoon/entrepreneur, theater company, happy hour, radio talk show, dive bar, best place for urban crafts, tattoo parlor, salon, shoe store, bike shop, and a ton of other, sometimes wacky, categories.

Results will be published in the August 4 issue.

You must fill in at least five categories, and submit your name and email address for your vote to be counted. One vote per person, please. Email addresses are checked for validity but will be purged after voting is over. You will not be put on any list.

Seattle Magazine named Queen Anne the best of the neighborhoods their annual edition devoted to “the best of everything.” Well, it’s not news to those of us who live in this urban oasis, is it?  We know about the views of just about everything there is to see from our view spots such as the Space Needle, the Puget Sound, Lake Union, those mountain and Olympic views, and more.  Why do you think King TV uses Kerry Park for those endless live shots featuring those NBC news anchors who drop by to give interviews “over Seattle?”

We love the variety of restaurants, trendy and traditional, coffee and tea shops, gift stores, and clothing boutiques. 

And best of all, we’re just a “hop, skip, and jump” to downtown.  So we’re not on the list of the most affordable neighborhoods, but that’s OK, too!