We all know the Mercer closure will make navigating around Queen Anne and the Seattle Center tricky this weekend, and that means a lot of confused drivers (locals and visitors alike). But, plenty of events to suit all sorts, an all-day Ballard festival, the Seattle Storm preseason opener, a road race at Gasworks, a free panel discussion with the Mayor at the Queen Anne Community Center, the U-District Street Fair, SIFF International Film Festival, and much more!

Traffic:

• Mercer: weekend closure of sections of Aurora/99 and Mercer St, 11pm Friday, May 17 – 5am Monday, May 20

Multi-Day Events:

• Boeing Boeing, Seattle Repertory Theatre, April 19-May 19
• Sister Angelica & Human Voice, Seattle Opera, May 4-18
• 44th Annual U-District Street Fair, University District, May 18-19
• SIFF International Film Festival, SIFF Uptown & Film Center, May 16-June 9

Friday, May 17

• Queen Anne Dispatch Friends & Family Event, 9am-10pm FREE
• 17th of May Festival, Ballard, 10am-8pm (festivities at 10am, parade at 6pm) FREE
• The Sheds, The Vera Project, 7pm
• Seattle Storm vs Tulsa Shock, Key Arena, 7pm

Saturday, May 18

• Seattle’s Best 15K and 10K, Gasworks, 7:30am
• Queen Anne Quick Styx Girls Lacrosse Jamboree, Queen Anne Bowl, 9am-5pm FREE
• Heather Christo Book Signing and Scones, Stuhlbergs, 10:30am FREE
• Chinese Arts and Culture Festival, Seattle Center Armory, 11am
• Coal Train Impacts in Your Neighborhood: Panel with Mayor McGinn and Prof. Dan Jaffe, Queen Anne Community Center, 12:15-1:15pm FREE
• Handbag Sample Sale & Trunk Show, 2408 Warren Ave N, 3pm-7pm
• Y-WE Speak, Seattle Repertory Theatre, 6pm
• Sounders vs FC Dallas, CenturyLink, 7:30pm
• JSusan Carr Ensemble, Queen Anne Christian Church, 8pm

Sunday, May 19

• Seattle University School of Law Graduation, Key Arena, 10am
• 31st Annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge, Husky Stadium, 8am
• Kids Storytime with Charles Ward, Queen Anne Book Company, 1pm-2pm FREE

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

Happy Cinco de Mayo weekend! Plenty to do this weekend, but plan ahead if you want to venture across the Ship Canal on Saturday – it’s opening day of boating season and the bridges will be busy with many more openings than usual. Plus, don’t bother taking Mercer to I-5 as both the on and off ramps will be closed all weekend.

Traffic Impacts:

• Mercer: full closure of I-5 on- and off-ramps at Mercer Street 11pm Friday to 5am Monday
• Montlake Bridge: closed to vehicle and foot traffic Saturday, May 4, 7am-4pm for opening day of boating season
• Fremont & Ballard Bridges: due to opening day of boating season, expect heavier traffic than usual at Ship Canal bridges on Saturday
• Metro: 9am Friday, May 3 until 10pm Sunday, May 5 transit service operating along 3rd Av between Bell St and Virginia will be rerouted due to construction. Affected routes include Queen Anne routes 2, 3, 4, and 13

Multi-Day Events:

• Meg Murch: Coloring Outside the Lines, Pottery Northwest, May 3- 24
• Master Gardener Plant Sale, UW Center for Urban Horticulture, May 4-5
• Cinco de Mayo, Tacos Guaymas, Green Lake, 7am Saturday -midnight Sunday (2nd Ave NE between Woodlawn and Green Lake Way closed), May 4-5
• Boeing Boeing, Seattle Repertory Theatre, April 19-May 19
• The Taming of the Shrew, Seattle Shakespeare Company, April 25-May 12
• Mike Daisey, Seattle Repertory Theatre, May 1-11
• Sister Angelica & Human Voice, Seattle Opera, May 4-18

Friday, May 3

• Family Fun Night, Queen Anne Community Center, 5:30pm-8:30pm
• SIFF Uptown: Showing of Eden and panel discussion on human trafficking co-presented by Hope for Justice and World Affairs Council, 7pm
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Eden, The Angel’s Share, Renoir, The Source Family

Saturday, May 4

• March of Dimes March for Babies, Seattle Center, 9am-noon
• Opening Day Boat Parade and Windermere Cup, Montlake Cut, Portage Bay, Union Bay, 9am-3pm
• Fiesta 5K Ole, Volunteer Park, 9:30am
• Queen Anne Jane’s Walk, Boston & QA Ave N, 2pm FREE
• SIFF Uptown: Showing of Eden and panel discussion with director Megan Griffiths and producers Colin Plank and Jacob Mosler, 7pm
• Land of Pines Album Release, Vera Project, 7:30pm

Sunday, May 5

• Queen Anne Historical Walking Tour, Kerry Park, 10am
• Cinco de Mayo & Children’s Day, Seattle Children’s Museum, 10am
• Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration, Seattle Center Armory, 11:45am-5pm FREE
• Mobile Food Rodeo, N 35th St in Fremont, noon-7pm, FREE admission
• Community Bicycle/Helmet Blessing, St Anne School Playground, 12:30pm-1pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

Heads up for tonight, Thursday – we’ve included some lane restrictions for Mercer below, and the Viaduct is closed this weekend between Virginia and Pike. Event-wise, plenty to check out: theatre, film festivals, cherry blossoms, Irish festival, an open house at Twirl, and a new Queen Anne Cash Mob to support our local businesses. Happy weekend!

Traffic Impacts:

• Mercer: two left lanes restricted between Boren and Terry Thursday, April 25, 9pm-6am
• Viaduct: all lanes of Alaskan Way closed between Virginia and Pike from 7pm Friday, April 26 through 5am Monday, April 29

Multi-Day Events:

• Boeing Boeing, Seattle Repertory Theatre, April 19-May 19
• NFFTY, SIFF Uptown, April 26-28
• Letters to Sala, SPU McKinley Hall, April 25-27
• The Taming of the Shrew, Seattle Shakespeare Company, April 25-May 12
• Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival, Seattle Center Armory, April 26-28
• FlorAbundance Plant Sale, Washington Park Arboretum, April 27-28<
• Emerald City Feis, Seattle Center Northwest Rooms, April 27-28
• 12 Minutes Max, On the Boards, April 27-28

Friday, April 26

• Transit, Seahaven, and Young Statues, Vera Project, 7pm
• Mariners vs Angels, Safeco, 7:10pm
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Upstream Color, Blancanieves, 42

Saturday, April 27

• Top Pot Doughnut Dash, Green Lake, 8:30am-11:30am
• Free Electronics Recycling, Queen Anne Elementary, 10am-4pm
• Sherman Alexie, Queen Anne Book Company, 1-5pm
• Seattle Women in Jazz, Vera Project, 4pm start
• Queen Anne Heart Cash Mob, meet at Grub (7 Boston St), 4:30pm
• Mariners vs Angels, Safeco, 6:10pm

Sunday, April 28

• Twirl Spring Fling Open House, Twirl Café, 10am-1pm
• Mariners vs. Angels, Safeco, 1:10pm
• Bill McKibben on Climate Change, Coal, and the Pacific Northwest, QA United Methodist Church, 8:30pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

Happy Earth Day weekend! Heads up on traffic if you’re planning to head East – the 520 bridge is closed, and 40K people are expected at CenturyLink on Sunday, arriving as early as 12:30pm. And, if you’re staying around Queen Anne, Saturday will likely see a lot of traffic with the Husky Football Spring Game at Memorial Stadium, a concert at the Key with 7K expected.

Traffic Impacts:

• 520 Bridge: closed 11pm Friday, April 19 to 5am Monday, April 22

Multi-Day Events:

• Interbay P-Patch Dahlia Sale, April 20 and 21, 10am-4pm
• Seattle Center Whirligig! Inflatable Rides, Armory, April 6-21
• Swan Lake, Pacific Northwest Ballet, April 12-21
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: UNCENSORED, Book-It, April 16-May 12
• Letters to Sala, SPU McKinley Hall, April 18-20, April 25-27

Friday, April 19

• Friday Family Movie Night, Twirl, 5:30pm FREE
• Tiffany Alvord & Jason Chen, The Vera Project, 7:30 PM
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Upstream Color, 42, Blancanieves

Saturday, April 20

• Record Store Day, Silver Platters Queen Anne, all-day
• Earth Day 5K, Myrtle Edwards Park, 7:30am
• iMatter Now March, Victor Steinbrueck Park to Olympic Sculpture Park, 11am
• 2013 Husky Football Spring Game, Memorial Stadium, 4pm
• Chris Tomlin, Key Arena, 7pm
• Monster Energy AMA Supercross, CenturyLink, 7pm (doors at 12:30pm)
• The Men, The Vera Project, 7:30pm
• Bodacious Vaudeville, Vertical World Seattle this Saturday, 8pm

Sunday, April 21

• Seattle Center Tree Walk, Seattle Center, 1pm
• Space Needle Rub & Grub, Space Needle, 1:30pm-4pm
• Earthquake Home Retrofit, Queen Anne Branch Library, 1:30pm-4pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

Update as of 5pm from SDOT:

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews continue to repair a water main break on Aurora Avenue.  Two northbound lanes on Aurora between Prospect and Highland remain closed.  The far left lane northbound is open to traffic.  All lanes are expected to be open to traffic by 6 p.m. this evening. Drivers should plan accordingly and avoid the area, if possible.

Per our contact at SDOT:

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews are working to repair a water main break on Aurora Avenue.  Two northbound lanes on Aurora between Prospect and Highland streets are closed and may remain closed through the rush hour and into the evening.  The far left lane northbound remains open to traffic. Drivers are asked to avoid the area, if possible.

Have you seen the weather forecast for the weekend? Plus it’s the last weekend before the Mercer West project begins, so very few traffic impacts (other than people going to and from events around the Seattle Center). Get out and take advantage of the weather – a walk, a run, an egg hunt – the weather is supposed to be pretty perfect!

Traffic Impacts:

• Northbound I-5: Reduced to two lanes between South Albro Place and West Seattle/I-5 interchange, 8pm Friday, March 29 to 5am Monday, April 1

Multi-Day Events:

• FIRST Robotics Competition Seattle Regional, CenturyLink Event Center, March 28-30
• Shen Yun, McCaw Hall, March 28-March 31
• Epic De Niro, SIFF Uptown, March 29-April 4
• Sakura-Con, WA State Convention Center, March 29-31
• Good People, Seattle Repertory Theatre, March 8-March 31
• Love’s Labor Lost, Seattle Shakespeare Company, March 13-April 7
• The Last Reef 3D, Pacific Science Center IMAX, Jan 11-April 11

Friday, March 29

• Good Friday Concert of Bach’s Cantata #150, First Church, 7pm FREE
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Searching for Sugarman, Quartet, War Witch, Ginger and Rosa, Miami Connection

Saturday, March 30

• Queen Anne Street Scramble, Queen Anne Baptist Church (start/finish), 9:30pm
• Easter Egg Hunt, Queen Anne Community Center, 10am-noon FREE
• Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club Open House, Green Lake, 10 am-1 pm FREE
• Archaic Smile, El Diablo, 6-8pm
• The Need and Behead the Prophet, Vera Project, 7:30pm
• Arrested Development: Celebrating TV’s Funniest Comedy, SIFF Film Center, 8pm

Sunday, March 31

• Easter Egg Hunt & Egg Toss, Rodgers Park, 10am-1pm FREE

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

Think of it as the calm before the Mercer storm… the Mercer West stage begins in April, and it’ll get messy around Lower Queen Anne/Uptown (more reason to find local events!). So, breathe easy this weekend and next, and get out and enjoy Spring!

Traffic Impacts:

• Mercer: full closure of Valley Street between Fairview and Westlake Ave N, Friday, March 22 for approximately 3 months
• SPPLUS: Key Arena, Friday, March 22, 6am-2pm (note: we have no idea what this is, and neither does the Seattle.gov rep – but it’ll be 4,000 participants with shuttles to/from SLU, so it’s going in the traffic section)

Multi-Day Events:

• Best of the Northwest Arts & Crafts Show, Smith Cove Pier 91, March 23-24
• Good People, Seattle Repertory Theatre, March 8-March 31
• Modern Masterpieces, PNB, March 15-16, March 21-24
• Hansel & Gretel – Family Ballet, PNB, March 17, March 22-23
• Love’s Labor Lost, Seattle Shakespeare Company, March 13-April 7
• The Last Reef 3D, Pacific Science Center IMAX, Jan 11-April 11

Friday, March 22

• Ted Leo & Deathfix, Vera Project, 7:30pm
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Dead Man Down, Searching for Sugarman, Quartet, War Witch, Quartet, Ginger and Rosa

Saturday, March 23

• Kick it Forward Family Day, Gates Foundation Visitor Center, 10am-3pm
• Charley+May Tiny Carnivale, 2225 Queen Anne Ave N, noon-5pm
• MPSF Gymnastics Championships, SPU, 6pm
• McClure Mixer, Queen Anne Community Center, 7pm

Sunday, March 24

• French Fest, Seattle Center Armory, 11am-6pm
• SPU Piano Sale, Crawford Music Building, noon-5pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

Get ready for some traffic impacts this weekend – the Viaduct will be closed most of Saturday (but open in time for the season-opening Sounders game) and Sunday, and both Mercer and 99/Aurora will be impacted by the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K event on Sunday. Those woes aside, there are a lot of great events this weekend for everyone. Book lovers have 2 events – the new Queen Anne Book Company 3-day opening extravaganza and the Queen Anne Library Sunday celebration are both this weekend. Plus, arts, music, parkour, and films!

Traffic Impacts:

• Viaduct: closed in both directions between Denny Way and South Spokane St – 6am-5pm, Saturday, March 2 and 6am-noon on Sunday, March 3
• Hot Chocolate 5K/15K: Sunday, March 3, 10,000 people expected to use Mercer St to get to the Seattle Center (early am hours) and Metro busses will be rerouted including 2 & 13. 5K begins at 6:45am, 15K at 7:40am. The race route includes crossing the Aurora Bridge into Fremont. Expect Aurora/99 closures early in the morning. Course map is here. Update: looks like 99 will be closed 6:15am-11am on Sunday, per an SDOT sign at the 7-way stop.

Multi-Day Events:

• Queen Anne Book Company Opening Weekend, March 1-3
• Emerald City Comicon, WA State Convention Center, March 1-3
• NW Dollhouse and Miniature Show, March 2-3, Seattle Center, NW Rooms
• Polar Science Weekend, Pacific Science Center, Feb 28-Mar3
• La Bohème, Seattle Opera, Feb 23-Mar 10
• Photograph 51, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Feb 1-March 10
• Anna Karenina, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Feb 9-March 13
• The Last Reef 3D, Pacific Science Center IMAX, Jan 11-April 11

Friday, March 1

• Low Hums, Vera Project, 7:30pm
• Parkour Visions Spring Competition – Adults, 6-9pm
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Silver Linings Playbook, Dial M for Murder, Searching for Sugar Man, 11 Flowers

Saturday, March 2

• Parkour Visions Spring Competition – Kids, 5-8pm
• Rock & Worship, Key Arena, 6pm
• Sound Off! Finals, EMP, 7pm doors, 8pm show
• Seattle Sounders, CenturyLink, 7:30pm
• Raiders of the Lost Ark Double Feature, SIFF Uptown, 7pm (one-day only)

Sunday, March 3

• Hot Chocolate 5K/15K, Seattle Center, 5K @ 6:45am, 10K @ 7:40am
• March Forth 5K/10K, Green Lake, 9:30am
• Sundays are Special Celebration, Queen Anne Library, 2-3:30pm
• Said the Whale, Vera Project, 7:30pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

The second weekend of the New Year is upon us! Apologies if you were looking for the Weekend Roundup last Thursday, but I was down for the count for a few days. Anyway, I’m back up and while we’re all holding our breath for Sonics news, let’s not forget that the Seahawks are in the playoffs this weekend – and apparently the East coast did not get the message about time zones… the game is on at 10am local time, so if you’re a late sleeper, set your alarm!

Traffic Impacts:

• Mercer: 9am-3pm, Monday, Jan 14 and running approximately 2 weeks, lane restrictions on eastbound Mercer for installation of new signal poles and mast arms at the intersection of Mercer and Fairview. Two eastbound lanes will remain open to traffic between Terry and Fairview.
• Aurora Bridge: Bridge reduced to one lane in each direction 9pm-5am Sunday, Jan 13 – Thursday, Jan 17; Fremont Way N southbound on-ramp to the Aurora Bridge will be closed 9pm-5am Sunday, Jan 13 – Thursday, Jan 17
• I-5 Reconstruction: ramps from Columbian Way to Southbound I-5, West Seattle, and 6th Ave S will be closed. Traffic from Columbian Way will only be able to access northbound I-5. Detours to southbound I-5 will utilize 15 Ave S to Georgetown.

Multi-Day Events:

• Seattle Opera – Cinderella, McCaw Hall, Jan 12-26
• The Last Reef 3D, Pacific Science Center IMAX, Jan 11-April 11

Friday, January 11

• Molly Moon’s Call for Cookies, Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookies, 3pm-on
• School of Rock: Sons of Seattle, EMP, $10 advance/$12 day of, 7:30pm
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Barbara, Les Miserables, Django Unchained

Saturday, January 12

• Snow Day (World’s Largest Snowball Fight), Seattle Center, noon-6pm
• Kids Rock Dance Party, Nectar Lounge, Fremont, 11am-3pm
• 6th Annual Elvis Invitationals, EMP, $15 advance/$20 day of, 7:30pm

Sunday, January 13

• Seahawks vs Falcons, in Atlanta, 10am, Go Hawks!
• National Rubber Ducky Day, Seattle Children’s Museum, 10am
• Stand Up Washington March & Rally, Westlake to Seattle Center, starts at 1:30pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is beginning its construction season early this year, with the first of “nearly 20” weekend and weekend night closures starting next weekend, January 4-7. The I-5 closures will run through April, and we’ll add these to the Traffic Impact section of the Queen Anne View Weekend Roundups.

Why January – April for these closures? According to Russ East, WSDOT Assistant Regional Administrator:

Per WSDOT, the following projects will occur between January and April:

• Replace 31 expansion joints on ramps linking I-5, the West Seattle Bridge and Columbian Way and one joint on northbound I-5 just south of the ramps
• Grind and smooth out three lanes of southbound I-5 between 50th St and Roanoke St in the University District and add durable striping to both directions of I-5 between Northgate and Roanoke St
• Replace bridge expansion joints and repave the ramp on northbound I-5 to Spokane St (West Seattle Bridge) and northbound and southbound I-5 off-ramps at Corson Ave

WSDOT traffic engineers worked with multiple agencies and organizations including the city of Seattle, sports teams, and event planners to avoid any major overlaps between construction and planned events. However, while they have identified the lightest traffic times, there will still be construction impacts.

What to do? Check before you go via WSDOT’s I-5 Reconstruction site, traffic app, or Twitter feed. And, we’ll include any I-5 impacts in the Queen Anne View Weekend Roundup.

It’s been pretty quiet this past week as people prep for the holidays, packing for travel, last minute shopping, or finishing up work before the holiday. Here are the closures and events for the holiday week:

Holiday Closures:

• Seattle Public Library – closed Monday, Dec 24 and Tuesday, Dec 25
• City of Seattle – offices closed Tuesday, Dec 25
• Free Parking Days – Tuesday, Dec 25^th and Tuesday, January 1^st are Free Parking day in Seattle
• Garbage & Recycling – no collection on Tuesday, Dec 25 or Tuesday, January 1
  • if your pickup day is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, collections will be one day later both weeks

Traffic Impacts:

• Aurora Bridge: Bridge reduced to one lane in each direction 9pm-5am Wednesday, Dec 26 through Thursday, Dec 28; Fremont Way N southbound on-ramp to the Aurora Bridge will be closed 9pm-5am Sunday, Dec 22 through Wednesday, Dec 27

Multi-Day Events:

• Winterfest, Seattle Center, through Jan 6
• Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker, through Dec 29
• SIFF Uptown, White Christmas, through Dec 24

Sunday, December 23

• Seahawks vs. 49ers, CenturyLink Field, 5:20pm

Tuesday, December 25

• SIFF Uptown, Fiddler on the Roof Sing-a-Long with FREE Kosher Chinese Food
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Argo, Life of Pi, Barbara, Les Miserables, Django Unchained

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

To better understand what residents want and how to prioritize the needs of the public against available funds, the Washington State Transportation Commission has launched a statewide survey seeking your opinion. You can sign up to take the survey online, and help guide future investments in our transportation system.

Typical questions include how much (if any) you feel is fair to pay per month in increases for transportation taxes and fees, transportation categories you think the state should invest in (e.g. new lanes, increasing bridge capacity, increasing transit service, bike and sidewalk improvements), and how investment increases should be funded (e.g. gas tax, vehicle excise tax, vehicle license fees, hybrid vehicle fees).

Once you’ve signed up for the survey via joining Voice of Washington State (VOWS), you’ll receive an email invitation for the survey. The final results will be reported to the governor and Legislature at the start of the 2013 session, and will help guide key decisions. The survey runs through Monday, December 17th, so act now!