One of our readers, John, wrote in to report another car prowl at the top of the hill this week. His car, he said, was broken into at 2nd Ave N and Galer on the evening of Monday, April 5. He wrote,

My car was parked on the street across from the Queen Anne High School building and had the right rear window broken in. The thief took an old brick of a laptop that I had sitting on the floor in the back seat due to be recycled. It doesn’t work and has a corrupt hard drive, but the cost of the repair will be several hundred dollars at least. My only solace is that the thing was garbage and waiting to be disposed of anyway, but I’d rather have done it on my terms.

John filed a police report, but hopes that SPD will send more patrols through the neighborhood from time to time to deter prowls like this one. Until then, he offers a bit of advice to neighbors:

Keep your cars free of anything appealing! Anything promising like an ipod, briefcase, backpack, or unopened mail could be a target. Even if they steal something worthless, it’ll still cost you to fix the damage.

If anyone experienced a similar prowl on Monday night or witnessed any suspicious activity, please comment below.

There was another car break-in over the weekend on Warren Ave N between Boston and Crockett. The prowl must have occurred sometime overnight, because the car was found open this morning, writes Glenda:

My boyfriend went out to go to work today and found his trunk open, the inside of the car all disheveled and the ignition looked like it had been messed with. Luckily they only got away with headphones.

If anyone remembers seeing anything suspicious in the area that could have been related to this break-in, please write in the comments below.

For those of you who have perused the Seattle Weekly website over the last few days, you may have noticed a new feature pictorially highlighting the scenes and sights of Upper Queen Anne. Photographer Jenny Jimenez put together a 15-image photo essay while walking up and down Queen Anne Ave N last week. Take a look at what she saw here.

We have an update on the mystery of what is to become of the late Opal Bistro. The “Watch for the Monkey” signs that have been hanging in the windows of the restaurant since its closing a few months ago have now been replaced with a new message: ‘The monkey says, “Watch for the flow.”‘

After much speculation over the meaning of the monkey – a few readers believed it indicated an expansion of Ballard’s Vietnamese restaurant Monkey Bridge, other wished for a new Italian spot – we’ve determined this much: whatever the monkey will bring, the corner spot at 2 Boston St. will remain under the same Opal Bistro ownership.

Reader Andrew wrote in the comments on our last story,

I talked to Orrapin, and basically she doesn’t know what concept she’ll reopen with after both Opal and Opal Bistro failed, but it will have “monkey” in the title. Sounds like it will be vacant the remainder of the winter.

I stopped by and talked to one of the workers who said the owners are currently remodeling the inside of the restaurant, which he expects will be finished by the end of the next week. As for the kind of cuisine the new restaurant will have? “She hasn’t told me yet,” he said. And if Andrew is right, the owners may not have made up their minds yet. A call to Opal’s old number resulted in a full mailbox and an email has not yet been answered. However, whatever we can expect for the late Opal, there will food, “flow” and, apparently, a monkey, involved.

If you have any information on the new monkey-themed Opal, comment below. Inquiring minds want to know!

Two of our readers wrote in over the weekend reporting that their car was stolen from their driveway in Upper Queen Anne (at 5th Ave W and Raye St.) The 1994 Honda Civic was taken between 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 17 and 8:10 a.m. on Friday, December 18. They reported the incident to the police, agreeing to have the car towed and impounded if it was found. And in fact it was found – or what was left of it – yesterday, Sunday, December 20 in Beacon Hill. Mary DaSilva and Denise Ryan wrote,

We got to view the car at ABC Towing. Unfortunately the car was stripped of a fender, head light, exterior window molding, interior panels/air bags, air conditioning, speakers, plastic panels that covered the tail lights, rear compartment cover, floor mats, personal glasses, under the hood spark plugs and wires, battery and we don’t know what other parts.

If anyone has seen anything related to this theft, please comment below. And remember, don’t leave anything of value in your car as it increases the risk of prowls.

Earlier today a reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote in about an alleged “very serious incident of harassment and bullying” that occurred on Queen Anne Ave N. between middle school students from McClure and St. Anne School last Wednesday, October 28. Obviously concerned over the nature of the event, they wrote in to both communicate the situation to the community and ask for support from neighbors and business owners on Upper Queen Anne. Although they had only “anecdotal details,” the tipster wrote that they would like to see more community involvement in issues of violence in the neighborhood, especially among youth. They wrote,

My hope is that QA merchants can band together to report violence immediately to the police to keep the peace along the retail stretch as well as in our neighborhood in general.

At this time the specific details of the incident are not yet clear. I contacted the principals of both schools, but was met with little information. “The incident is over – I have no comment,” wrote Principal Pat Durand from the St. Anne School in an email earlier today, referring me to the Seattle Police Department “Safety Outreach Program,” though there is no readily available information on this program online.

Our anonymous tipster wrote,

Maybe the parents involved might comment as well. I just feel like this is a community issue that we all are responsible for.

If anyone has any information on the event, or community resources for families and residents involved in future incidents of this kind, please email us at tips@queenanneview.com.

After filming at Kerry Park all day today, “The Details” has been spotted shooting on Queen Anne yet again, this time at a house on W Lee Street, near 4th Ave. W. One of our readers, skibum1175, saw them in action and snapped a few pictures.

Skibum1175 told us that although there were no star sightings…

…the late-night spectators included a neighborhood cat.

Skibum1175 writes,

Caught a closer glimpse. They’re filming outside and inside the garage (dimmer light in
background). See the kayak? How Seattle is that?

The film, a black comedy centered around a Seattle couple coping with a raccoon infestation, seems to be capturing the city well – kayaks, beautiful views, lots and lots of raccoons, and coffee!

Thanks, skibum1175, for the tip and the photos!

Chocolopolis is looking for an enthusiastic chocolate lover to work in their Upper Queen Anne luxury chocolate boutique.

They’re looking to hire for their weekend shift (Saturday through Thursday) – a perfect schedule for someone looking for an excuse to become an expert in over 200 different kinds of chocolate (it’s true, they carry over 200 bars from 20 countries! And even better, they arrange the bars in the store geographically based on the origin of the cacao used).

If this sounds like your cup of tea – I mean chocolate – check out their Craigslist ad here. It pays $9.50 an hour, plus an employee discount and one artisan chocolate bar a week!

Chocolopolis is located at 1527 Queen Anne Ave. N.

Key Bank is opening a branch on the top of the Hill, at 2105 Queen Anne Ave. N.

The new location is on the first floor of the luxury Sweetbrier apartment building on the corner of Crocket Street and Queen Anne Ave. The building opened last month, and still has a lot of retail space available on the bottom floor.

No word yet on the opening date. The bank already has one branch in Lower Queen Anne at 434 Queen Anne Ave N.

According to the Seattle Times, Queen Anne Ave is “one of the city’s best-kept secrets for happy hour.”

According to the Times, the top of the hill drag from Galer Street to Boston Street is no longer known just for the coffee shops – Upper Queen Anne is also one of the hippest places to be for cheap cocktails, good eats, and a great time.

Read the whole story here.