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* House Cleaning * Maid Services * Deep Cleaning * Move-out/Move-in Cleaning One-time, weekly, and twice monthly services available. Green Cleaning Seattle is devoted to providing its customers with healthy and peaceful interior environments and to protecting the welfare of the earth. Read more ABOUT OUR STAFF here: http://www.greencleaningseattle.com/AboutOurStaff_Us_J9CD.ht Read more ABOUT OUR SERVICES here: http://www.greencleaningseattle.com/GreenCleaningServices.html Free Estimate - Hey, this will be a short post, but I just recently found out there is a Founders Day Festival information meeting tomorrow night. Here's the info lifted from a handbill at Bedlam. I encourage you to go check it out!
Onyx Fine Arts Collective 6th Annual Exhibition When: Saturday, September 4, 2010 01:00 PM - 09/29/2010 06:00 PM Where: Art/Not Terminal Gallery 2045 Westlake Ave.Seattle, WA 98121 What: The 6th Annual Onyx Fine Arts Exhibit is the only event of its kind to introduce and showcase some of the Northwest's most vibrant artists of African descent. This year's juried exhibit will feature the work of 16 or more artists including featured artist, George Jennings, who expresses peace and well being through various cultural identities. Artwork exhibited is two and three-dimensional and for sale. I was walking down 3rd Avenue earlier last week and I noticed something different about Gambas--that place next to Kelly's you might have missed because you're too busy noticing how much you dislike Kelly's. Gambas built a patio area in front of their store. Fast forward to later that week and some friends and I found ourselves wanting some sushi. As much as I love Shiro's, we were ready to try something different. Here's the first thing I like about Gambas: they're open late. It was a little after 9 and most places we looked were already closed. Then I remembered that I had tried Gambas the first time a few weeks earlier for happy hour and it wasn't too bad. So we hiked on over to 3rd and Bell to get some food. The wait staff remembered me from the time before and we were seated to a table. If you haven't been, Gambas is actually quite nice inside. They have the typical sushi bar, and the rest of the decor is quite pleasant. However, I'm not a guy into decorations and aesthetics, so I'll spare you... A tragic loss for tiedye shirt salesman, college drop-outs with deplorable bongo skills, Rick Stevians, and the other migratory minions that invade Seattle's waterfront and seep endlessly into Belltown. The Hemp Fest will continue to be a much maligned 2 day event - August 21 & 22. Just for the record - I'm for legalizing marijuana. However, this event is nothing but a pain in the ass and does nothing for their cause but make people pissed off.
Happy Independence Day weekend everybody! If you don't already have a million things to do--or if you do, but think you have room for one more--I recommend you come check out the Seattle International Beer Fest. Grab a friend and hike your butt over to the Seattle Center. I went last year and it was definitely a lot of fun. If you have never been to a beer fest before, generally all that I've been to involve paying your entrance fee for a super-cool mini beer drinking glass and a fistful of tickets or tokens. It's kind of like Halloween where you figure out which houses have the best candy, except it's beer and it's better. On a more seriou Got any other fun ideas to celebrate over the weekend? Post them in the comments or create yourself an account--I'm pretty sure we won't charge you anything--and feel free to post yourself! Happy weekend everybody! Obligatory beer related quote: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” ff
Last night I went to check out Radio Bedlam. If you haven't already heard, Radio Bedlam is the Tuesday night open-mic extravaganza put on by the guys at Bedlam Coffee. If you haven't been to Bedlam yet, 1) shame on you, and 2) you should go! What I love about Bedlam is that it has its freedom to be fiercely local and decidedly Belltown. It reminds me of the coffee places back home in Nebraska where you could chill or study all day and the coffee shops stayed open late enough for you to get things done or wrap up that conversation. Moreover, there are plenty of board games and enough engagement in the community to make you feel like you're at home there. That whole vibe seems to carry over into the open-mic feel. The couch area gives way to a smattering of mics and an old guitar amp head to give it some volume. The tables and chairs get pushed around a little bit to afford some seating around the stage, but otherwise it still feels pretty low-key and unassuming. It is consistent...
If you didn't make it the last time, consider dropping by Bedlam Coffee tonight to hear some local flavor. I missed the inaugural showing, but I went to the second one a couple weeks ago and it was really cool. They turned the couch area into a small little stage and people just get up from sitting in the crowd and start jamming. The sound system was a little useless the last time I went, but that's actually really ok since it is a small space. I suppose it creates some intimacy in the experience since you're so close. Everything you hear is really that person sharing--some for the first time in public--their hearts, concerns, and passions set to music. I didn't manage to stay the whole time and only saw about 3 acts, but it was still worth going. Granted, this isn't like going to see a huge show and sometimes the performers are somewhat less than professionals, but this is a really cool thing for our neighborhood and I... 
Read More So I finally get to finish this up and finish packing for my vacation. The session ended with questions and answers. I stayed for about 10 of them, so here are some highlights:
The last group of people to speak were representatives from the Seattle Superior Court. Hon. Sharon Armstrong and Hon. Bruce W. Hilyer sat in on our meeting and then shared with us the court's role in this effort. Judge Armstrong explained that the court's role was to apply the constitution and existing legislation to cases that come before them. They act as impartial 'referees', to borrow from her sports analogy. She also described the process of determining probable cause and setting bail for each defendant. She went on to describe lots and lots of information about the court procedures and I suppose I checked out a little bit at this point. Sorry. Check out your notes from senior year government class to learn more. What was really cool was her invitation to the community to go watch cases at the Courthouse at 3rd and James on floor 12. There we can get involved and learn more about what they do. **WARNING** INSERTING MY OWN VOICE AND OPINION: After the police got done addressing the audience, some more representatives from the prosecutor's office came to describe what happens after the arrests are made and how the community can be involved. Dan Clark of the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office was up first to describe how he and his colleagues work to "come up with innovative ways to prosecute crimes." He shared with us his office' targeted approach on drug crimes. As an anecdote, Seattle used to be 6th in the nation for car crimes, but has improved to 38th because the prosecuting office took a targeted approach. The same could work for our problems in Belltown. Key points of Dan's speaking time included identifying and targeting people that are causing the drug market problems, as well as doing something to dry up the drug demand. This includes things like Drug Court programs and other alternatives to help people drop their dependency on drugs and eliminate the market for dealers. Mary Barbosa from the Narcotics group within the prosecutor'... Co-Sponsored By the Belltown Community Council & Sustainable Belltown Join Us This Saturday - June 26, 2010 We meet 12:30pm at 2821 Second Avenue (Broad & 2nd) The Bay Vista Tower, 6th Floor, Beaumont Room Bring Your Walking Shoes!
The great success of last years Garden Tour told us we needed to do it again and make sure we have enough room for all those who sign up. It's the blooming season and we are in the middle of an explosion of annuals. The new format will allow more people to visit the beautiful hidden gardens around Belltown. If you want to join us on one of our three tour groups, please review the 2010 Belltown Garden Tour Agenda and email us with your preferred tour number at: gardentour-2010@belltowncommunitycouncil.org. Be sure to let us know your preferred tour #, full name and contact information. Hi there folks. The following is a recap from my notes from last night's Belltown Safety forum. I'm sure you'll find really good coverage of the event in other blogs and news sites, but we here at Belltown People hope to be a part of helping those who live and work in Belltown engage their community by providing information and an opportunity to dialog with your neighbors. I guess that's what a neighborhood blog does, right? Hopefully 24 hours isn't horrible turnaround time. It turns out I have to go to work sometimes. There were three main parts to this meeting: Police, Prosecution, and the Justice System. I am on a time constraint right now, so I'm going to jot down what the police had to say and I'll tackle the rest later tonight. Belltown Citizens On Patrol and the Labor Temple hosted a forum for public officials and Belltown neighbors to get together to talk about safety. If you have been to any of the Bell Street Park meetings or any BCC meeting, this is generally a popular topic. BCOP generally tries to... 
This is the first of a daily series we're going to run on presenting real crime solutions. There's been enough complaining and maligning. It's time to tone down the whining and start proposing some real solutions. If you have some ideas to bring to the table - or disagree with my ideas, I'd encourage you to voice your opinions in the comments or post a story yourself 1) Parking Enforcement Officers should be real COPS "Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs) are uniformed civilian Police Department employees. PEO'S are responsible for patrolling the entire city limits and enforcing all parking regulations and parking violations on city property." Instead of checking parking stickers like human robots, these officers should be retrained for legitimate police duty and crime prevention. The primary purpose of government should not be generating revenue over providing safety for its citizens. Parking Officers' primary responsibility should be to patrolling the streets of downtown. While they are patrolling the streets, they should be able to also manage the task of checking parking stickers. Nothing related to preventing crime is listed on the "recent accomplishments" of the PEO's website. In fact, I was unable to find anything related to how the PEO's and Police Department work to collaborate.
Don't feel too bad if you missed out on participating in this year's Green & Clean. (sorry we dropped the ball and forgot to post about it in advance) There's another neighborhood group that has been cleaning the streets of Belltown for a long long while. They meet up on Sundays and have a pretty awesome screed. People's Belltown Republic is a small group of punk gardeners who attacked a block on 2nd Avenue in Seattle's Belltown Neighborhood and never looked back. Every weekend we gather for one hour to care for our block. We operate on a few principles: 1) We are non-hierarchical and apolitical. 2) We welcome anyone who wants to volunteer. 3) We work on one block, once a week, for one hour. 4) We don't guilt out if one of us doesn't make it. 6) We are a community. When we're done working, we typically hang out for a while to get a drink and catch up. We like pinball and Pabst. To contact us, email bwonder4ever@gmail.com. It's widely known that Belltown turns into an absolute drunken Ultra Violence scene from Clockwork Orange after 2am. Nearly every shooting, mugging, bludgeoning, and assault takes place after the neighborhood's clubs herd their drunken patrons onto the street. Neighbors are rightly concerned at the apparent inability of the police department to cope with such a serious onslaught of drunken hooligans. Honestly, it's a situation that's out of control. SPD would need to employ a team in riot gear to manage the chaos. Do you have a solution you'd like to voice? If you're concerned - Seattle Times has tipped us off that there's an upcoming safety forum.
The Belltown Artwalk is tonight. I usually start off at Bedlam Coffee to get a caffeine induced frame of reference before crossing the street to Roq La Rue and Damaged Goods. Here's a map you can use to stumble around the neighborhood. Have fun, but please don't touch the art. Art hates to be touched.
Street Bean is a beautiful little Belltown coffee shop near 3rd & Cedar. It's much more than a coffee shop. Meet the woman and mission behind the business. 
I suppose it's alright to talk about Clever Bottle now that the Seattle Metropolitan picked it up. Sometimes I like to see places with neighborhood character get overlooked for a little while before they're swarmed by the masses (hello Bathtub Gin) . If you haven't been to CB yet, give it a shot. It's a perfect place to start a date or enjoy some good conversation.
Is it just me, or is it NOT a good idea for the police to let someone who fired a gun outside a packed club to walk away?
What kind of precedent does this set? If I get a concealed weapons permit, I can start whipping out my gun and letting off a few victory shots just for the hell of it? 
Location Belltown - 2nd Ave. 2nd & Battery to 2nd & Blanchard (and from Bell St. & 1st to Bell & 3rd) ::: Attention Craft People of Seattle ::: The Seattle Founders Day festival is looking to fill some booths at the 2-day festival. It will be held August 14th & 15th from 10am to 10pm on 2nd Avenue between Battery and Blanchard and on Bell Street between 1st and 3rd. Vendor spaces are available for 150.00 for both days! Hurry while there are still spaces! Check out the vendor application here: www.seattlefounders.com/vendors.html DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR A BOOTH: July 31st The festival will be more than a street fair, more than a block party. With actors in costume roaming the street, history booths and organizations, live music, local crafts. Hope to see you there! If you have any questions please contact Ben at Ben@seattlefounders.com http://www.seattlefounders.com Location: Belltown - 2nd Ave. 2nd & Battery to 2nd & Blanchard, Seattle (and from Bell St. & 1st to Bell & 3rd) Seattle
"We really need to do better here..." "There are a host of ways to go with this..." "This will be a focus of whomever...." More about the tragic schooting can be found from the Seattle Times. 
We've often featured Seattle Cellars' Thursday wine night tastings as an easy way to meet your neighbors. The last couple of times I've been in the shop I've been a bit worried about the diminishing inventory. It looks like the downturn and Belltown drain is taking on another victim... This is getting depressing!
By LEE COPELAND MithunParks and open spaces are an integral part of the experience and quality of living in Seattle. The integration of nature with our lives in our urban environment is a biological necessity contributing to our healthy well being. From Greek and Etrusian times to the present, planners have included parks and open spaces as key ingredients for vital cities. Our new Olympic Sculpture Park and Millennium Park in Chicago are two outstanding 21st century examples of the continuing realization of this need and desire. In 1902, civic leaders demonstrated their desire to make Seattle a beautiful city by hiring an expert “who would arrange the plans for parks and boulevards that all work would be done in harmony with that scheme, whether done now or a hundred years from now” and “to answer the needs of a city of a half-million people.” |
