Featured Stories

A few days ago, I posted a video about Karen Cirulli's work along Aurora Avenue, much of which is with the residents of area motels and other homeless individuals.

If you're interested in learning more about the situation of many of our homeless neighbors, here are a couple of informative resources:

Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County, an HBO Documentary by Alexandra Pelosi (interview...

Karen Cirulli has been an AmeriCorps Volunteer working as a community organizer along the Aurora corridor for the past year and half. In addition to gathering neighbors to create the Aurora Communal Garden and its weekly cookouts, she spends her time networking community groups,...

Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) recently held a meeting at Cyndy's Pancake House in which they conversed with neighbors about their plans for an affordable housing development "with supportive services for homeless men and women living with mental illness" at the current Cyndy's property (10507 Aurora Ave) to begin in the summer of 2011.

But less than a year ago, Cyndy's was on the verge of becoming a strip club until the city declined to issue the prospective buyer, Bob Davis, the necessary permits - leading...

Free trees available for your neighborhood through Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Tree Fund celebrates 15 years of planting 20,000 trees

July 8, 2010 (SEATTLE, WA)— Community members can get free trees for their neighborhood through the Tree Fund, a program of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. It is an easy way for residents to beautify their neighborhood and ...

The Green Bean Coffeehouse, which was destroyed by arson last October, will be reopening this Friday morning at 7 a.m. in their new space at 8533 Greenwood Avenue.   

And it isn't taking long for various groups to host creative events in this coffeehouse and community space.  On Sunday, July 18, Artocratic, an online magazine, will be putting on the Food-As-Art Party:  

...

SeattleCrime.com is reporting that a man was beaten into near-fatal condition outside an Aurora motel last night:

Police say a man was so severely beaten following an argument over drugs outside an Aurora motel that his injuries "could result in permanent brain injury or possibly death." 

Just before 9:00pm last night, police were...

Aurora already has at least one place open 24 hours - the legendary Beth's Cafe.  But it might soon have a number of early morning destinations - and they'd be serving more than a 12-egg omelet.  As the Seattle Times reported earlier this week (see below), Mayor Mike McGinn is proposing letting bars staying open all night, or at least later than the current 2 a.m. closing time. 

Chris Dalton, owner of Beth's Cafe and the neighboring Duck Island Ale House, told Aurora|Seattle that he has a "neutral"...

SeattleCrime.com is reporting on a police bust at the recently reopened "Dancing Bare" near 105th and Aurora:

City officials say the Dancing Bare, on 105th and Aurora, reopened sometime in May—staff at the Department of Executive Administration did not have an exact date—after shutting down for about five years.

The building on 105th and Aurora has been licensed as an adult club...

There's a great article over at the Fremocentrist about the work the Aurora Traffic Safety Project is doing to make Aurora safer.

The article highlights some of the efforts of the project so far:

Billboards along Aurora warn about texting while driving, speed limit enforcement and the need to stop for pedestrians.  Curb bulbs, channelization and signal light changes, and crosswalks have been...

The life of the truck at 90th and Aurora operating as "Cubano Loco" was short-lived.  It is now the "Chunky Monkey".  Check out their website and a note from the new owners below.  Welcome to the neighborhood Lauren and Gabriel!

A few weeks ago we posted a rumor about the possibility of someone looking to develop condos at the former 1/2 Price Pots property at 8101 Aurora Avenue.

We were totally wrong about the condo thing - and are totally happy about that - because someone is getting ready to buy the property for an entirely different purpose.

According to some neighbors who have spoken to the current property owner, a sale...

The Seattle Police Department invites you to a North Precinct picnic this Saturday:

Calling all North Precinct residents!  On Saturday, July 10th from 1:00 PM- 4:00 PM the North Precinct (10049 College Way North) will be hosting a picnic to celebrate community, give you a chance to meet your local officers, and even take a precinct tour.  There will be food, activities and entertainment- including many activities for children.  This is an annual free event hosted by the Seattle Police Foundation....

Marc Phillips offered a perspective about prostitution on Aurora  yesterday over at the PI:

The motels along the stretch of Aurora in North Seattle are hotbeds of crime and prostitution that suck the attention of the Seattle Police Department in a time of dwindling resources and budget cuts. Could legalization of the world's oldest profession breathe new life into the neighborhood and provide a tax windfall for the City?

...

I meant to post this on June 30...  Eighty years ago the Seattle City Council voted in favor of extending Aurora Avenue through Woodland Park.  The Seattle Times vociferously opposed the move, and expressed it in their headlines, such as, "Friends of Playfields Deceived in Aurora Act."

Here's an excerpt from and a link to the HistoryLink essay:

On June 30, 1930, by a vote of six to two, the...

Last week we reported that Paladar Cubano at 90th and Aurora closed... but, then, the truck was still there.  One of our neighbors followed up on the story and got the scoop.  Thanks, Joe!

We're reported on wild rides on the 358 before, as well as the statistics of violence on the line, the third busiest Metro route in King County.  But yesterday an attentive 358 passenger emailed us this image.

An appropriate "commentary" on the nature of the 358?

An bad...

Goodbye to the much-loved cuban sandwich truck that has been stationed at 90th and Aurora for a little over a year.  The Seattle Weekly is reporting today that Paladar Cubano closed on Wednesday.  No explanation was given for the closure.

Here's hoping a taco truck takes its place!

...

The Studies in Forgiveness event will be taking place along Aurora Avenue this Saturday:  

STUDIES IN FORGIVENESS | Aurora Avenue 3 July 2010

Time Location Artist or Event Map Code

*9AM INTERNATIONAL FOUNTAIN Preparing to Forgive 1...

The Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon is back again this year.  Runners will be making there way up Aurora Avenue across the bridge up to 39th Street, so all lanes will be closed for much of the day on Saturday.

According to the Times, other lane closures include:

• All lanes of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Aurora Avenue North between Diagonal Avenue South and 39th Street....

As previously reported, there are plans afoot to convert Cyndy's House of Pancakes to supportive housing for formerly homeless people. On June 9, Bill Hobson, Executive Director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), went to Cyndy's and spoke to a group of concerned neighborhood residents.

DESC is a leading advocate of the philosophy of "housing first." Many other homeless housing projects insist that residents be clean and sober before moving in. (This practice is often called "creaming," which refers...

A message from Über Tavern:

First things first: Happy Birthday...to us. Über Tavern turns 4 years old this Saturday, June 26th.

Why not join us for a little something special?

Flyers Cab Ride on tap. We will be offering 4oz pours for $2.50!...

SCAN (Seattle Community Access Network), which is located at 1125 N. 98th St. (just off Aurora), is holding a Sidewalk Sale of used computers and video equipment this Saturday, June 26, 2010, from noon-2pm. All equipment is used, sold as-is, and will be very inexpensive. SCAN  is Seattle'...

The Poetess at Green Lake, A. K. Mimi Allin, has informed Aurora|Seattle that the application deadline for the Studies in Forgiveness|Aurora Avenue art experiment on Saturday, July 3 has been extended one week:

We currently have 13 excellent artists on board for the July 3rd event. In deference to the mighty work of the artists involved with the Solstice Parade, which took place on the day of our initial deadline, I have moved the deadline back by one week to Saturday 26 June. We are still accepting applications...

Aurora|Seattle received confirmation today from Rod Swift of JSH Properties, Inc. that a lease agreement has been reached with the new tenant of the former Stupid Prices building at 7906 Aurora Avenue.  

Aaron's rental, a rent-to-own store with over 1700 locations in the U.S. and Canada, hopes to open its doors by August 1.  Aaron's has a number of stores in the greater Seattle area, with its nearest locations in Burien and Everett.

From SeattleCrime.com:

The city called off plans to evict residents of troubled Aurora motel earlier today after the motel's owners caught up on a massive overdue water bill.

Police and Department of Planning and Development officials had planned to serve eviction notices at the Italia Motel on 41st and Aurora noon at today, after the city shut off water at the motel earlier this week....