seattlejo.com

It takes little to make me happy.

My eee, a cup of coffee from 7 Roasters and my little pantone notebook.
(For the record, 7 Roasters does the best machiatto. Almost as good as Cafe Darte)

I used to go swimming in the summer. In Chicago the Western Suburbs of Chicago  the pools open at memorial day, close at labor day and for the most part are outside.  Public swim was great swaths of time from about 11am until 4? 5? Then a break for an hour for dinner then they reopened again  until 9pm. Unless there was a swim meet or something. Even at the Y Open swim was at least a couple of hours.   Little kids , the five and under set brought water wings, but i dont remember seeing a floating vest  on a kid alone.

Today Camp SJ went swimming. We went during public swim which was 7.00 for the hour for the two of us. The pool was full of kids, obviously a daycamp had come by.  There were chaperones in the water with them, and a number of kids had life vests on. It was something that the pool has available for all kids if they need. Now Miss Bit didnt need it today, but its nice to know its there for the future. On the other hand, I’m a little confused. Such short hours , so many kids with life vests? Is it  because of where I am?  I mean, is it a Seattle versus Chicago thing, or a suburbs versus city thing? Or is swimming just not something kids know anymore? Is public swim not popular enough?  An hour just seems so short. Am I missing something?

Due to a miscalculation on Sunday we ended up not going to the Fremont Sunday Market. We ended up having lunch then running an errand at Staples and Costco. Costco was as dangerous as a trip to Costco always is. We ended up with stuff in  our basket and a bill of only $50. Not bad says I.

On the other hand,  the stores that supply me with my retail whims are in cahoots. One of my favorite things at the lego store is the fill the bucket buffet. You pick a bucket, either the $5 or $10 bucket then you get to pick from these bins in the wall where legos are stored individually. Want all orange blocks go for it. Want to fill a bucket with captains wheels or windows? sure why not!  I love going and picking through and getting a small assortment which then disappears at home *

Well now Staples has gotten in on the deal. They have these  bins filled with push pins, thumb tacks, binder clips, and paperclips all decorated and fashionable. You take a cup  again $5 or $10 and go to town. How did they know i wanted just one hot pink painted metal binder clip. Or that a paperclip in yellow that looks like a hand would make me squeal in delight.  The office supply world has just gotten more dangerous for me.

*Where do the legos go? Leah makes off with them and then burns holes into them and strings them up to make jewelry

So where is Greenwood? Looking at the Greenwood Rocks map you can see that I am considering Greenwood to be from 80th up to 105th for our North and South boundaries. The eastern boundary is Aurora , the Western boundary is 8th ave NW. We’ll start at 85th and Greenwood, cover that street then I’ll decide what to tackle next. Greenwood Ave is the main vein of Greenwood, so once we’re done with it, I may just spotlight business elsewhere in the boundaries.

So we’ve covered the four corners, where do we go from here? i’m going to start by going up along the North East side, business by business, then go down south the North West side until i reach back to 85th. Then we’ll go west, south , then east. Got it? It will make sense in the end.

So walking up the North east side, we’ve just passed the Washington Mutual. Our next four businesses are a triad of restaurants, and a hair salon.

Olive You

Kalia Indian cuisine

Fredericks Hair Salon

Pad Thai

Olive You (Yelp Reviews) (Health Inspection reviews)

is the sister to our already discussed Sweet on You. They were the original and have been established in the neighborhood for two years or so. (Previously it was Gottrocks )They serve Mediterranean food, greek particularly. Kobe beef burgers, gyro and falafeal , beer and wine, all kinds of tastiness on the menu.The service can be a bit off, and they are a touch expensive. My complaint has always been that they are so jammed full of chairs that you cant see whats in the deli. I was happiest when i was able to order nibbles out of the case to take home.

Kalia Indian Cuisine (Yelp Reviews) (Health Inspection Reviews)

Kalia is in a space that has always been an Indian place. This is the latest incarnation. They do a lunch buffet for 8.95 and a dinner buffet for 9.95. The folks who work their seem honest and really want to share their food with everyone.

Fredricks Salon

I was confused by this place for the longest time. They were never open, they have no hours no contact information save a phone number on the door. They also had a makeover recently, shedding its old lady looks and becoming this sharp looking salon. Then I found their website, and it suddenly made sense! They do mainly wedding hair/makeup as their specialty. The hours are variable, because they work to meet the needs of brides. When I emailed the owner she responded right away and confirmed that they have no set hours but they are their 7 days a week. I get it now! (I also love the little scrapbook pictures in the front window that show her grandmothers original beauty school graduation stuff)

Pad Thai (Yelp reviews) (Health Inspection Reviews)

Thai food at its best. I dont eat here very often and I don’t know why. They don’t serve lunch but they do do dinner, and they do deliver. They make a fantastic Pad Thai (I’d expect that) and they have tasty spring rolls. I’ve never dined in, but it always seems like it would be a quiet place for a casual supper.

So 8 down and thus far we have
1 Greek restaurant
1 Indian restaurant
2 Hair Salons
1 Thai restaurant
1 Antique store
1 Gelato shop
1 Bank

I took miss bit to school this morning (one of the chores i do during the life of leisure) Mid walk we were joined by a classmate and a little before nine i dropped the two of them off at school. Then it was off to Fremont. I’m meeting Aron for Lunch at Skillet Street Food, and decided to start my day down in Greenwood anyway. I wandered over to the bus stop and waited. checking the bus time via my nifty sms checker, i saw that i had about 10 minutes. So I decided to walk to the next bus stop. Then the bus stop after that.

Can you see where this is going?

It’s mostly downhill and only took me a little over 30 minutes to walk from 80th and Greenwood to Phinney and 36th.  It was a leisurely  though the 15% grade downhill was sure something even if it was downhill. I like being able to look at the  houses in the area and the different yards. i even found what i would consider my dream yard. Mostly concrete sculpture with lots of greenery in  pots all around.   i’m a  no grass person.  It’s also neat what you see when you look up into the trees

Welcome to Greenwood, a neighborhood north of the downtown core of Seattle. i live near 85th and Greenwood Ave, and have to admit that I feel a fair amount of possessive ownership of this neighborhood. it’s my stomping grounds.

it’s come to my attention that not everyone knows the area, and to be honest, i dont know everything about the area. So I decided i’d start at 85th and Greenwood ave, and explore the different shops so you know whats here for when you come visit. You are coming to visit right?

So Hi! Let’s get started on our tour.

I started today literally at the corner of 85th and Greenwood Ave and looked around at the businesses.

The four corners are thus :
Northwest : Greenwood Academy of Hair
Northeast : Washington Mutual Bank
Southeast: Sweet on You Gelato (no website)
Southwest :Antika’s Antiques (no website)

Greenwood Academy of Hair Yelp Reviews
Greenwood Academy of Hair is hair salon and cosmetology school. They are recently under new ownership and some small changes in decor and products used have happened. I’ve been going there for years and aside for a bum cut or two due to my wishy washyness , I’ve never had a problem. In fact when I turned the magical 30 , my girlfriend and I went there and availed ourselves of their spa treatments, each getting a facial, mudwrap and a waxing. We were truly pampered.

Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual is a bank. And as a nonmember of this bank, there is really little they can do for me. That said, my boyfriend banks there and has not run into any problems. They have an ATM, which does charge a small fee for usage.

Sweet on You Yelp Reviews
Sweet on you is a new gelato place, that just opened a few weeks ago. I get the feeling that they are still working out the kinks. They always seem to be out of what i’m looking for and they still dont take credit cards. (not a requirement mind you, but they keep claiming it will be soon.) I like the Gelato though, and will be stopping by occasionally to indulge.

Antika Yelp Reviews

Antika is a delightful Antique store. They are mainly furniture and  small decorative items.. They usually have vintage barware and a vintage bar in the window. As with all antique stores, they can be a little spendy, but the quality is fantastic. I’m always amazed by the nifty kitchen cabinets, the unique tables, and the ornate curios they have.  They are always friendly when I come even, even though I’ve never bought anything.

So thats the start. Lets see what else we can find for next time.

Do you run a business?  Do you sell a product, or just feel particularly committed to what you do? Tell me about it! I posted on a mailing list for my local city asking for folks on this list to tell me what they do so I can patronize their businesses.

I like having a personal touch to the business I conduct. At my grocery store, i know who my meat guy is, my deli guy is and we have a coffee gal. At the local coffee shops, one owner used to be our neighbor,another  knows my coffee order when I walk in.  My favorite Gyro business knows my family and asks how we are doing. 

i want to be able to connect with ther person behind the counter.  I recognize that people have good and bad days, meaning that not every transaction will be ponies and rainbows, but I’m hoping that the majority of the time the person i’m doing business with will be pleasent, engaging and attentive.  I’ll settle for attentive.

I’m fickle. I’ll be honest about this, treat me shitty more then once and either I’ll adjust my buying practices or I’ll  complain.  The very same grocer has a meat guy who’s an utter putz . I dont know if he just dislikes me or he just doesnt like helping customer at the counter, but we avoid him now.  

Another example. in my neighborhood there is a surplus of coffee places. While i am pretty loyal to one in particular, i still treat it like an open relationship and visit others occasionally.  Today i opted to stop at Green Bean. I hovered near the door trying to figure out where the line started . i wandered in further, checking out the tables and stopping to read the menu, hoping that one of the four people behind the counter would look up, smile and offer to assist me.

Nada. Nothing at all.  So I walked out and went  to another shop. Again, lots of competition here. Will it prevent me from going there ever again? Probably not. Will i think twice before i try to go again. Yup.  Afterall, it was much nicer to get greeted and asked if i wanted my usual drink, then be ignored completely

Even if you don’t have a business in my area, take a minute and think about your customers and how you treat them.  Good service and good business interactions will improve everyones day. Would you want your friends to be your customers? do you treat your customers like you treat your friends?

It’s raining this morning and there is wildlife crawling along our front steps
See?