Exploring the Seattle Pacific Science Center, by Edy Kizaki and assistant Madeleine Anthony

The Seattle Pacific Science Center is packed with fun and adventures for people of every age.  From school field trips to just plain old family fun, the Science Center is always a blast.  Babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers, as well as our school children of all ages, enjoy  playing, exploring, and learning about such wonders as ocean life, reptiles, and the human body.  In fact, the adults have just as much fun as the kids as there is something for everyone!  Many times you’ll see Seattle visitors without kids there with unmistakable expressions of interest and pleasure. I know I learn something new every time I go! The Science Center is huge, with four buildings packed full of different exhibits surrounding the central water park which also has its own experiments about hydrogen energy, bicycling, and sculptures of animals and dinosaurs.

There is never enough time to completely enjoy all that the Science Center has to offer.  Two IMAX Theaters (the Boeing Theater being six stories high!) show all kinds of 3D films ranging from tornados to Sea-Rex. Learn about our solar system in the Planetarium and enjoy a hypnotizing laser show in the Laser Dome.  Check their IMAX THEATER WEBSITE  for current showtimes. Currently the butterfly house is a favorite attraction of most of the kids I know.  The humid exhibit is filled with exotic plants from jungles and tropical forests where hundreds of butterflies flitter past, sometimes to land on your shoulder or shoe.  Before going into the Butterfly House, you must pass through the yucky, creepy bug exhibit where you can observe live tarantulas and scorpions.  Sit at a picnic table where a lunch of fried beetles and bug cookies await.  In another exhibit you can learn about prehistoric dinosaurs and watch the life size models munching on plants and tearing apart fresh meat.   My little guy loves the toddler play area with indoor climbing toys, computer room, musical instruments, and water park (great for the Seattle wet winters which keeps us inside). There are endless experiments ranging from DNA blocks to the chemistry lab, balance and levers to trains and other locomotives.

The Science Center is located in the extensive Seattle Center in the north part of downtown. It would be a mistake to think you can see the whole Seattle Center in one day, split up the museums for several different trips.  You can spend the whole day at the Seattle Pacific Science Center and still not see it all. Bring a sack lunch, some snacks, and take your time exploring all of the scientific wonders and activities at the Pacific Science Center.

Madeleine Anthony, Young Seattle Mom and Real Estate Assistant

“Childish Things” a third in a series of kids resale shops, by Edy Kizaki and assistant Madeleine Anthony.

Right off the busy Holman Road in Greenwood you will find Childish Things, a small high quality children’s and maternity store.  After struggling to find parking in the small lot outside the store, I walked into a most organized and clean resale boutique.  It is such a nice little store, at first glance it seemed like all new items.  New toys racks are the first you see in the store, and as you continue to browse, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the used toys as they are of such high quality. Not only the toys are in such nice condition, but even the used clothes are steam cleaned and ironed every day so as to appear new when hanging on the racks.

The girls that work here do an exceptional job at choosing items to buy from consigners and they believe this is because their consigning system is different than other resale store in Seattle.  Childish Things “buys outright” which means that they offer people store credit or 75% cash on the spot. In this system, they must be really selective on what they put on the racks in this store otherwise they would lose too much money for the business.

The girls that work here love the fact that they are all so different because their differences allow them to choose a wide variety of toys and styles of clothes to resell in their store.  They also have a great selection of used and inexpensive maternity wear.  There is a whole separate room filled with maternity clothing as well has shelves above filled with educational books for both parents and kids.  It is important to have such a resale store in this neighborhood because families come from all over the Seattle area to visit Carkeek park which is just a few blocks up the road from Childish things.  You might even consider making a day trip out to Greenwood—do some shopping at Childish Things and then go play at Carkeek Park.

Madeleine Anthony, Young Seattle Mom and Real Estate Assistant

A report on one of my favorite parks, not far from our home in Ballard, by my assistant Madeleine Anthony:

Having spent my childhood in Seattle and now a mother, I must say that Carkeek Park is a favorite park in the north Seattle area.  Between the Ballard and Greenwood neighborhoods at the edge of Puget Sound, lies the huge 220 acres of Carkeek Park.  Hiking trails offer adventures in the wilderness right in the city; explore forests and wetlands, cross bridges and duck under fallen trees.  Barbeque areas of different sizes, all with views of the sound and Olympic Mountains, can be reserved through the Park’s Department for larger parties.

Two great playgrounds serve people of all ages on one side of the giant field where you can find people bathing in the sun, playing soccer, and Frisbee.   Beware of the giant Salmon who eats small children and shoots them through a tunnel slide to land in the play area with mosaic art replicating the Piper’s Creek watershed and beach life of the Puget Sound.  Climb down the stairs to the beach front below and explore the wildlife awaiting. When the tide is out, you will find tide pools full of anemones, crabs, and starfish.  Piper’s Creek meets the Sound to create shallow wading areas which are great in the summer for a cool down in the heat.  Several parking lots are found scattered around the park; depending on what you want to do, you can park at the top of Carkeek and hike in or drive down the windy roads and park closer to the play area or the stairs to the beach.

Go to the Seattle Parks and Recreation for directions as it can be a little tricky to find.

By Madeleine Anthony and Edy Kizaki.

“Kids on 45th” is second in a series on Seattle Kid’s Resale Shops by Edy Kizaki and Madeleine Anthony.

The highly desired Wallingford neighborhood is full of resources for a family lifestyle, and N 45th Street, the walkable shopping corridor through the heart of the neighborhood, offers a great kid’s resale shop!

For twenty four years now, this tiny store in downtown Wallingford has been jam packed with great new and used items for kids.  Although a whole lot smaller than other resale stores in Seattle, you can be sure to find good stuff at Kids on 45th.   Larger items are more limited than other resale stores and are sometimes lost under the disorganized chaos of the used clothing racks, but with such a small space it’s hard to expect much better.

One of my favorite things about this store is the dollar rack.  When clothing items do not sell in thirty days they go straight to the dollar rack no matter the quality.  In wandering the store I spoke briefly with a grandmother who lives in the Wallingford neighborhood and is a regular at Kids on 45th.  She walks everywhere in the neighborhood so stops in all the time to check the dollar rack.  On this particular trip she found several cute tops for her two granddaughters in almost new condition.  I also love the mixed up toy bin in the way back by the shoes.  Here you will find bags of miscellaneous toys for super cheap deals.  Sometimes these bags have toys that are missing parts or have some other minor defects however, they are often filled with great learning tools such as blocks or fun musical instruments that are loved by kids just the way they are.  Kids on 45th is located at the perfect location especially for pedestrians.  It is smack dab in between the two most frequented parks in Wallingford (Wallingford Playfield and Meridian Park) and less than a mile from the Woodland Park Zoo.  If you’re out walking through the neighborhood and you’ve forgotten a ball or lost a shoe, it is really easy to stop in and find something good on your way.   Although a little more chaotic than other children’s stores in Seattle, you can find great deals here with just a little patience. Visit their website for more information .

Me N Mom's in Ballard

Me ‘N Moms, a Labor of Love in Ballard, First in a series on Seattle Kids’ Resale Shops by Edy Kizaki and Madeleine Anthony
It’s incredibly hard work but totally worthwhile to run the largest children’s resale store in Seattle. With over 9,300 consigners and over 500 new items to go through every day, Me ‘N Moms has by far the largest volume of resale children’s products in the area.  According to Wendy, the owner since 2001, it is really important to have such a “recycling center” in the neighborhood.  “To have a resale store with high quality products allows families to save as much as 70%, and that really helps many people,” she

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tells me.   It is tons of work going through all the junk people bring in, but Wendy picks out the best stuff as she aims to move along 70% of the items she takes in within two months.  She refers to her work as a labor of love and in talking with her it is clear that she truly loves what she does.  She’s really proud of the community and the concern for recycling.  Shoppers and consigners of Me ‘N Moms are “down to earth people who really care”.
Located at the north end of downtown Ballard on Market street, Me ‘N Moms boasts the most extensive and most organized store I have found yet.  Lots of street parking as well a large parking lot make it easy to pop in and out stress free.    If you know what you are looking for, it will be easy to find in this store.  Furniture and larger items such as strollers, cribs, and rockers are found on the upper level immediately when you walk in.  Little neon colored signs are posted all around the store indicating which area you are in.  New and used toys are found in abundance.   Of all the resale stores we’ve visited Me ‘N Moms has the largest and most organized selection of clothes with sizes clearly marked and separated.   Along with stylish items for all seasons there were some really great Halloween costumes as well.  We left with a handful of nice books from the $.25 book bin.  The labor of love has surely paid off with the success of three other stores around the Seattle area all owned by different members of the same family.  Check the website Me N Moms for more information on any of their three stores .

Madeleine Anthony, Young Seattle Mom and Real Estate Assistant

Seattle.  Ballard.  Shilshole Bay.  The marina at sunset.  Welcome to one of the still, luminous moments to be experienced here in the Pacific Northwest.

Next to Puget Sound, in the old Ballard neighborhood, lies Golden Gardens Park and Shilshole Bay Marina.  These days Ballard is one of the cool Seattle destinations, and locals treasure the restaurants and shopping on Market St NW and Ballard Ave.  But then there’s Sunset Hill, the neighborhood just over Golden Gardens Park on the bluff.  Stairs down from 34th Ave will take neighborhood walkers down steep flights to the Sound, or you can drive down.  Or if you go down Market St past the Ballard Locks, you can drive along the Marina north (past two great eating spots, Ray’s Boathouse and Anthony’s) till you get to the park and the beach at Golden Gardens.  Either way the views of the sunset are quietly breathtaking.

You start to wonder who all those people are sitting at tables in the comfy back area of the shop, and up on the loft at tables?  At first it looks like they might be serving coffee, but think again.  It’s the weekly teen Borad Game Challenge, and it’s a full house.  The events calender is fantastic, the reviews are enthusiastic to the point of gushing, and I had to stop writing this to take time to sign my son up for the week-long outdoor games summer camp.  A treasure of a store in the heart of Queen Anne.  Community, fun and challenge, what could be better?

It’s an exploration to shop here, everything may resemble the sweet rolls and pastries you are used to in the American counterpart, but the resemblance fades at the first bite.  This is the real thing.  What’s good?  Everything from the cardamon bread, the fruit and custard and cheese twists for breakfasts or brunch, the cakes, available or to order, pastries, amazing cookies, tarts, little green frog cakes, and on and on.  The coffee on the other hand is far from Italian and I can rarely get through a whole cup.  It’s better than 7-11 coffee anyway, but other than that, this place will bring you back again and again just to make your way through the many wonders and new and tempting sweet breads and pastries they offer.  And if you are in need of a wedding cake, they do that as well, including one modeled after The Kiss by Gustav Klimt.  And they keep very nice hours, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 6 a.m. on Sundays.  Let me know what you think!

Oh, and if you have kidlets, there’s oodles of frosted cookies, cupcakes, marzipan pigs, and the ubiquitous slices of fine white cake better than most you’ve ever had.

Tulip Town…has an international Peace Garden (see the flags!)   Did you know the tulip is the World’s Peace Flower?  Tulip Town has display gardens (this year with 19 new varieties), indoor show with massive bouquets, trolly rides (get a good angle on photos from above), dahlia shop, art gallery, espresso stand, cafe, posters and souvenirs.  There is also face paint and on the weekdays a children’s art table.

Roozengaarde has a huge display garden with 90+ varities and other spring bulb flowers, like hyacinths, crocus, iris, and daffodils.  There is the lovely sight of their 15 acre tulip field.  Great places in the fields to take family photos and they also have a retail shop and of course sell the blooms there!

Skagit Valley Gardens… have been in business for over 30 years and offer a wide variety of plants and classes for the serious gardener.  Check out the website and look for the bright orange barn along I-5.

The WSU Discovery Garden in Mount Vernon has a mission to educate – and delight! – the public.  Here you will find a Cottege Garden, a Fushia Garden, an Enabling Garden, Herb Garden, Children’s Garden, Naturescape (quiet place to stroll and ponder) and much more.

Other fun stuff to explore:

• Tulip Country Bike Tours…guided tours or rent a bike.
• Golden Glen Creamery…farmstead, artisan cheeses, fresh butter, creamtop milk, taste and shop!
• Deception Pass Boat Tours…enjoy a safe passage through the turbulent waters of Deception Pass!
• The Outlet Shops at Burlington…tons of Name Brand outlet stores…grab a bargain or three.  Exit 229.
• Tulalip Resort Casino…where “fun is the name of the game.”
• Rosabella’s Garden Bakery…delicious destination at an apple orchard.  5 pound apple pies!
• Snow Goose Produce…it’s a farmer’s market in the heart of the Skagit crop land.  Fresh fish, giant ice cream cones, local wines…and potted tulips, of course. 15170 Fir Island Rd, Mount Vernon.
• Skagit Tulip Festival Website for more attractions and information on driving tours.