One of the most delightful things about Seattle is the abundance of nature surrounding us.  Although this is a large metropolitan city, I appreciate the fact that you can escape to nature at any time.  Big or large, we have parks situated in every neighborhood and convenient access to rivers, lakes, and vast ocean.  However, with the rapid development and higher cost of real estate, many Seattleites resorted to condos and townhomes that did not leave much space for those with green thumbs.  So, when I noticed community gardens or patches popping up everywhere, I wasn’t surprised at all.

Community gardens are simply a piece of land gardened by a group of people.  The neat thing about them is that not only it provides a mean for people to garden and produce fresh produce, it also promotes sense of community, healthier urban environment, and pride of ownership.  People can experience both the joy of growing and being in touch with the source of their food.

In Seattle, the city began the non-profit organization P-Patch Trust 35 years ago.  According to the City of Seattle website, the organization acquires, builds and protects community gardens in Seattle.  Most of the supplies are provided at the sites, such as water and tools.  Your responsibility as a community gardener is to care for your plot.

Interesting facts about P-Patch:

- The “P” originally stood for “Picardo”, after the family who owned Picardo Farm, part of which became the original P-Patch.

-The P-Patch program only allows organic farming techniques to be used on these plots.

-The P-Patch community gardeners give back to the city by supplying 7 to 10 tons of produce to Seattle food banks each year.

-You are not allowed to sell what you grow, only share it or donate it.

As the broadening interest in organic food source and gardening increases, you will see the demand for community gardens increase.  The city currently has 55 patches in the city but most of them do have a waiting list.  If you are interested in starting your own Community Patch or for more information, check out City of Seattle website!

Community Patch in Seattle Neighborhoods

Seattle Farmers Markets are a local tradition, and each neighborhood has one with a little bit of it’s own special character.  Here is the all-inclusive list of the markets.  You don’t have to limit yourself to one because many of them are on different days of the week.  Two of my favorites are the Fremont Sunday Market and the Ballard Sunday Market, and of course the Granddaddy of them all, Pike Place Market itself.

BALLARD: Sundays 10-3 year round, 5300 Ballard Ave NW

BELLTOWN:  Thursdays 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July to Sept, 2901 Western Ave

BROADWAY:  Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May to December, Broadway & Pine

COLUMBIA CITY:  Wednesdays 3 p.m. to 7  p.m. April to October, 37th Ave S & S Edmunds

GEORGETOWN:  Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June to October, 6000 Airport Way S

LAKE CITY:  Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, NE 125th & 28th Ave NE

MADRONA:  Fridays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. May to September, 1126 MLK S

MAGNOLIA:  Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June to October, 33rd Ave W & W Smith St

PHINNEY:  Fridays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, 67th & Phinney Ave N

PIKE PLACE MARKET:  Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round, 1st & Pike

QUEEN ANNE:  Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, W Crockett St & Queen Anne Ave

U DISTRICT:  Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, University Way & NE 50th

WALLINGFORD:  Wednesdays 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to Sept, 1815 N. 45th St

WEST SEATTLE:  Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, 44th Ave SW & SW Alaska

Below are some photos taken at the Fremont Sunday Market.  Come and shop, enjoy, taste, listen, people watch, and I guarantee you’ll be back!

On August 12, 13 and 14 of this year will be the 10th Anniversary of the Seattle Tattoo Expo, which showcases new talent and provides a venue for “fans to gather and discuss” what is becoming known as an enduring art form.  Held at Seattle Center, the Expo gives contest winning artists the exposure and recognition that has long been the case for other body adornment artists like hair or makeup stylists.  The 43 winners are shown in a Gallery on the site and provide an album of what’s new and treasured in the art.

For myself, being (to date myself) of that older generation that tended to flinch at the thought of anything permanent, and thinking of tattoos as something sailors used to get in the old days, being in Seattle it began to dawn on me that in this place at this time, people see it a little differently.  Those who in the past may have resisted the notion now seem to be taking the idea from their kids and getting used to it.  They may choose an obscure place for their art, but some seem to feel just knowing it’s there is enough.

Which brings us to the tattoo parlor scene in Seattle, which is vibrant and complex.  When I visited Two Birds Tattoo on Greenwood Avenue to take a few photos and find out more about what they did, I was almost reassured to have the young woman at the counter raise an eyebrow at me.  Clearly they are more used to the under 30′s crowd.  I was interested to see the couches with six customers getting new tattoos from studio artists. In the forefront the owner of the shop, herself with a glorious amount of colorful detail evident on various parts of her visible anatomy, was bent over an even more decorated young man on her couch, working on a large and complex design.  I learned that Two Birds has been open over a year, and was included in a story in Sunset Magazine.

There are of course albums of choices and leafing through these I found some very lovely images.  Ever thought of getting one yourself?  Well, it did occur to me as I looked them all over, but I decided to think about it a little more.  Meanwhile, perhaps I’d better do a series on the Seattle Tattoo Scene to help familiarize you with something very – indelibly – Pacific Northwest.

There are both new and antique carpets.  There are 100% wool rugs, wool-silk blends, and traditional designs as well as modern.  See something you like?  Just ask and you will find some history of the piece and the region where it was made.

Below a selection of the patterns I saw as I browsed through the shop.

You have to park, get out, take a walk down the street, to even start to decide what to explore first.  There is plenty.  Destined to become a favorite perhaps, the first time you enter the 74th Street Ale House it will strike you as a very good idea.  The menu is expansive and the food is unusual.  Some have said this establishment has the best Southwest Chicken sandwich in the city.  The Ruben is a favorite, the gumbo is great too.  They are well known for their exceptional soups.  Weekly specials rotate every Friday, with such choices as Fusilli Pasta with Bacon & French Goat Cheese, Green Chili Tuna Melt, or Molassas Glazed Pork.  The statement on their menu, “We make everything fresh, in house” says a lot!  They are going on 20 years as a neighborhood favorite.

Beautiful old bar back, nice line of local beers, old stained glass windows set into the walls.  Often crowded, the local crowd is devoted, the atmosphere is English Pub reminiscent which is actually very Seattle, in the sense that Seattle responds to light filtering in, dark wood, quirky bits here and there, a sense of timelessness.  The happy hour is from 3 to 6 daily, try the cilantro pesto quesadilla.  Very, very nice indeed.

When I walked into this friendly and amusingly set up pet store I sensed a true love of the world of animals and their pet people, executed at a very high level indeed.

The pet food is well thought out to be providing the very best selection and nutrition possible in a small space (admittedly that would be the down side of the small store, so if you are looking for your own specific brand call ahead to see what they stock).  The cards and gifts are clever and full of life and fun (like a kitten!).  The necessary (collar, leash, bed) and not-so-necessary (doggie raincoat and hat, boots, swimming pool toys) are provided with a dash of humor and bright joie de vivre that make shopping here an experience in and of itself. It really does have a Phinney Ridge feel, that urban, upbeat, fun and playful, laid back, family oriented yet sophisticated approach that is part of the neighborhood is very apparent in this little gem of a pet shop.

Most of all I found myself appreciating the staff, attentive, friendly, unpretentious, helpful and very knowledgeable.  If you like to go back to places because you feel you’ve made a new friend while shopping, you and your pet will love Zak and Zoe’s.  Free doggie treats outside in a bowl attached to the sign!

One of the landmarks and this year celebrating 30 Years as a neighborhood icon is the… shall we call it a shop?  haven? goody bag of party and stationary necessities elevated to the realm of art by the vision of the proprietor?  If his goal is that you do not leave his establishment without much more than you ever thought possible, he succeeded admirably with me.  Cards, paper, scissors, little notepads, exceptionally nice writing tools (pens, I mean), glitter, soaps, candles, calendars, you get the idea.  But it is hard to impart the deeply satisfying experience that shopping here is all about.  Everyone loves the owner and the very friendly staff, and even people who have moved out of this very popular and “Seattle” neighborhood (hard as it is to believe that anyone would) go back just to shop at Metropolis.  Stop by and I think you will find out why that is.

Even among all this activity, Caffe Vita is a very special slice of urban coffee house indeed.  They have six locations in Seattle (Capitol Hill, Queen Anne,  Pioneer Square, Greenwood/Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and Seward Park) and one each in Portland and Olympia.  They do roast their own beans (here’s a cool video of the process you can do at home) and they do make them available in an on-line shop, yet for Satellites of course it is more about the experience than the shopping, although a significant number swear by only Cafe Vita beans.  One customer goes on record that “It’s still as wonderful as my first sip in 1996…when I first came to Seattle with my family.” This customer, who is quoted on their site, explains that after moving away from Seattle to Mineappolis he once flew to Seattle expressly to get a cup of Caffe Vita coffee, and the first sip did not disappoint.  (I’m sure he must be glad for the online store.)  Did you know coffee is a fruit?  Like a little cherry.  Another wonderful video documents a trip to Gayo River country in Guatemala where the sources, 4th generation coffee farms using sustainable principles and a high degree of care for each plant, provide the fruit which becomes Caffe Vita’s special flavors.  And back in Seattle, the energy of this company is very much about Good People in the very unique sense of this city, which you can get a taste of in this video of a Brazilian dinner prepared and enjoyed with a crowd of devoted customers in the Capitol Hill location.

Definitely if you are a coffee lover you should try it, but there is more than that to spending time in this Seattle institution.  It’s a getaway from the hustle and bustle, a haven of dim high ceilings, and rich wood. Something about the filtered light through the tall windows casts the room and those inside into a kind of timeless moment that will stretch on as long as you stay at your table, writing, reading the paper, deep in conversation with friends or in creative harmony with your laptop.  Once you come, you’ll come back.

Today happened to be the day when The Chocolate Shoe Box was hosting a chocolate fund raiser.  The money they raise is going to benefit Precious Life Animal Sanctuary, an organization on the West Sound which provides shelter for cruelty victims and counseling to those who must give up their pets.  The yummy offerings were made by volunteer vegan bakers.  Talking to some of those shopping around and sampling the chocolate offerings, I learned that the regular chocolates at the Shoe Box are highly prized, and the salted caramels were strongly recommended!  Don’t let the vegan thing confuse you, it’s a stylish store with tempting man made shoes!  And since it has the vibe of a cosy high end shoe boutique and the prices of an outlet, it’s hard to go wrong.

The workshops, which are profiled on the Assemble website, are kind of crafty and are put together to enable our “creative arty side” to emerge and play.  You can Carve Your Own Linoleum Block Stamp on May 7, and learn to make Modern Crocheted Granny Squares on May 15, and much more.  These would be great to do with a friend, or a nice way to meet new Phinney Ridge folks if you’re new in the neighborhood.

Assemble, we may surmise, means both the act of putting together materials into a unique expression of one’s vision and also the act of coming together in community to work and play together, and also to view the art of our local artists.  At the moment the exhibit is “Bringing in the Birds” by Julianna Swaney.  You can see it too on the website.  The work is small and delicate with a feeling of  storybook black and white fine drawings, but colored.  I was very drawn to them and am planning to go back for a nice long look, perhaps meet a friend there and then visit the nearby Cafe Vita for a cup of something vaguely caffeinated and a comfy visit.