Monthly Archives: November 2013

Queen Anne Events: 9 Things to Do in December

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Happy Holidays! Find out about the fun seasonal happenings and Queen Anne events coming up in December here:

  1. All December – Festivals of Light at Seattle Children’s Museum: Seattle Children’s Museum is holding their holiday Festivals of Light all month long. This is a great opportunity for kids and their families to learn about the food, decorations, games, activities, music and more of different cultural holidays in the Festivals of Light. From Hanukkah to Kwanza, your child will get to explore winter holidays from the perspective of children around the world.
  2. All December – Christmas Ships Festival: Since 1949, Argosy Cruises has put on the annual Christmas Ships festival! Throughout December, you can enjoy live choral performances throughout the city, as well as Christmas Ship cruises, dinner cruises and more. Click here for a schedule of events and sailings.
  3. Wednesdays in December – Whine Wednesday Tastings at Twirl Café: Enjoy dinner or a crostini plate with three hand-selected wines from rotating regions! This weekly event at Twirl Café is from 5 – 8 p.m. and costs $5 per tasting. Wines by the glass are $2 off. RSVP-optional, but RSVPs get entered in Twirl’s monthly raffle. RSVP here.
  4. Fridays in December – Movie & Pizza Night at Twirl Café: Rotating pizzas and movie snacks will be available at Twirl’s weekly movie and pizza night. From 5 – 8 p.m. on Fridays, Twirl will serving pizza and dinner specials for a $7 rotating pizza selection, or $4 cheese pizza. They be playing a G-rated movie (movie starts at 6 p.m.) presented by Video Isle, and kids are encouraged to wear their PJs. RSVP-optional, but RSVPs get entered in Twirl’s monthly raffle. RSVP here.
  5. December 6 – Holiday Magic on Upper Queen Anne: Every year, the shops and businesses along Queen Anne Avenue celebrate the season with special sales, free holiday goodies, and more! Holiday Magic on upper Queen Anne is happening on December 6th this year. Visit the stores, cafés, restaurants, and businesses along the avenue between 4 – 8 p.m. to join in on the fun!
  6. December 8 – Lucia Fest at the Swedish Club Northwest: Celebrate St. Lucia in the Lucia Fest at the Swedish Club Northwest. On December 8th, starting at 3 p.m., there will be a free event for the whole family, with live music, treats, dancing, and more!
  7. December 11 – Storytime at Twirl Café: On the second Wednesday of each month, Tegan from Queen Anne Book Company is at Twirl Café for a fun storytime. From 10 – 10:30 a.m. in the upstairs area at Twirl, kids of all ages can enjoy this monthly event.
  8. December 12 – Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce Holiday Lunch: Enjoy a delicious catered meal, white elephant gift exchange, and holiday fun with neighbors and community members at the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce Holiday Lunch! It’s on December 12th from 11:15 a.m. until 1 p.m., and will be held at the Church of Scientology at 300 West Harrison Street. RSVPs required to contact@qachamber.org.
  9. December 14 – Lucia Bal: A St. Lucia pageant, julbord extravaganza, live music and dancing will be happening at the Swedish Club Northwest on December 14th as part of the club’s Lucia Bal! The event starts at 5:30 p.m. and is $60 per person ($55 if you mail it in before December 7th to Ann-Margret Lightle, 20908 Cascade Ridge Drive, Mount Vernon, WA 98274). RSVP is requested – email or call 360-391-2740.

Featured photo from TravelswithPersephone.blogspot.com.

October – November Monthly Queen Anne Crime Recap

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In Queen Anne crime reports over the last month, we’ve seen several startling incidents, including a bank robbery and a kidnapping investigation. Read below for our summary of these and other incidents…

  • Wells Fargo Bank Robbed by Mask-Wearing Villain: Just after noon on October 25th, SPD officers responded to the Wells Fargo on top of Queen Anne hill. A suspect wearing a ‘Scream’ Halloween mask had jumped over the counter with a weapon and demanded money. When bank employees gave him money, he fled. Detectives and officers arrived on the scene and set up containment. Shortly thereafter, they located him in his car near Taylor Avenue North and North Mercer Street. They were able to arrest him without incident.
  • Man Threatens to Kill Referees at Girls Soccer Game: Two Seattle middle school girls soccer teams were having a match on Saturday, November 2nd. After the first half of the game at Memorial Stadium, a man approached the referee who had called the half and cordially confronted the ref about a call he had made. However, in the second half the suspect yelled at both referees and threatened to kill one of them “when you walk out that stadium door” after the ref awarded one team with a game-winning penalty kick. The referee reported the incident after he got home, saying that he didn’t know the suspect, however he thinks the man is a parent of one of the girls on the teams.
  • Kidnapping Investigation Initiated by Miscommunication: At about 3:40 p.m. on November 14th, a man approached a staff member for an after-school program at Coe Elementary, saying he was there to pick up two kids because their father was having car trouble. Following protocol, the staff member told the man to show ID in the office. When he didn’t show up at the office, the staff contacted the children’s father, who said he was not having car trouble and he did not ask anyone to pick up his kids. So, program staff called police, initiating a kidnapping investigation. After investigation, SPD discovered that it was all a miscommunication; the man was the emergency contact for the children, and he was trying to pick them up on their parents’ behalf. This case is now closed.

Stay safe, Queen Anne!

Featured photo from KomoNews.com.

Things That Make Queen Anne One of the Best Seattle Neighborhoods

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Queen Anne – it’s a home design style, a historical person, and a community within the Emerald City that oozes intimate locality in the midst of vigorous urban activity. We think Queen Anne is one of the best Seattle neighborhoods to live, play, and work in, and here are some reasons why:

  • It’s beautiful: We have some of the best views in the city! From the iconic Seattle skyline view from Kerry Park, to sprawling sights of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains from the west side of the hill, there’s hardly a bad view in the whole neighborhood. What’s more, the beautiful homes, leafy abundance of trees and shrubbery, and historic building styles just enhance the loveliness of our locale.
  • It’s like a small town within the city: Separated from the city by steep hills on all sides, Queen Anne is naturally detached from the craziness in Belltown, the industry of Interbay, the alternativeness of Fremont, and the bustling change in South Lake Union. We have all we need in necessities, dining, shopping, and more to sustain or surprise our residents and neighbors. Once you’re on Queen Anne, you find yourself in the midst of a primarily residential neighborhood with a handful of main streets, dotted up and down by restaurants, boutiques, and small service businesses.
  • It’s got a name for itself: Seattle Magazine has repeatedly named Queen Anne as Seattle’s best neighborhood, and there’s a reason for that. On top of the hill, we’re a peaceful neighborhood that’s low on crime and very safe for families. In Lower Queen Anne (or Uptown), the neighborhood is packed with activity, entertainment, and some of the best experiences the city of Seattle has to offer. From top to bottom and all in between, our neighborhood is crammed with destination eateries and boutiques, as well as community favorites.

What do you love about Queen Anne? Do you agree that it’s one of Seattle’s best neighborhoods?

Featured photo from Commons.Wikipedia.org.

Queen Anne Restaurant Spotlight: The Masonry

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The Masonry opened their wood fired pizza restaurant and bar back in August, so they’ve only been in the neighborhood for a couple of months. With 20-plus taps for beer, wine, and cider, several wood fired pizzas and other selections on the menu, The Masonry is the ideal Queen Anne restaurant for laid-back, tasty dining.

Beer and wood fired pizzas are the specialty at The Masonry. There are 14 taps dedicated to microbrews and craft beers, which rotate constantly. Two of the taps are set aside for ciders, and five are for wine on tap. The bar and restaurant also stocks about 50 bottles of beer.

“We have all styles represented, just not always beers from the same brewers,” says the beer buyer and partner, Matt.

Wood fired pizzas on the menu are comprised of three classics available for lunch and dinner: Margherita, Mushroom, and Sausage. In addition to those delicious favorites, the dinner menu has about three seasonal wood fired pizzas. Right now, the seasonal selections are Chanterelle & Beurre Blanc, Roasted String Bean, and B.L.T.

“I love wood fired pizza, and Lucas (the chef) really knows how to do it,” Matt says.

Wines on tap are another fun feature at The Masonry. When I dropped in, they had five wines on tap from wineries including Proletariat, Rock Point, and Gilbert Cellars. According to Chelsea, the wine buyer, “We try to focus primarily on flavor and delivering the best product possible to the customer. Each wine on tap at the Masonry is on tap for that reason, taking the time to ensure the best quality wine will be in your glass every time.”

There are other bites beside pizza on the lunch and dinner menus. For lunch, it’s hot sandwiches, Meatballs, or Roasted or Pickled Vegetables. Everything but the sandwiches is also available for dinner, with the addition of rotating specials such as Gnocchi Carbonara with chard, onion, egg, and bacon or chanterelle mushrooms; or Duck Egg with two soft-boiled duck eggs, house-made green ‘tobasco’ sauce, and pickled arugula.

“The other stuff is just fun for us to do – it’s fun to be creative,” Lucas said. “It’s all seasonal stuff. Whatever we do with it is just what we feel like; whatever sounds like fun.”

The Meatballs, Roasted Vegetables, and House Pickled Vegetables will always be featured on the menus, although the veggies will change with the season and availability. The salads available for dinner change seasonally as well, except for the classic Caesar, which is the only salad available for lunch.

In between lunch and dinner, The Masonry has a handful of tasty snacks to nibble on while you sip craft beers from all over the world. Roasted pistachios, Caesar salad, a meat or mushroom pie, and the specialty House-Pickled veggies are the selection.

And don’t miss out on dessert! The Queen Anne restaurant will always feature their signature Bread Pudding, made with seasonal fruit and delicious fresh ingredients.

Lunch is served daily with a condensed menu at The Masonry, from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., however they open early for morning sports games on the weekend. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. until midnight. The Masonry is a 21-and-older establishment.