Columbia Citizens

A year ago this week, we pulled together the first Citizens' Wikli, "Columbia City's collaborative community cyber circular". In honor of this prodigious milestone, the Wikli is… taking an extended siesta.

Wiklis will be scarce for a couple weeks, so get yours while you can!

This week:

• Arts Gumbo is kicking off.
• You get a preview of a phenomenal Sept BeatWalk.
• The Cinema will grow to three screens.
• A trove of local, organic blackberries.
• Saffron's open.
• The market's offering a free canning class.
• The community mourned a murdered boy.
• Hillman Citizens are discussing gangs.

There's all that and much more.

• Check out this week's Wikli: http://ColumbiaCitizens.net/wikli:current — its content is now fixed.
• If you'd like to post to the next Wikli, that's here: http://ColumbiaCitizens.net/wikli

Enjoy,

S.

Feed your habit. This alert serves as an RSS feed, another way to get your Wikli fix.

Friday, September 5th: 7-10pm. Still only $5 and kids are free.

The venues just keep comin'! First it was Gather, and now Columbia City Theater is joining BeatWalk. We'll be utilizing their great dance floor by having one of the area's best dance bands, The Buckaroosters, who bill themselves as "All Buck Owens, All the Time."

The dancing continues with the percussive Latin grooves of Mambo Cadillac at Awash, and the soulful blues of The John Stephan Band at the Columbia City Fitness Center.

We've also got jazz at the Bookworm with Arthur Nelson & Friends, award-winning singer/songwriter Larry Murante at Columbia City Gallery, old-school jazz & blues with Del Rey & Craig Flory at Gather, and the incredible cello and bass of The Bottom Line Duo at Retroactive Kids/Columbia City Cuts.

But wait! There's more …consider having dinner at Kallaloo or Island Soul to hear more great music with no cover.

or, consider having a free dinner at Tutta Bella and volunteer to help us collect cover charges at the venues. To volunteer, contact Joanne at su.ogidniesum|klawtaeb#su.ogidniesum|klawtaeb.

Complete BeatWalk info online at columbiacitybeatwalk.org

The block party on 33rd Ave S between S Alaska ST and S Oregon St was great! A big thanks to the tireless organizers.

I was astonished at all the new faces: new neighbors who moved into old house, folks who moved into the new homes built near S Oregon St, renters whom I'd never seen. It felt like double the size. What was great, was the appearance of three new, slightly tipsy, homeowners who ventured over from 34th Ave, a friendly gesture and a first as far as I could tell.

In the past I'd have a tough time finding a seat. This year people brought what seemed like a fleet of folding outdoor chairs and arranged them in a huge circle. Great idea.

The pinata is one of our traditions. Toward the end of the evening it's strung up off a light pole and the neighborhood kids take turns hammering the tar out of it until the candy spills out. This never gets old.

Someone took photos that I sure wish they'd post to Flickr! Maybe I'll set up a standing Group for our block, for continuity's sake, to which folks can post each year.

Join us on August 27th @ at Columbia Park (in front of the Rainier Valley Cultural Center) from 6-9pm for a Kick-Off of our Arts Gumbo Series. This event is open to the public and FREE for all ages!

This performance will feature Red Eagle Soaring, International Capoeira Angola Foundation, Abráce, Global Heat & Adefua Cultural Education Workshop. See all of the 2008 Arts Gumbo events at the SEEDArts website.

For more information about the 2008 Arts Gumbo Series, please contact Jerri Plumridge at (206) 760-9846.

I'm curious why this Saffron thread has taken off like a rocket? Are we so hungry for new restaurants?

I'll add to the thread anyway by pointing to local blogger Tofu Hunter's new review of Saffron:

The meal came and the first thing I noticed, perhaps because of the afore mentioned feat of athleticism, was the fancy-restaurant portions and ratios. The pancakes were on the small side, and the salsa was more of a garnish than the slather I'd envisioned. I piled the beans and smeared the sour cream and rationed the salsa between bites and it was quite delicious, though not as corn-y or as spicy or copious as I would have preferred. The meal disappeared quickly, and I was left a bit on the hungry side still.

Not very encouraging. I dislike leaving a brunch place overly-stuffed, but I'm not keen on leaving still hungry.

Any suggestions for a brunch place that satisfies with a good value-for-money proposition? Saffron doesn't seem to cut it. (Geraldine's, btw, hasn't satisfied me in that department, either.)

I'm excited for you. Video! I was hoping for photos, but you've gone one better. Keep us apprised.

Hi neighbors! On Sunday Claudia and I leave for the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where I will be an Obama Delegate At-Large. It promises to be an incredibly exciting and historic event and I will try to post some video. Yes I Might! Yes We Can! Pam Keeley 44th and Ferdinand moc.cam|yeleekmap#moc.cam|yeleekmap

Following up on this post:

I'd love to see Tagla move a little closer in for their own sake. I already go there regularly and it's delicious Ethiopian food but it's almost never over crowded. If you haven't tried it stop on by.

Recently our Monday-evening ritual has been to give Zeke a call and ask for the combination platter, to go. It's wrapped and ready when we come in the door. It inexpensively feeds a family of four (including two otherwise picky eaters).

Need Tagla's number for your speed-dial? There's that and more in the takeout breakout.

Columbia Citizens is yours to change — it's your ready access to the "edit" button that distinguishes a wiki from a standard website.

While comments are mostly static, almost all pages are available for your input. Take a look around. What's missing? What could you improve? What would you like to share?

Here's a brief how-to. If you need help, just ask.

Yes - they have had two good weekends already! We had a late brunch of chilaquiles and pueblo pancakes - both served with buttery, lightly spiced chili potatoes. A nice place to eat - the room feels good, lots of light. The food is more refined than most brunch spots.

They do have a childrens menu - simple things - or you can order half potions of anything on the menu for the kids. High chairs too.

I saw a "lawn sign" near Orcas that says Saffron: Now Open.

According to the latest update, this issue has been fixed as of this morning.

all ages by .bunnybum.
more photos in the Citizens' gallery

Thanks to Johnny U for pointing out a spot that's been right under our noses for years. If you've got that hunter-gatherer urge and blackberries are your quarry, then this is for you.

The alley running E-W, between Edmunds and Ferdinand, 42nd and 39th — it's flanked by two solid rows of large, ripe blackberries. It's just the right mix of sunny, watered, overgrown, and public!

In less than an hour, the boys and I picked a couple gallons (net).

I vote for no more hip hop clothing and graffiti and social services. Already plenty of each available, and two of the three are completely unneeded if not outright deleterious. I guess we don't really have to worry about that though, since there is no way somebody pays 6 million dollars for a property and then puts in a hip hip clothing store.

I couldn't agree more with the efforts on securing a Trader Joe's -Can we start a petition???

I know I'm desperate

Trader Joe's Please!!!-I just heard that they are getting one in Ballard and a Whole Foods in Magnolia. C'mon Columbia City how to we get in the game?

Where are we with this? Seems like the weather's right for it these days…

Mikala

A few days ago I completed a Feet First survey. Feet First are planning to produce a "Neighborhood on Foot" map for Columbia City.

The young man holding the clipboard was a young Japanese man who said he'd flown here from outside of Tokyo just to work on this project. He showed me the existing Beacon Hill map, which was impressive in its detail even if it wasn't as cleanly designed as I'd prefer.

What I liked best were the concentric circles on the map, showing how far you could walk in 5, 10, and 20 minutes. Made me want to pull on sensible shoes, grab a Gandalf staff, and head out.

Scott,

Yes! I vote for this too. What about all those shops that will be lost at the CC Plaza? Are they locally owned?
I'd love to see Tagla move a little closer in for their own sake. I already go there regularly and it's delicious Ethiopian food but it's almost never over crowded. If you haven't tried it stop on by.

Some folks are having trouble logging on or saving edits. Looks like this has to do with our custom domain (ColumbiaCitizens.net) and various browser security settings.

I asked, and Michał answered. It sounds like a fix is in the works.