Fremont Bridge

Came across this article today while browsing the PI. Short story shorter, Fremont Bridge will be closed at various times next week.

They're Grrrrreeaat (Clips)

At first I was pumped about having a hair cutting place so conveniently close as Rudy's is. However, after 1 visit I decided it wasn't worth it to me. Not only was it expensive, but also I walked away feeling pretty unsatisfied with the results. Obviously I am in the minority since it seems busy all the time. I just figured for the simply hair style I have, I could save myself a decent amount of money and drive a little bit further. The Great Clips on 86th has always treated me well. I've always had great results whenever I've been there and they are friendly and there is never a long line. Pretty much the perfect situation if you ask me. They also seem genuinely interested in getting to know their customers. They are always calling their customers by first name as soon as they walk in the door and seem to pick up conversations where they left off last time they came in. Reminds of the small, hometown barbershop I grew going to. For those of us on a budget it is also a better bargain.

I understand that the chain places like Super Cuts can be a bit sketchy sometimes. We've all had our own bad experiences with those types of places. That being said, with the amount of customer retention they appear to have and quality I have experienced, they seem to have strayed far away from that stereotype. I would suggest this place to anybody. I would also recommend James if you get the chance.

herfy's

Finally got over the hump and stopped in Herfy's burgers and teriyaki the other day.  Since I moved here, I wanted to stop by but haven't been able to bring myself to make the trip.  I was always a little offput by the "burgers and teriyaki".  It always seemed like an odd combination to me.  Finally I made it in, and the first thing I noticed was the low prices.  Everything across the board was cheap.  I tried their basic chicken teriyaki dish.  Marginal is the word that comes to mind.  But, you get what you pay for.  I still want to try some of their burgers other offerings.  I found out you can call in your orders ahead of time too for takeout.  All in all, I would say Herfy's is a great spot if you're looking for a cheap, decent, and convenient place to eat, but nothing more.

V-Day in 98103

Fremont doens't offer a wide variety of fancy restaurants for hallmark holidays like Valentines Day, but it doesn't provide a few different places for a more casual(and in my opinion, preferrable) environment.  The Swingside cafe located across from the Buckaroo Tavern on 42n/d and Fremont Ave.  It's real small, so that might be a problem.  But it is well hidden and I've never seen it very busy, so you might be able to sneak in and beat the rushes at all the other high-end restaurants.  If you do want to go the fancy route, I'd suggest Kabul on 45th in Wallingford.  

New developments

News recently hit of a new shopping center in Greenwood that is in the works.  I haven't spent a lot of time in Greenwood, but have come away with a favorable opinion whenever I have spent time up there.  There have always been restaurants and bars that have caught my eye and made me want to go back and check them out.  Issues of building large shopping centers like this always raise the same issues/controversies.  This one has the added element of having environmental concerns since apparently the new shopping center will be located on a bog(which I didn't know existed up there).  So not only are the normal concerns for small businesses and residents there going to be problems, the environmental concerns are going to raise a lot of questions as well.  I suppose I had to take a stand somewhere, I would say build the thing.  Without knowing what exact stores would go in, I think that it would give a solid alternative to some of the other shopping locations.

Also, apparently I was wrong about Mike Huckabee not having a chance in the Washington republican primary/caucus(not sure what it was exactly).  From the sounds of it whomever is in charge of calling the vote one way or the other pulled the trigger a little soon.  Now Huckabee is demanding a recount.  Thankfully I highly doubt that this will turn into our own Florida circa 2000 drama.

Shooting

We've all been through the painful "just in case" fire drills and what not, thinking that nothing was going to happen. The same can be said for school shootings after Columbine a few years back. Apparently there was a gunfight near Ballard High School today and they were forced to go into immediate lockdown. Goes to show that as much as they suck most of the time, they can turn out to be worth it.

A taste of the Middle East

Last night I finally broke through and experienced a local 98103 restaurant that I had been interested in since I moved here. Kabul met all of my expections I had going into it. Ever since I had moved to Seattle, I had never been dissapointed in any of the ethnic cuisines that I was introduced to. The dining area was smaller then I expected, but overall ambiance was great. The staff was fast and friendly. I was surprised at how small the menu was, but the food was great. The mushroom appetizer was awesome, which says a lot because I don't even like mushrooms. The entree was even better. I wish I tell you the name of what I had, but the names were hard to say, let alone to write. In a nutshell, it was a lamb kabob with rice. That doesn't paint the right picture, and come to think of it I wish I would have taken a picture. I would say the one downside is that the food is on the expensive side. Still worth it if you're looking for a nice, quiet, and quality meal. Also, beware of where you park since we got to our car to find a $44 parking ticket. There isn't a parking lot, so if you can't find a good place on 45th, make sure you're not parked in one of the casually labeled residential areas. I'll save that topic for another post.

A sign of things to come

On my regular morning walk to the bus stop this morning I was happy to see a sign sitting near the bus stop saying that the Fremont Bridge is closed. It wasn't set up yet to inform people, but they were obviously getting ready to close it in the evening. One of my biggest complaints about the area is how they never give any warnings of when the bridge will be closed until you actually get there. My frustrations with this have been pretty well documented at this point.

In the interest of being fair

I dug up some information on the republican side of the primary season. Much to my surprise, John McCain IS going to make an appearance in Seattle before the caucuses. This is surprising to me for a couple different reasons. The first is because Mike Huckabee has about as close to 0 chance to win here as you can get. His pull is centrally located down south and we're about as far away from there as you can possibly get. John McCain knows this too. That is why I'm surprised that he's wasting his time here when he's obviously going to win here, especially with Mitt Romney exiting the race. The other reason I'm surprised he's coming is because he's more then likely not going to carry the state when the general election comes. Even though he is more moderate then many republicans would prefer, he's still going to have a difficult time stopping the Obama or Clinton machines in what is already a heavily democratic-leaning state. I guess we'll have to see what happens.

Anyways, any GOP supporters can find places to vote here

Get Ready

As I was said in my previous post, and even moreso now that "Super Tuesday" didn't settle anything(probably made things more confusing), Washington is finally relevant in the primary/caucus process this election cycle. Now that the politicians feel that we're important, both Dem. candidates are scheduled to be in Seattle in the next 24 hours. For those of you who want to hear the same stump speeches that have been recited thousands of times by now, here are your options.

First to bat is none other then Hilary who will be speaking at Pier 30 at 8 p.m. tonight. Barack Obama will make his appearance here on Friday at 11 a.m. for those of you that want to skip work.

These speeches don't do any good if you don't get out and vote. You can find places around King County to participate here.

I'll hopefully post some Republican information shortly.

Super Tuesday Frenzy

For months it seemed like all the election shenanigans have been so far removed from our state. That perception changed recently with a subtle knock on my door Saturday afternoon. I was taken away from my weekend sports-watching routine to pledge my unbinding support for Barack Obama. Then last night it finally happened. The first two political 30 second tv ads of the election year. Oddly enough, they were Republican ads. I figured they would use their money and place the ads in areas with a strong republican lean. There have been countless amounts of debates that have settled virtually nothing. The guys who were expected to be front-runners stayed that way while hoping to avoid their own personal Howard Dean Moment. The west coast has largely been ignored up until now, and that's only because California is in play and could decide the nominees. That is all set to change with the Washington Caucuses next weekend. I haven't been able to find any scheduled visits by our new prospective commander-in-chief, but I'm sure that the annoying, redundant ads are sure to increase over the next week. I'm just glad that I'm not from Iowa or New Hampshire where they have to put up with this nonsense for months.