Kirkland Weblog

Play-Well TEKnologies Grand Opening 5/18

Attention pint-sized future engineers--this place is for you! 

I visited with the manager Brandon Jones yesterday, and he is super excited to be opening up Play-Well TEKnologies's first activity center in the state of Washington.  What is Play-Well, you ask?  It's a place for kids to learn engineering through play--with LEGO's!! Children 5-14 years old will learn about building techniques, gear ratios, torque and engineering without even realizing their brains are being challenged to think in new ways.  Because it's fun! From gear drive cars, catapults and spinning tops the wheels will be turning. There are no papers or take home assignments, it's hands on learning that encourages kids to have an appreciation for how things work and to understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration. 

The instructors are often engineers, scientists, teachers, or  physics students with a passion for innovation and being able to spark that enthusiasm in our youth.  Play-Well has previously been involved in enrichment programs through schools and parks/rec, but with this new activity center, they will be offering workshops (1.5 hr for $16), summer camps ($175) and birthday parties ($300 up to 16 kids). There are  primary and advanced classes and themed classes too- Ninjaneering, Jedi Engineering, and lots more... even a Girls Engineering (go girl power!).

There are about 200,000-300,000 legos, including gears and motors and wheels.  I know some kids that would think they hit the jackpot walking into this place! Stop by for the Grand Opening Open House on Sat 5/18 from 10-5 to learn more about their programs and offerings.  11743 124th Ave NE (behind Price Brothers Garage/across from Ford).  Questions you can call 425-244-9361 or email brandon@play-well.org .  Welcome to Kirkland, Play-Well TEKnologies.  I'm pretty sure we have a lot of little rocket scientists to send your way....~j

Knowledge Nuggets to Share...

I don't know much (go ahead, insert smart-ass comment here), but I will share these tidbits I know for now.  More later. 

-Charlie's Burgers- CLOSED. 

- Jake's "Life is Good" is closing- I heard Marty and Reagan are moving to Cali which makes me sad b/c they could quite possibly be the two nicest happy people on the planet.  Everything is on sale if you hurry in!

-Weds Market is moving back to Marina Park this year.  Opening day 6/5.

-Park Lane- moving fwd with finding funding to create a 'festival style' street, where cars can still park there during peak hours but then it will close off for fun events and all be walking/seating. LOVE.  

-A friend of mine is putting on this mud run and it totally looks like fun (even though it's not in Kirkland) on 7/13. www.themudapalooza.com 

-Sweet & Sassy- women's boutique opening in what used to be the other half of Bikini Beach.  Is this the same one that used to be in downtown Kirkland years ago? need to investigate!

- Zaw Pizza- artisan take/bake pizza with wine pairings. Heard great things.  Opening in Crush Footwear's old spot next to Fox Cleaners.

-2CH- I still have no idea what is going on in this old spot across from Columbia Athletic Club. They created a drive-thru, the city stopped them, then they un-did their drive thru and created parking and re-lined their lot.  Seems silently still there now.

 

 

 

"Money on My Mind. All I see is Dollar Signs. "

.............at least that's what Rihanna says.  So here are some $$ updates for local organizations doing good with theirs and asking for yours. 

Kirkland 4th of July Fundraiser Auction-

Just because Seattle won't be celebrating with fireworks this year doesn't mean we can't! The silent auction starts at 6pm at the Kirkland Eagle's Club on Sat 5/18 and continues with games, dancing and food until midnight.  James O'Farrell and the Mighty Wickerman start playing their music at 8pm.  Have some fun and donate some funds so we can continue Kirkland's Fourth of July tradition! Don't forget to RSVP.

Pot Sponsors Needed.  Flower pots, that is.

The Kirkland Downtown Association is seeking sponsors for the downtown flower pots.  A professional gardener plants, waters, weeds, trims and fertilizes the pot all season.  Each pot has a 'naming card' to recognize the donor(s).  One pot is $250 but donations in any denominations are appreciated.  Please send your support to: Peggy Castleberry, KDA, 328 Parkplace Center, Kirkland, WA 98033.

 

Taco Time Donates $7500 to LWHS

That's a lot of tacos!  On Tuesday, April 2, the Rose Hill Taco Time NW restaurant hosted its first annual one day fundraiser for Lake Washington High School. The sales from that day will be divided up between events for the senior class and educational needs for the library.  Thanks for being a partner in our community, Taco Time!

EvergreenHealth Sponsors Kirkland Summerfest

Kudos to EvergreenHealth for being a platinum level sponsor and supporter of Kirkland Summerfest 2013. This year, EvergreenHealth is sponsoring Kidzone and the Health & Fitness Program at Summerfest. Kidzone will feature entertainment, physical theater and variety acts, as well as games, rides, education and fun for the whole family. The Health & Fitness Program, titled To Your Health!, will feature education and activities for kids and families alike. Mark your calendar for this fun-filled weekend : August 9, 10, 11.  Admission is FREE.

Seattle Thread Company now OPEN

I popped in to say hi to Konstantin (rt in photo) and Yakov Gorshkov (left) just as they were getting ready for their grand opening of the Seattle Thread Company at 9 Lake Street.  This father/son team is focusing on business casual menswear that embraces natural fibers/quality of the cloth from boutique brands such as Jack Victor, Hickey Freeman, and I was loving the look and feel of Zachary Prell (well, HE wasn't there, but his clothes were).  The Gorshkovs are Ukrainian and love the upscale walkable downtown of Kirkland that gets lots of foot traffic.  You can find local and imported clothes, underwear, hats, belts, and shoes that are priced mid to high end.  Expect to find a great shirt anywhere between $80-160.  Their goal is to be a smaller version of Nordstrom, offering flexibility and custom pieces with made-to-measure suits and on-site tailoring. 

 

Their store has a clean modern northwest feel and the clothes are complimented with glass and paintings by local artists (which are all for sale).  There's a nice sitting area in the back where you can wait for your man as he tries on his new finds in one of the large dressing rooms.  Yakov owned a women's boutique in Pittsburgh prior to this shop and Konstantin is a computer engineer with a passion for fashion.  Definitely stop in to see these guys and the threads they have for Kirkland.  Store hours are everyday 10-7.  Call 425-202-7732 with questions. ~j

Crush Footwear moves to Lake St

A little downtown shuffle is about to happen in early April.  Rosalyn Sumners' Bella Tesori is consolidating into its corner space (Bella Bambini) and Crush Footwear will be moving from Kirkland Ave down to Bella Tesori's former space at 3 Lake St.  Got that? There's a quiz at the end of this post. Good news is this will be 70% more space for Crush, which means more shoes for you, ladies!  Co-owner Rhonda Herbert searches the world for styles from emerging and hard-to-find designers.  "Although we do carry some recognizable brands, we really love to communicate directly with designers who apply their creative genius to make unique footwear styles," says Rhonda.  Spring styles are arriving now from Spain, France, Portugal and the US.   They are very excited to move into the old Betty's Apparel space and remain part of our Kirkland community.  For more info, contact Neal Hughes at 425-298-4024. ~j

Columbia Athletic Club: New Aquatic Center Opens 2/11

Columbia Athletic Club at Juanita Bay is excited to announce the completion of their NEW aquatic center, which will be ready for swimmers, splashers and oglers on February 11th.  The much anticipated multi-million dollar project was constructed by Red Hawk Group and includes a 25 yard lap pool, a 17 yard teaching pool for aqua therapy/lessons, and a hot tub.  In addition to the salt water pools, surrounded by white and blue tile work and new high ceilings, there are also four new private family changing stations. 

   

Above is a rendition shot taken from the southeast corner of the building.  Don't worry, you don't have to wear a speedo like the cartoon man in there.  Below that are some current photos I took as the tiling gets completed and they start preparing to fill the pools with almost 100,000 gallons of water.  The lap pool will be kept at 84 degrees and the teaching pool at 90 degrees.  Dave Hamilton, Manager of the club  (photo) said, "We appreciate everyone's patience through the process.  Not only the members, but the neighbors and others that have been impacted too." 

 Sounds like a great reason to have a party!  Everyone can come check it out (members AND non-members) and celebrate at the grand opening on Feb 18th from 8am-8pm where there will be food, raffles and giveaways. ~j 

Lake Street Place: What's in Store for Downtown Kirkland

It's time to get ready for some exciting new development in downtown Kirkland.  Finally!  The re-vitalization effort on Lake Street, spear-headed by Stuart McLeod, is a down-sized version of the approved plans from 2007.  The new spaces will add 185,000 sf total, which includes 70,000 sf of office space, retail and restaurants on the ground floor and 252 new parking spots in a concealed above ground parking garage (which will be public in the evening-yahoo!).  Stuart is a long-time Kirklander, and with the help of Chesmore/Buck Architecture, they have created a well thought out plan which includes a courtyard area and wide sidewalks to keep the look and feel of Kirkland and to encourage foot traffic and community gatherings. "If another developer was doing a project on thissite, they could just place the face of the building 13’ off of the Lake Streetcurb instead of the gracious 33’ width of the courtyard proposed by McLeod. The courtyard will be such a public amenity for year round activities"," said architect Rick Chesmore.   Building heights max at 55 feet, which is the current zoned code.  You can see from the rendition above how office space gets tiered on top of Milagro and behind Hector's with patios and landscaping.  And where there is office space, there are hungry employees to eat in our restaurants and patrons to shop in our stores. 

The 5th hearing with the Design Review Board was this week, and they received approval to move forward with their plans.  Next  they will submit for a permit.  The project will likely spend a year in development (permit/bidding process/pre-leasing) and is estimated to take 18-24 months to build.  I'm looking forward to this endeavor breathing new life into our downtown.   ~j 

Parking Problems Push Kirkland Shops to Bothell

   

Baaaaaaaah-humbug. The Christmas Decor Store and Chalet Cadeau Gifts on Central Way, both owned by Wendy Marshall, will be packing up the day after Christmas and departing Kirkland for good.  After six years here, Wendy would like to thank everyone for their patronage as she heads to 24110 Bothell-Everett Hwy in March. Between her $20k/mo rent, the perpetually leaky ceiling and downtown parking issues......... something had to change.  There's no farewell cleareance sale, but still lots of fun finds, especially with the holiday coming up.  When I chatted with Wendy in the Christmas store, there was a steady stream of customers and look how cute they wrap up gifts too! Really fun ornaments for under $10.  Go get 'em before she is gone...

The Heathman: Shines Again in 2012

Well, at least something is shining around here b/c it isn't the sun. 

Troy Longwith, GM
The Heathman Hotel in Kirkland won Conde Nast's prestigious Reader's Choice award of being ranked #1 in the Northwest and the 88th best hotel in the world.  Congrats!  Obviously already at the top of their game, we can cue a warm welcome for Troy Longwith, the new Heathman Kirkland General Manager (photo).  I had a chance to meet with him last week and asked what his  goals are for the acclaimed hotel.  "Right now my goal is to observe and learn and see what makes this hotel tick.  I don't plan on making major changes."  Troy is a seasoned hotelier with extensive experience at names you might recognize like The Fairmont Hotel and Tulalip Casino Resort.  He's enjoying the Kirkland community and the 91-room hotel and getting to know everyone here. 

        <--new library

Troy took me on a tour to see all of the improvements that have been completed since water damage closed the hotel over the summer.  There is a new library, plenty of business meeting spaces and the fitness center has moved to the lower level.  Kudos for  adding the extra 2 bathrooms on the main level.  And, of course, in true Heathman style there is more amazing art.  This Jerri Lisk is one of my faves.  Apparently, Chef Brian from Trellis even has a 'root cellar' on site where he has harvested root vegetables stored so he can bring them straight to your dining table.  Which brings me to this fabulous salmon/squash special I had for lunch ( I may have been photo happy on this particular day).

 

So, if you're in the neighborhood be sure to welcome Troy to Kirkland.  He's promised to keep his 9 and a half year old twin boys away from my 9 and a half year old twin girls. But seriously, this local Cougar fan loves his job b/c it's different every day and he gets to meet people from all over the world.  If you'd like to join him in celebrating their Readers' Choice Award, look for the celebration package online and enter "Conde88" as the promo code.  Bonus-this holiday season, they will have a 10  foot LIVE conifer tree in the lobby, that will later be re-planted in a local Kirkland park. See you there.  I will be the one at the Trellis bar quietly inhaling those dang (A-mazing) peanut butter cookies. ~j

Local Retirements and Anniversaries

 

  Farewell Woody!
After countless hours of faithful service and tail wags, Woody, the Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa’s resident Labradoodle and director of guest satisfaction, is retiring. To celebrate Woody’s retirement, the Woodmark Hotel, located on the shores of Lake Washington on Carillon Point and the only Seattle-area lakefront lodging, has partnered with CityDog Magazine to host the inaugural Howl-at-the-Moon Muttmixer on Tuesday, October 30. 

The Halloween-themed Muttmixer, the first to take place on Seattle’s Eastside, will be held at the Woodmark’s Olympic Terrace from 6 to 8 p.m. and will feature tricks for treats for all four-legged attendees, a costume contest and food and drink specials available for purchase. The contest categories include Best Pack (group), Best Dog and Owner Pair, Funniest Costume, Most Original Costume and Scariest Costume.

Following his retirement, Woody, recently named number one onCondé Nast Traveler’s Hotel’s Cutest Hosts list, is being adopted by a loving family from Renton, Wash. The Woodmark is holding interviews for its Director of Barketing position and hopes to welcome a new wet nose and wagging tail in the lobby by the end of the year.

The Howl-at-the-Moon Muttmixer is free to attend. To RSVP, emailrsvp@citydogmagazine.com with the number of people and canines attending. For more information about the Muttmixer, visitwww.citydogmagazine.com. For more information about the Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa, visit www.thewoodmark.comor call (425) 822-3700.

Kirkland Arts Center turns 50! Happy Anniversary!

The Kirkland Arts Center is celebrating this big milestone with a REDUX auction, celebrating the glamorous style of art deco, on Sat Oct 27th from 5:30-9:30. Lots of great art to bid on as well as other items.  Get more info and buy your tickets here.