May 23, 2008
Open House: 3Br Home in Central Seattle
Open House Date and Time:
Sunday, May 25th, 1-4pm
311 22nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
Seller’s Comments
Coffee shop of choice: We have different answers, so let’s talk about them both: Café Presse, on 12th at Madison, has terrific French bistro food, cocktails & wine, coffee—what else can you ask for? Oh yeah:
terrific magazines and a very hip crowd. More earthy and Central District neighborhood-y is
Café Vega, right around the corner and up a few blocks.
Favorite restaurant in the area: For dinner, it’s a draw between Waid’s Haitian cuisine on Jefferson at 12th and any of the great Ethiopian restaurants on Cherry east of MLK. Delectable Haitian food (sort of French
meets Caribbean) and great live music on the one hand versus exquisite Ethiopian fare and live
music on the other. Fortunately, you don’t have to choose; they’re both right here. On Sundays,
we often meet friends for dim sum at Tea Garden, just a few blocks from here on Rainier at
Dearborn, serves it up scrumptious.
Favorite places to go: We like to walk down the hill (okay, up over the hill and then down) on Yesler to Elliot
Bay Books or Pike Place Market. Once we “summit” the hill, all the way down we enjoy a
spectacular view (and our favorite, because it’s all mixed up with views of I-5 and construction
cranes) of Elliot Bay, Pioneer Square and downtown.
Best features of the home: Like many people, we’ve become increasingly attuned to greening our home. The house has low water usage toilets, a programmable thermostat, many no-VOC paints, insulated walls
and windows, energy- and water-efficient front-loading washer and an economical gas drier.
Beyond the substance of the house, there is its character. We have always loved the “feel” of this
house: the warmth and patina of the hardwood floors, the light, its location in what feels like
(though it’s not) a little cul de sac with neighborly but not nosy neighbors, the cook’s garden.
Favorite room: When eastern light comes in during the morning and the leaves of the trees in the front
yard sway in the window, there is nothing better than the living room. When dinner time comes
around, the place to be in the roomy kitchen taking care of business.
Any Remodeling?: We’ve done extensive hardscaping (patio, fencing in the front and back, veggie boxes,
pergola) and landscaping in the front yard, side yard, and rear garden. We painted throughout
and did some cosmetic updates in bathrooms. It’s been a labor of love.
Most romantic spot: That’s an easy question to answer: the roof off of our bedroom! It’s more of a deck than
a roof, and it looks westward over a rooftop view of the neighborhood. We have sipped many a
cocktail while watching the sunset.
What’s in the neighborhood:
* Farmer’s Market—after work on Fridays head up on the MLK and Union to stock upfor the weekend. Pop by Madison Market and Trader Joe’s, and you’re set for days and days.
* Parks, parks, parks! Sam Smith Park, Judkins Park—both part of the I-90 lid park
system that starts just a few blocks away at 22nd and Jackson and forms a walking/biking trail
connecting play fields, play grounds, tennis & basketball courts and picnic areas all the way to I-
90. Bicyclists ride on across the bridge and over to the east side! There are the many little pocket
parks with just a few blocks. There’s Powell Barnett Park over on MLK with the fantasy-land
playground. There’s Garfield Community center, with its tennis & basketball courts, swimming
pool, playground and play field, practically right across the street.
* Many great global restaurants, Swedish hospital (Broadway and Providence),
Northwest Photography Center, Garfield High School and Garfield Community Center, The
Bush School (and lots of other schools),
What I will miss the most: I’ll miss cutting herbs and flowers and picking fruit in our garden, and reading in the hammock. I’ll miss the western light coming in the bedroom and the kitchen at the end of the
day. I’ll miss daydreaming about building a guest room, t.v. room and the perfect laundry area in
the unfinished basement one day.
