Featured Stories

As we announced last week, Motion Boardshop, which specializes in longboarding, kiteboarding, and paddleboarding, is coming to the neighborhood at 8310 Aurora Ave.  In fact, they're open now.  Check out the video that their crew made as they transitioned from "Old Motion" to "New Motion" - skip to the 4 minute mark for a walk through of the new Aurora space. 

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Twenty years after opening his long-running and successful "Thai on Mercer" restaurant, after a two year hiatus, owner and chef Eddie Khoabtrakool is at it again - only this time, he's brought his delicious cuisine and jovial spirit to Aurora Avenue and 79th Street with "Eddie's Pan Asian Restaurant."

Check out our profile of Mendoza's Mexican Mercado just down the street as well.... (more)

From Thera Martin, Communications Manager for Volunteers of America Western Washington:

Mayor Mike McGinn is working to combat hunger in . September 25, 2010 is the Mayor’s End Hunger Food Drive and volunteers across the county will collect food for those in need at participating grocery stores.

Those looking to help feed hungry families, children and seniors in the  region...

Yesterday the Seattle PI announced that a handful of Aurora motels owned by Dean and Jill Inman were up for sale, going above and beyond a plea agreement reached in April between Dean Inman and the City of Seattle in which they were required to sell or lease 2 of the motels, the Isabella and the Italia, to non-profit organizations for use as emergency shelter or low-income housing.  

The Fremont Inn, being listed under its former name, the Thunderbird Motel, is on the market for $1,495,000. The building, built...

-An essay written in conjunction with the Seattle Times' collaborative project on family homelessness-

Every Wednesday for the past two summers my wife and I stroll down the street with our two young children towards Aurora Avenue and 90^th Street, an intersection known for prostitution, drug dealing, and other criminal activity often called, “the switchblade”.... (more)

“WHAT HAPPENS… IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY”

After at least fifteen minutes, no one from the Mayor’s staff had emerged to check on the situation, and the receptionist had not given him any updates, so Richard approached her desk.  Again she said, “People are making calls.”

Richard replied, “I’m in a ‘No Parking 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.’ zone and... (more)

The following story is about a refugee family that fell through the cracks of a broken system and the group of Seattle neighbors who came alongside them to help keep them from becoming homeless.  Despite the fact that the family has chosen to remain anonymous (their names have been changed), that the man who originally helped them also has chosen to remain anonymous (his name has also been changed), and that the Seattle Mayor’s Office did not respond to our inquiries, this is a story that needs to be told to raise awareness of the difficulties that countless refugees face upon their arrival to the United States.... (more)

Check out the announcement from Uber about their festivities this coming Thursday night.  Sounds like their chartered beerfest bus is full, but you could always ride the 358 down to the game - and tweet about it on the way with #358metro!

We will be opening early this Thursday 9/2 at 3pm before the beer festival at the M's game that afternoon. 

We will also be tapping one of the last 2...

Aurora has so many amazing and unique places! So I've decided to start doing video shorts to help you get acquainted with them.

Mendoza's Mexican Mercado at 7811 Aurora Avenue opened a few weeks ago. Meet Edgar Mendoza, the friendly and hardworking owner (who also owns the sandwich shop Barriga Llena next door), learn about... (more)

Lots is happening on Aurora just south of 85th Street: we've told you about Mendoza's Mexican Grocery, Aaron's rental,  and a potential farmers market  Now, while I was out at the coast for the weekend, these coast-lovers announced that they're moving to Aurora: 

Motion Boardshop announces new Greenwood location

Seattle neighborhood central to eco-friendly board sport...

In the wake of a recent suicide attempt on the Aurora Bridge, Aurora|Seattle received some heartfelt comments, including the following from Tim Durkan, Lake Union District Coordinator for the City of Seattle. (Tim, I can't take credit for the reporting - that goes to Athima Chansanchai from FremontUniverse.com and Josh Trujillo, as you mention).  Here's his perspective from under the bridge:

Great reporting Ben K - and great follow up by one of the best reporters/photographers in the biz, Josh T. I work...

Hey folks,

Plan for northbound travel delays this Sunday on State Route 99 approaching the Aurora Bridge in Seattle.... (more)

From Jonah at SeattleCrime.com:

I've given the Seattle Police Department's Vice unit plenty of grief over the years for frequently targeting prostitutes—particularly juvenile prostitutes—in sting operations, rather than going after the johns who create a market for selling sex in the first place.

Bus, as it turns out, the Vice unit has in fact been working to target johns, and...

Even as WSDOT continues installation of the anti-suicide fence on the Aurora Bridge, a young woman was on the verge of jumping from the bridge last night.  Fortunately, with the help of police, she didn't go through with it.  FremontUniverse.com reports:

Last night — Wednesday night — Josh Trujillo, a colleague I greatly admire and used to work with at the Seattle P-I — he still does on SeattlePi.com as a photographer — tweeted live about seeing a woman hop a rail on the Aurora...

in the fall of 2007, the office of former Mayor Greg Nickels convened the Aurora Avenue Task Force, a group of area residents, property and business owners, community group representatives, and a man destined to create an Aurora blog that gathered together to articulate and implement a vision for Aurora Avenue from 72nd to 90th streets.  The following emerged as their vision statement:

Aurora means dawn.  Wake up to a new Aurora!

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There's not a week that goes by where I don't personally experience or hear some crazy story about something happening on King County Metro bus 358, which spends most of its time on Aurora Avenue.  So I thought... wouldn't it be fun to share these stories with others?

Well, now you can.  If you're on Twitter and the 358, you should tell us about what's going on by using the new hashtag: #358metro.  Aurora|Seattle will include a live feed of #358metro tweets in the sidebar.... (more)

A stunning photo from WSDOT: "From the Sunday, Aug. 15, rivet and bolt removal and replacement on Seattle's Aurora Bridge for the SR 99 Aurora Bridge Fence project. A flotilla of boats come through the Lake Washington Ship Canal after waiting at the locks." 

Thanks to @JJtweets for the "riveting view" title!

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Isn't it too early to start thinking about skiing?  Nope.  Especially not when the best ski shop is in your neighborhood!

Pro Ski, home of the amazing Yeti mural, recently received a Seattle Weekly "Best of" Award.  The independently owned ski shop on Aurora Avenue just south of 90th, which specializes "in goods and gear for backcountry skiing and mountaineering, alpine and telemark skiing, expert boot fitting and ski-tuning," was officially named "Best Start to a Ski Tour on Aurora Avenue... (more)

The Aurora Sharehouse, a faith-based non-profit community center and community development organization serving the Aurora corridor opening this fall is pleased to announce two AmeriCorps Volunteer openings for the coming year.

The Aurora Sharehouse, which is currently undergoing renovations at its 8914 Aurora Avenue location, is "a community collaboration birthed out of a faith community's desire to see [their] neighbors and neighborhood flourish."  Awake Church, a faith community made up of neighborhood... (more)

Seattle Bank donation helps project completion and community celebration

SEATTLE, Wash.—(August 5, 2010)—The 46... (more)

Did you see what was on PostSecret the other day?

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Join your neighbors for an informal meeting with the artists who will create a second art mural for Aurora.  Meet Tuesday, August 10, 7:00-8:00pm at Epic Life Church, 10510 Stone Ave N (across from Northgate fire station).... (more)

A few days ago, I posted a video about Karen Cirulli's work along Aurora Avenue, much of which is with the residents of area motels and other homeless individuals.

If you're interested in learning more about the situation of many of our homeless neighbors, here are a couple of informative resources:

Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County, an HBO Documentary by Alexandra Pelosi (interview... (more)

Karen Cirulli has been an AmeriCorps Volunteer working as a community organizer along the Aurora corridor for the past year and half. In addition to gathering neighbors to create the Aurora Communal Garden and its weekly cookouts, she spends her time networking community groups,... (more)