Since I last wrote about the proliferation of excellent neighborhood blogs, two more have sprung up right in Mary Ann’s stomping grounds of Wallingford/Green Lake. 

Wallyhood was started in January, 2009 by Wallingford resident Jordan Schwartz, and it covers local events with frequency, enthusiasm, and cheeky humor.  According to Jordan, “Fair game for the blog include neighborhood events, business openings and closings, police blotter reports, resident profiles, found objects, and pretty much anything relevant to that little area … that we call home. Story ideas may come from the Wallingford Community Council, Wallingford Chamber of Commerce, Weaving Wallingford, neighborhood gossips, meddling kids and the occasional snake oil salesman.”  I can’t say I’ve noticed any stories provided by snake oil salesmen, but I will say that Wallyhood is chock full of community information and is a must-read for any Wallingford resident who wants to be in-the-know.

It wasn’t long before Green Lake had to get in on the blogging game, which led to the birth of My Green Lake in mid-May. If you live near Green Lake (or just love it, and who doesn’t?), turn to My Green Lake to find out about new restaurants, events at local businesses, and other vital community info.

It’s 9pm (or 7am if you’re a morning person) and you suddenly realize that you are plum out of scotch tape, natural toilet cleaner, and organic apples.  Oh, and you need to throw together a little dinner party for the next day, complete with wine, cheese, entree, and dessert.  What ever will you do?

Well, if you live in Tangletown, you can just wander down to the Meridian Market at 2201 N 56th St. and pick up all you need to stock your pantry and impress your guests.  They have a little bit of everything: produce, frozen food, specialty cheese, dry goods, wine, and household supplies.

As cool as it is to have a wide variety of staples and luxuries just down the street, that isn’t the best thing about Meridian Market.  What makes it special is that it is one of a dying breed of truly neighborhood markets. You know, where the owner is in the shop every day to answer your questions or help you put together gift baskets (his name is Wally, and he used to own the beloved Phinney Market), there’s a place to sit and eat gourmet prepared food, and they hold fun community events.  I was tempted to attend one of their debate watching parties.  You might want to stop in for Wine Tasting Wednesdays or Pasta Bar Thursday, where you can enjoy some culinary pleasures while getting to know your neighbors.  Or try out their delectable Saturday breakfasts.  But do visit this neighborhood gem and support our community.  Your neighbors love it.

When I first moved to Seattle, I was young and single and spent a lot of my time exploring all the neighborhoods, eating in restaurants, browsing bookstores, and finding the best latte in town (a little storefront on 15th Ave. E in Capitol Hill that couldn’t survive the 1994 Starbucks exposion).  I developed a fantasy of moving every couple of years to a new ‘hood, migrating from upper Capitol Hill to Fremont, to Leschi, to Queen Anne, and on and on.  When I moved back to Seattle with my family, I got to experience living in Fremont and then Ballard/Greenwood, but I have to admit that I still experience tinges of “neighborhood envy” when I tromp around town.  One of my favorite neighborhoods-I-haven’t-lived-in-yet is Tangletown.

There is something so appealing to the “tangle” of streets (those criss-crossing streets are what gave the neighborhood its name), the sloping, triangular parks, the beautifully painted Craftsmans and bungalows, and one of my favorite clusters of businesses in the city.  Lucky Mary Ann has lived between Tangletown and downtown Wallingford for 25 years, so she gets the best of both worlds.  We’ll be exploring those worlds in future blog posts.  Stay tuned!