This is a monthly contribution to the Blog by Greenwood realtor Doron Weisbarth

The spring real estate rush is on! And so far, it’s looking great – especially for sellers, but some good opportunities for buyers as well. Prices are up and sale time is down to less than a week. Buyers are out in full force, but many sellers are still holding back. With little competition, this spring is a great time to sell! You can see the full report online at PhinneyWoodHomes.com. 

Buyers are enjoying more stable and predictable prices. While we still see multiple offers, we’re not seeing the kind of crazy bidding wars that we characterized the first quarter of last year. With mortgage interest rates still in the mid 6%, some buyers are still proceeding with caution, but when a great home hits the market, it gets a lot of good attention.

Getting the most from your transaction takes skill and a great understanding of the market and the process. For a free, no-obligation consultation, call Doron Weisbarth at 206-779-9808.

Saturday, June 3rd will be the 11th annual PhinneyWood Pride Rainbow Hop, an event centered on creating a more connected and inclusive community so that everyone belongs. You and your family are invited to be a part of this LGBTQIA+, family-friendly, and multi-generational celebration.

To kick of this year’s Rainbow Hop, The Taproot Theatre is proud to present Bugs!, a play about bullying prevention and celebrating differences. All ages are welcome, tickets are free, and seating is general admission. Doors open at 9:30am and each reservation holds a seat until 9:45am (at 9:45am seats will be made available to all present). Registration (here) is recommended but not required.

After the play and starting at 10:30am, you follow the Rainbow Hop route along Phinney Ridge and visit participating businesses where you can engage in fun and colorful activities, listen to stories and music, and enjoy plays and performances. By participating in Rainbow Hop, you become part of a movement that seeks to make Northwest Seattle a healthy, inclusive community where everyone belongs.

Bugs!
Saturday June 3, starting at 10am
Taproot’s Isaac Studio Theatre, 212 N 85th St
Free tickets available here

The well-regarded Wellspring Ensemble is set to perform at the Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church this Saturday evening (5/20) at 7pm. Guest artists will include the Ingraham High School Choir and Seattle Children’s Chorus Alumni Ensemble. Tickets are $20 in advance ($25 at door), with students admitted free.

The Peace of Wild Things
Saturday May 20, 2023 | 7:00PM
Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church
7500 Greenwood Ave N

While Jeeves and friends stumble through Prohibition-era New York City in Taproot’s spring show, Jeeves in Bloom, here in Greenwood it’s anything but dry. Gin & tonics and bee’s knees, French 75’s and spritzes – you’ll find these and more (including non-alcoholic options) at the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood  May 17th through June 17th. Come to Taproot or one of the participating bars for a stamp card, and as you drink your way through these local establishments and their featured cocktails and mocktails, you’ll collect stamps, which can earn you discounted tickets and concessions at Taproot.

Participating businesses include Bar Sur Mer, The Cozy Nut Tavern, The Dark Room, FlintCreek Cattle Co., Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery, Shanghai Room, The Yard Café, and Taproot Concessions. Ask, “Is Jeeves in?” when you visit each establishment. Limit one stamp per card, per establishment

What you’ll get:

• 3 stamps gets you 30% off a ticket for Jeeves or 25% off an item at concessions (Must be used by June 17)
• 5 stamps gets you 50% off a ticket for Jeeves Takes a Bow or any beverage at concessions for $2 (Must be used by June 17)
• 8 stamps gets you a free ticket for Hello Girls or Last Drive to Dodge (must be claimed at Box Office by June 30)

SPECIALTY COCKTAILS AND MOCKTAILS

Taproot Concessions
Big G & T – Big Gin, Bradley’s kina tonic, juniper, rosemary
Aunt Vivienne – White elderflower, cucumber, mint, soda

Bar Sur Mer

White Lady – Saffron-infused Big Gin, curacao, lemon, egg white
Fall of Pearl – Wilderton Lustre, pineapple, coconut, squid ink lime cordial

FlintCreek Cattle Co
French 75 – Big Gin, pommeau, lemon, cava
Dolce Vita – DHOS Bittersweet, pineapple cordial, lime

Shanghai Room
Milk Punch – Barrel-aged Big Gin (or Buffalo Trace bourbon, Plantation Rum), milk, simple syrup

The Dark Room
Scofflaw – Big Gin Bourbon Barrel-aged gin, bonded bourbon, dry vermouth, lemon, grenadine, orange bitters, angostura bitters
Miss Jackson, If You’re N/Asty (on tap) – Blackberry, ginger honey, lemon, saline

The Cozy Nut Tavern
The Charleston Chew – Big Gin, Cynar, absinthe, lemon twist
The Bee’s Knees – Big Gin, lemon juice, honey, lemon twist
Cozy Lime Rickey – Lime juice, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, soda

The Yard Café
Peat Collins – Peat Barreled Big Gin, lemon, soda, maraschino
Zilch Spritz – Lyre’s Italian Spritz, Zilch prosecco (N/A), soda, lemon twist

Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery
The Bicycle Thief – Beer/seltzer base, lemon, grapefruit, botanicals
Root Beer from Snoqualmie Falls Brewery

ABOUT JEEVES TAKES A BOW
Bertie’s back! And this time his talent for trouble trails him to the Big Apple. When childhood chum Binkey Binkersteth knocks, one knacky notion leads to masterful mayhem and soon the notorious Knuckles McCann is fitting Bertie for a Chicago overcoat. Fortunately, the unflappable Jeeves is close at hand with a stiff cuppa joe and a penchant for putting things right! Directed by Scott Nolte, the show opens on May 19, 2023 and runs through June 17, 2023.

Rendering of completed exhibit exterior – LMN Architects

The Woodland Park Zoo has announced the groundbreaking of the new Forest Trailhead exhibit. In 2016 a fire significantly damaged the former Day and Night Exhibits. Since then, the Zoo has been designing a new experience to address wildlife conservation and climate change.

This project focuses on community-led conservation in mountain forests around the world. The Zoo is also designing this project to underscore their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, building an exhibit that is truly accessible, relevant and empowering to everyone.

Construction of the Forest Trailhead exhibit (working title), located at the heart of the zoo, will begin with light mobilization work during the second week of April. Heavier construction with potential neighborhood noise impacts will take place during the second week of May through the end of June. The zoo and its construction partners closely follow the City of Seattle’s noise ordinance, with construction activity occurring on weekdays between 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

For questions or concerns, please email [email protected] or call their 24-hour security line for immediate needs at 206-295-0078.

Please sign up for their neighbor newsletter at zoo.org/neighbors for email updates about zoo construction, events and programs that may impact the neighborhood.

Herkimer Coffee in 2003

On May 9th, 2003 Herkimer Coffee opened their doors for the first time. It was a Friday, the first day of the yearly Phinney Ridge Art Walk, and in the 20 years that followed Herkimer has become the beloved destination for hundreds of single-origin, premium coffee-seeking people every day.

“We’re very proud to be here all these years later. A big ‘thank you!’ to our great staff, present and past, who’ve made it possible – especially through the challenging times of the last few years. Also, gratitude to the Phinney community and Seattle as a whole…the support we receive daily at our shops is very much appreciated.”

To celebrate, this week through Friday May 12th all of Herkimer’s whole bean coffees are available at 2003 prices. Yes, you can get a bag of Rwandan or El Salvadorian coffee for $11!

Herkimer is also seeking historical photos of their shop from the last 20 years – if you have any please send them to [email protected]

A big congratulations to Herkimer and founder Michael Prins from the whole PhinneyWood community for creating such a wonderful business.

The soon-to-be open Cypress Greenwood Apartments at 7006 Greenwood Ave N have a business set to move into their singular retail space: Atulea. Construction has not yet begun on the space, and owner Vince Shi says they are 4 to 7 months away from opening.

Atulea was founded by a husband and wife team—Vince and Kathy. The couple met in college in Syracuse NY, where Vince studied economics/mathematics and Kathy studied landscape architecture. After graduation and followed by a few years working in big corporations, Vince and Kathy both felt tired of the 9-6 lifestyle and decided to shift path to do something they are truly passionate about. They are both tea lovers – Kathy loves traditional teas and Vince loves milk teas – but it was not until trying matcha in an NYC tea shop they decided to open their own.

Vince and Kathy have created a small, local, cute, and welcoming shop just a block from Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill. They aim to do the same here in PhinneyWood, a place where one can go grab a caffeinated drink and a snack on a busy day, go meet friends before class or after work for a quick life update, or simply go hang out and chill. To be genuine and pure is the meaning behind ‘Atulea’, and it’s the philosophy the co-founders live by: authentic and high-quality teas, not artificially-flavored powders.

Keep an eye out for further announcements about Atulea in the near future.

Long time dance instructor and brand new dad John Lozano is combining his loves to create a new class at the Phinney Center: Baby and Me Social Dancing. This class is intended for parents and caregivers with babies up to 12 months old.

The class will be incorporating music and the principles of various social dances to engage baby’s brain development, connection, and bonding with parents and caregivers. This class is to educate parents on the “rules of the road” regarding partner dancing, and could include music and movement from swing dances, blues dances, Latin dances, and ballroom dances. You will learn techniques to dance with babies, as well as techniques to dance with other adults.

“Our babies will come along for the ride. Sometimes holding them, sometimes strapping them on, sometimes pushing them in strollers, we’ll use the tools that parents bring to combine movement with music. Let’s face it, sometimes baby stuff can be boring…we need to get the parents and caregivers engaged too, so we’ll also be dancing together at different times in order to foster community among the group, and to practice the skills that we can take home to our partners.”

Attendees are welcome to bring a parent, partner or other caregiver as the cost for the course applies to your ‘household’. Older children are welcome to join and dance around to the music if childcare is difficult, but caregivers are responsible for attending to them. This is a great way to meet other parents, their babies and develop relationships in the community.

7 Week Course (May 17 to June 28)
Phinney Center Blue Building
Wednesdays 4:30pm to 5:30pm
$200 per family

You can learn more about the classes and sign up here.