Guest post by Kim Carver
South Lake Union is a
growing community, full of new or relocated businesses, new and long-term
residents, tourists visiting from near and far, medical professionals dedicated
to cancer and biomedical research, patients and their loved ones,
maritime tradespeople, and everyone at Lake Union Park who is dedicated to
preserving local history, maritime and otherwise. Even more people than those
listed here come to South Lake Union for work or play throughout the week; we
have such a diverse community!
It's time to introduce
ourselves to one another, and to establish more of a connection with the people
we are passing on the street during lunch break, or while basically parked next
to while stuck on Mercer. This is what Neighbor Day is all about:
Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods is kind of saying Hey! We want to throw
you a party because your neighborhood is really cool, and we want all of the
new folks in your neighborhood to feel more connected to one another!
This event is also where we,
the Lake Union Park Ambassadors, will unleash a cool new park MAP to help you
figure out where to go and what to do in this part of the neighborhood. Once
the map is posted online with links to businesses and points of interest along
the south shore of the lake, it will serve as your "go to" web page
for finding everything in this area. Bookmark atlakeunionpark.org to keep up to
date!
Neighbor Day
brings neighbors together, making a specific area a more friendly, comfortable and
safe area to live, work and play. On Saturday, June 15th, from 2-4pm, the South
Lake Union Neighbor Day will be held around the big old clock at
the northwest corner of the new MOHAI. There is SO MUCH FUN packed into those
two hours!! But first, you should get there at 1pm, to watch aeralists with the
International Dance Festival performing in the tiny parking lot south of MOHAI.
Here's a list of what's going on from 2-4pm:
Spring Opening of the SLU
Ambassador Cart (Free Shave Ice!)
First things first. The Lake
Union Park Ambassadors are the information gurus of this edge of the lake. Find
the Ambassador Cart when you arrive... the first 150 Neighbor Day
attendees get a voucher for a FREE SHAVE ICE at the Snowflakes Food Truck right
here inside the park! Redeem your voucher before 4pm!
Special Performance by
DJANGOLOGY
The three piece Gypsy Jazz
band will be performing right on the MOHAI terrace next to Compass Cafe. Grab a
glass of wine inside the cafe and find a spot in their outdoor seating area;
you'll be front and center for watching and listening to Djangology live!
Get on a BOAT
So many boats! It's
practically a mini-maritime festival! You might not yet know about all of the
cool boat-related activities that happen every week on Lake Union. If you're
curious about sailing for free or learning how to sail, paddling dragon boats,
volunteering on a historic ship, or if you're looking for a great way to
entertain visiting family, friends or visiting associates, come tour and get to
know the different charter vessels and historic ships. You can tour a large classic tugboat and one of the only
steamboats on the west coast, buy tacos from the "Taco Boat" or
produce from a "FarmBoat," or take a short sail around South Lake Union
with Lake Union Charters. And while you're here, why not rent a rowboat from
the Center for Wooden Boats for a one hour sightseeing tour with just you and
your loved one? Only $25/hr, no experience necessary!
Children's activities
Pond boats will be available
longer than usual on June 15th, just for Neighbor Day! Stop by the
pond to join in the fun.
MOHAI's "Family
Lab" runs from 11am to 2pm that same day and includes take home arts and
crafts projects, games, and hands-on artifact exploration.
Aerialists from The Cabiri
will be performing (from 1-2pm) right here in the park!
Don't forget about the play
structure, always open to all, over on the east side of Daniel's Broiler!
Like Floating Homes? MOHAI
is opening it's new floating home exhibit on June 15th. Ever wonder how water,
sewer and other utilities function in floating communities? This is where you
learn all about it!
Later on in the day, you can
make your way up Terry Avenue to watch more performances from the International
Dance Festival opening kick-off event, Art on the Fly. This is obviously one day that shouldn't be spent anywhere
other than South Lake Union!
OH WAIT...do you hear the
words "South Lake Union" and shake your head, exasperated, imagining
what it's like to drive, or worse, PARK here? The solution couldn't be simpler"
don't drive directly to the park! There is plenty of free and all-day pay
parking along Westlake near the AGC building, and more all-day pay parking
along Fairvew near Fred Hutch. Simply follow Fairview, Westlake, or Dexter to
get to one of these parking areas. Or better yet, take the bus or South Lake
Union Streetcar!
Can't wait to see all of our
neighbors and friends at the South Lake Union Neighbor Day!
