Friday, May 31, 2013

*First Ever* South Lake Union Neighbor Day!



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!