If there are any mothers out there who don’t want to wait until Mother’s Day for a little pampering, Northgate Mall is inviting you to partake in its free National Mom’s Nite Out celebration from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 5.

Northgate Mall is participating in National Mom’s Nite Out for the first time on Thursday, May 5, but the above photo is from last year’s celebration at Tacoma Mall. Photo courtesy Simon Properties.

The annual event is organized at the national level by Maria Bailey, a mother of four who tells Simon Properties:

“We created National Mom’s Nite Out because so many of today’s mothers spend Mother’s Day focused on catering to the needs of others. We decided that moms deserve one night off from cooking, cleaning and responsibility and need time to celebrate motherhood with each other.”

Opportunities for moms at Northgate Mall include pizza samples from California Pizza Kitchen, mini chair massages and complimentary bang trims and brow arching from Gene Juarez Salon and Spa. Macy’s will also host an “in-store” fashion show featuring the hottest trends of spring and summer.

The free event is sponsored by WARM 106.9 and is intended as ”a guilt-free excuse for moms to take the night off to relax and enjoy a celebration of motherhood,” Northgate Mall tells us:

Moms will join together for a well-deserved break to socialize and relax at this event. …

“Mom’s Nite Out is the perfect event to thank and celebrate mothers for all that they do,” said Sarah Bonds, director of marketing at Northgate Mall and Tacoma Mall. “We absolutely believe that moms deserve some pampering and we are delighted to play a part in facilitating this special evening.”

If you don’t already know Donna Hartmann-Miller, who as a proud Maple Leaf resident heads the Friends for a Greater Maple Leaf Park committee and has been quoted in Seattle Met’s Best Places to Live piece, here’s your chance to get to know one of the newest additions to the Maple Leaf Community Council Executive Board:

Full name:
Donna Lynn Hartmann-Miller (sorry to everyone sending me an email and thank goodness David [Miller, who is also on the executive board] has a nice short last name or people would get a cramp when typing in my extraordinarily long email address).

Current Occupation:
I’m lucky to work with a group of lovely co-workers at Maple Leaf Ace Hardware where I am Administrative Assistant/Marketing Coordinator.

When did you move to Maple leaf and why?
We started looking in September 1996, bought our house in March 1997, and moved in on May 9, 1997. We moved here for two reasons. No wait, three reasons. First, we gave our real estate agent (who, ironically, actually lived in Maple Leaf at the time) the menu for Snappy Dragon which has a map on it. We told her we HAD to live in this area since we required frequent home delivery of their dumplings. Second, we loved the easy and quick access to I-5. So convenient. The last reason we moved here is we fell in love with our house (which, ironically, we are now in the middle of a multi-year remodel of) and the yard (the only negative of our house is we are at the bottom of what I call the steepest hill in Maple Leaf — the hike up the hill to the bus line exhausts me). Then we met our neighbors, got to know the businesses better (we already knew Snappy, of course, and Reckless Video, which was still in its original location), got involved with the neighborhood, and it became obvious we had made the right choice.

What current Maple Leaf issue are you most excited about?
(more…)

A business owner who asked to remain unnamed wanted us to let our readers know that in the early hours of Thursday, April 19, his video surveillance camera was disconnected and stolen. It stopped recording about 4:30 a.m. The business owner writes:

I guess he sets his alarm, eats a hearty breakfast, then goes out and steals cameras. … We’ve turned the video over to the police. He moves on foot and I bet he’s visited other homes or businesses in the early morning hours.

Although the business wasn’t broken into, he wanted to warn fellow business owners and home dwellers about this tactic that could result in a theft.

The business is located in the Lake City Way/15th Avenue Northeast business district, where we’ve also heard that three safes recently were stolen from other businesses, including the new and still-uninhabited Eagles Mother Aerie One building at 8201 Lake City Way N.E.

And don’t forget the break-in almost exactly a year ago at the Maple Leaf Grill, 8929 Roosevelt Way N.E., where thieves cut the phone lines and other wiring to keep the alarm from going off.

Business owners and residents, stay vigilant!

Can you believe it’s been a year since Peony Nails & Spa opened its doors as the first of many new businesses in The Village at Maple Leaf, 8014 Lake City Way N.E.?

Since then, iBurger & Shake and Little Caesars both opened, and let’s not forget the neighboring Last Drop Bottle Shop, 8016 15th Ave. N.E.

So during the first two weeks of May, when you stop by Peony for discounted services, there will be plenty more to do in the vicinity.

Yep, you read that correctly, discounted services. To celebrate its one-year anniversary, Peony has announced on its Facebook page that it’s offering 20 percent off all of its services starting tomorrow, April 30, through May 8 (which is Mother’s Day if you still haven’t thought of the perfect present for Mom!); followed by 20 percent off all gift certificate purchases from May 9-16.

Maybe this will become a neighborhood trend!

At last night’s Maple Leaf General Community Meeting at Olympic View Elementary School, 1020 N.E. 82nd St., many an attendee entered gleefully after seeing this sign of spring:

That’s right, the Olympic View Plant Sale is back, and this time it’s celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The fun starts tomorrow at 9 a.m., featuring coffee and treats in addition to the myriad flowering and edible plants, including blueberries, raspberries and organic tomatoes. The sale will continue through 7 p.m. Friday, and also is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Special activities on Saturday include a craft fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring goods for sale from local artists; as well as a special garden concession stand and the opportunity for kids to make a garden fairy and Chia pet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the students of Olympic View Elementary. And remember to shop early for the best selection!

Have you checked of the new-to-Seattle Curbed and Eater websites yet?

Curbed first launched in 2004 in New York, and soon its snarky style of covering real estate and neighborhoods caught on in other metropolitan cities, and led to the mouth-watering Eater sites.

Naturally, some of us have been waiting for years for Curbed and Eater to finally reach Seattle. But now the waiting is over, after both sites launched last week.

We’re proud to say that Maple Leaf Life already has gotten plenty of link love from both, including Eater posts linking to the Cinco de Mayo party at COA Mexican Eatery & Tequileria and the much-anticipated opening of Flying Squirrel Pizza Co.

Even Curbed has found postworthy news in sleepy Maple Leaf, with links to planning a meeting for the Maple Leaf Reservoir Park’s Family Terrace and Meg Stockbridge’s resignation from the Maple Leaf Community Council Executive Board.

We’ll try to keep an eye on both sites for any references to the neighborhood, but please let us know if we miss anything.

Are you getting hungry for lunch yet?

You’ve got two additional options in the neighborhood today, with both the Here and There Grill and Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream scheduled to be at the Washington Dental Service building, 9706 Fourth Ave.

Here and There will be parked just south of Thornton Place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Molly Moon’s also parked there from noon to 1:30 p.m.-ish

Here is the menu for Here and There, and a couple of Molly Moon’s seasonal flavors will include lemonade sorbet, strawberry rhubarb sorbet and Thai iced tea ice cream.

Even though the Maple Leaf Reservoir is slated to be completely covered by mid-2012, Donna Hartmann-Miller, who heads the Friends for a Greater Maple Leaf Park committee, told more than 50 people at last night’s Maple Leaf General Community Meeting that the park that will be built on top of the reservoir likely won’t be ready to use until sometime in 2013.

And although that adds one more year of waiting to use the space adjacent to the current Maple Leaf Playground at 1020 N.E. 82nd St., that also gives the park committee another year to raise funds, which was one of the overarching topics of the Wednesday meeting at Olympic View Elementary, 1020 N.E. 82nd St. (Whose plant sale is this weekend, by the way! Post to follow.)

Although a $5 million levy is expected to cover the cost to put the lid on the reservoir and pay for much of the design for Maple Leaf Reservoir Park, the committee is raising money to pay for a few unfunded details, including a picnic shelter in the Family Terrace, which will be located at the site of the current Maple Leaf Playground; completion of a walkway around the perimeter of the park; trees; and furnishings.

Hartmann-Miller noted that there will be many ways to help out as fundraising gets under way, including donating either your money or time, and shopping locally after she gets more community businesses on board with a plan to donate a portion of their proceeds to the park (stay tuned for details in the coming months).

Your participation also is in need with such issues as the Family Terrace, for which community resident Scott Bishop is pursuing a $100,000 Neighborhood Matching Fund.

“We’ve raised $75,000 so far from community members, and 200 volunteer hours,” Bishop said. “That combination puts us over the $100,000 community match. If we are the recipient ultimately … we’ll be able to make that Family Terrace come to life.”

Bishop is looking for ideas from the community to both upgrade the current Maple Leaf Playground and to include more options for children’s play, and is inviting those with ideas to attend a Family Terrace Design Meeting from 6-8 p.m. June 1, also at Olympic View Elementary.

“There is more than one way to play,” Bishop said. “This is an opportunity to expand this area for other ways to play.” (more…)

Don’t forget to vote at tonight’s Maple Leaf General Community Meeting, from 7-9 p.m. at Olympic View Elementary, 504 N.E. 95th St.!

Please forgive us for missing the news that Donna Hartmann-Miller, who heads the volunteer Friends for a Greater Maple Leaf Park committee, also will be up for election for the Maple Leaf Community Council Executive Board, in addition to President Joshua Newman, Tyler Letey and Matt Stockbridge.

We may not have time to get in Hartmann-Miller’s bio before the meeting starts, but we’ve written plenty about her work making sure the community’s wishes are being represented in decisions about the still-under-construction Maple Leaf Reservoir Park, as well as tidbits such as rescuing a “fugitive feline.”

More of tonight’s agenda is here, and we’ve also got a little more about board member Matt Stockbridge:

Full name:
Matthew Stockbridge

Current Occupation:
Software engineer

When did you move to Maple leaf and why?
I moved to Maple Leaf with my wife, former board member Meg Stockbridge, about three years ago as a couple, but Meg’s very first apartment living on her own, more than 10 years ago, was in Maple Leaf. Years later, when we were looking for a home to rent together, Maple Leaf seemed like the perfect choice. It was just a short year later that we were married and buying a home in Maple Leaf. Now that we’re expecting our first child in August, we know we made the best decision possible - Maple Leaf is the perfect neighborhood for accessibility to the city, the university and to excellent opportunities for children.

What current Maple Leaf issue are you most excited about?
I think the issues that I’m most interested in would have to be
development in Maple Leaf and the reservoir project.

What is the one thing you hope to accomplish while on the board?
I think that I’d like to do as much as possible to ensure that Maple Leaf
remains a unique and vibrant community that’s oriented toward families,
and retains some of the characteristics unique to the area (such as being
composed predominately of single family homes).

How many of you Maple Leafers out there have always wanted to join PCC but haven’t because the locations are too out-of-the-way?

Let the waiting begin.

Photo of “The Big Hole” in Green Lake courtesy My Green Lake.

Our news partner at My Green Lake says PCC is coming to the neighborhood in place of the giant pit that replaced the Vitamilk plant three years ago between Woodlawn Avenue Northeast, Northeast 71st St, Fifth Avenue Northeast, and Northeast 72nd Street:

Construction is finally moving forward at the former Vitamilk Dairy site, and the new building should be open by late 2013. …

Ground breaking at the site, now being referred to as “Green Lake Village,” is targeted for this winter, and the new PCC is scheduled to open in late 2013.

In addition to the 25,000-square-foot PCC, there will be 30,000 feet of other retail space and 295 apartments in five stories.

Read more about the development on My Green Lake.

Remember the attempted purse snatching we mentioned last week?

There’s more information on the arrest at seattlepi.com:

There’s a lot more on the agenda than elections for the Maple Leaf Community Council’s executive board at tomorrow night’s general community meeting, starting at 7 p.m. at Olympic View Elementary, 504 N.E. 95th St.

King County Councilman Bob Ferguson, pictured, plans to also be in attendance at the quarterly meeting, and his office sends us this message:

King County is responsible for many important regional issues, such as Metro Transit bus service, public health, veterans’ services, and criminal justice. Councilmember Ferguson will be discussing these issues and answering questions about King County.

Here’s the agenda for Wednesday from the Maple Leaf Community Council:

7:00 - Announcements
7:05 - King County Councilman Bob Ferguson (with representative from Metro Transit)
7:25 - Northgate Community Center Programs
7:30 - Rules of the Road – Crosswalk, Sharrows, and Bike Lanes
7:40 - Feet First – Urban Trails of North Seattle
7:50 - What would you like to ask candidates for Seattle City Council?
8:00 - Maple Leaf Community Council Executive Board election
8:05 - Maple Leaf Reservoir Park and Family Terrace update
9:00 - Adjourn

Edgar Carreon, owner of COA Mexican Eatery & Tequileria, with his fiancee, Juanita Bond, in front of the tequila bar on the first floor.

When COA Mexican Eatery & Tequileria officially opens May 20 at 7919 Roosevelt Way N.E., owner Edgar Carreon plans to offer more than just his favorite dishes and tequilas. What he really hopes to share with the community is an experience.

“One of the ways that we are different from most Southwest-style restaurants is that we are part of the Mexican culture,” Carreon said. “We didn’t come up with the idea; we didn’t come up with the recipes. These are things that we grew up with; these are the things that we still eat at home.

“We have a really personal relationship with the culture that we think is a really different experience.”

And because Maple Leaf has welcomed COA with such open arms, Carreon in turn is opening the doors to the restaurant a little early for a Cinco de Mayo dinner-tequila pairing specifically for the neighborhood. (UPDATE: Reservations now are being taken. Click to the bottom of this post for details.)

Carreon explains that his first restaurant, La Casita in Mount Vernon, is important to him because of the way the restaurant was so warmly welcomed into the community when it opened nine years ago.

“(Maple Leaf) has been the location that makes us feel just like we did in Mount Vernon,” he said.

The three-course meal offered May 5 will feature a tequila specifically chosen for each course from Casa Noble, Corrido and Ahatoro. Patrons that night also will get the chance to try some of the restaurant’s original tequila cocktails, as well as samples of dishes not being served with the meal.

So what style of food might you expect at COA? Carreo admits that much of the menu might not seem new to patrons who frequent Mexican restaurants, but he thinks the execution of the dishes is what will make the food unique. (more…)

Don’t forget to attend Wednesday’s Maple Leaf General Community meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Olympic View Elementary, 504 N.E. 95th St. Although parks updates will likely take up much of the meeting, a few members of Maple Leaf Community Council’s executive board also are up for election, including President Joshua Newman, Matt Stockbridge (profile to come), and our featured board member of the day, Tyler Letey:

Full name: Tyler Letey

Current occupation: Attorney with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

When did you move to Maple Leaf and why? 2001. Maple Leaf had all the things my wife and I were looking for; close to downtown, walkable to shops, and still have a big yard. Besides, it was the nicest neighborhood in our budget.

What current Maple Leaf issue are you most excited about? Certainly having a new park space that is so large is going to have a tremendous positive impact on our neighborhood, but I am also excited about how Maple Leaf continues to grow with our own identity, not just “the place with Snappy Dragon.”

What is one thing you hope to accomplish while on the executive board? Phase one of complete and total world domination. (Insert sinister laugh.)