Fall Is Here. So Is a Perfect Seahawks Record and a Surprising Real Estate Purchase.

Happy Tuesday! And happy first day of autumn!

☀️ I stopped by the Wedgwood Community Picnic this weekend — the sun was just breaking through, and the whole thing felt lively. It's exciting to see the neighborhood turn out and show real interest in supporting local businesses. I'll admit I hadn't been in a while, and it felt genuinely different from what I remembered — in a lovely way.

🎥 One from just outside our footprint but too good not to mention: Rick Steves — yes, the travel guy — bought the 103-year-old Edmonds Theater to keep it alive as a community gathering place. He'd had his first kiss in the balcony back in the '70s, and says he's not banking on making money off it: "I already know that from a more sophisticated and community-minded assessment of profitability, this is already a good investment." A nice reminder that not everything has to pencil out to be worth doing.

🏈 One more: the Seahawks are off to a 2-0 start — the defending Super Bowl champs opened with a win over the Patriots (13-10) in that historic Wednesday opener, then blew out the Cardinals 31-7. Next up: at Washington, Sunday Sept 27, 10am PT (FOX).

🚇 And one more, practical this time: Sound Transit approved a pilot to install fare gates at 14 of its busiest Link stations, including U District and UW — both stations plenty of us use. Riders will need to tap in and out starting sometime in 2029–2030. It's meant to boost fare compliance (Sound Transit says up to 37% of riders currently don't pay) and could bring in $33–83 million a year in additional revenue. Nothing changes anytime soon, but worth knowing it's coming.

Here's what else is going on close to home this week.

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Erik and Storie have built one of the biggest cider selections in the country - 500+ bottles, mostly from small, farm-based cideries. While 95% of their business ships nationwide, local cider lovers are in for a treat. Fun fact: Press Then Press runs out of Erik and Storie's home and office right here in Wedgwood, and if you're local, pickup is free (or they'll deliver). They're both Certified Pommeliers who got into selling cider after serving it at their own wedding and watching everyone ask where to find more of it — so if you're not sure where to start, that's genuinely their favorite part of the job. Sign up for their email list for a welcome discount on your first order. → pressthenpress.com.

Use the discount code WIRE at checkout to get a bonus cider added to your first order!

🍂 RAV*Fest — Sat, Sept 26, 2–5pm — Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center Park

A fun autumn festival right in the neighborhood — a good low-key way to spend a Saturday afternoon before the weather really turns.

→ Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

🎤 Aldous Harding at the Neptune Theatre — Sat, Sept 26, 8pm — 1303 NE 45th St

The acclaimed New Zealand singer-songwriter plays the Neptune — a bit of a splurge night out if you're looking for one within walking distance of the neighborhood.

→ Tickets

🔬 Science on Tap — Mon, Sept 28, 7pm — Third Place Books Ravenna, 6504 20th Ave NE

A place to eat, drink, and talk about science — no background required. Local experts cover everything from health tech to marine biology to space exploration.

→ Details

📖 Kevin Dettmar with Christine Harold — "Punk in 50 Pieces" — Fri, Sept 25, 7pm — Third Place Books Ravenna

A talk on punk rock, post-punk, new wave, and the five years that changed pop music forever. Free and open to the public.

→ RSVP

🧓 NEST Resource Fair for Older Adults — Tue, Sept 29, Hangar 30, Magnuson Park (6310 NE 74th St)

A genuinely useful one if you've got an older parent or neighbor: around 100 local nonprofits, agencies, and businesses under one roof for health services, housing info, and community programs — plus breakout sessions this year on things like AI and fraud prevention. Free, with free parking running from 11am-2pm.

🌸 Did You Know? There's a Flower Farm in View Ridge

Flowers by Dr. Jo, run by Joey McFarland (yes, an actual PhD — in linguistics), is a self-serve flower stand at 70th & 40th Ave NE, stocked with bouquets grown right in her own yard using organic, sustainable practices. I drove by and took this cute photo! Deluxe bouquets $30, premium $20, complimentary glass vases available. Cash, Venmo, or Zelle — it's the honor system. → flowersbydrjo.com

🏋️ Seattle Strength & Performance | 9425 35th Ave NE — A new gym is moving into the corner of 35th and NE 95th, and it just opened yesterday! It's a homegrown Seattle brand (already in Queen Anne, Phinney Ridge, West Seattle, Ballard, and Mercer Island) built around small-group strength coaching rather than typical group fitness classes — this will be their sixth location and first in Northeast Seattle.

→ Follow @seattlesp_wedgwood or visit seattlesp.com/wedgwood-gym for updates.

🥐 Paris Baguette (Northgate) | 300 NE Northgate Way — Seattle's first Paris Baguette location has filed plans for the former Tian Fu space near Northgate. The Korean bakery-café chain is known for fresh pastries, cakes, sandwiches, and a full coffee bar — already popular at their Bellevue, Redmond, Tukwila, and Lynnwood locations. No opening date yet, but bread lovers are already buzzing.

UW hosts Minnesota, Sept 26: A historic one — it's the first meeting between the two programs since 1977, and Minnesota's first trip to Seattle since 1976, as UW opens Big Ten conference play. Time not yet announced, but expect the usual Husky Stadium traffic and packed light rail if you're headed toward the U District that Saturday.

→ Full Husky football schedule

🍱 Nori Presto Teriyaki & Bento — 12354 15th Ave NE, Suite B

A nice full-circle moment led me here: after a Nori Presto family member's home was affected by a fire a few weeks back, this community rallied around them with support. The restaurant's owner, Jin, posted a heartfelt thank-you on Facebook — their first foray into social media. Not long before, I'd posted my NE Seattle takeout guide and got a handful of DMs telling me Nori Presto belonged in it — so between that and Jin's post, it felt like a sign. I went and got the spicy chicken teriyaki, and a large was genuinely enough to feed my husband and me with leftovers for the kids. Open Mon–Sat, 11am–8:30pm, closed Sundays. If you're ever in the Pinehurst/Lake City area, worth a stop!

→ Nori Presto  |  NE Seattle Takeout Guide

In case you missed them — a few guides worth bookmarking:

🥡 NE Seattle's Takeout Roundup — neighborhood by neighborhood, the order-ahead spots that keep coming up over and over in our house

🎂 Where to Host a Kids Birthday Party Near NE Seattle: 17 Venues — from our backyard to worth-the-drive

🌃 Date Night in Northeast Seattle — restaurants, bars, and spots worth staying out for

Can you guess the price of this real estate listing based on just one photo? Hint: 3 Bed, 2.5 bathroom, 1770 square feet

$2.43M
$2.79M
$2.92M
$3.09M

This week I'm featuring free community center programming, thanks to a tip from Beth Anderson!

🧑 Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center | Ultimate Frisbee Drop-In (ages 9–13, Wednesdays 3:30–4:30pm), Tween Time (ages 10–13, every other Wednesday, 5:30–6:30pm), Skate Night (2nd Thursday monthly, 5:30–7pm), Teen Kitchen Creations (Tuesdays 4:30–6:30pm), Teen Baking Club (Wednesdays 4–6pm), and Pokémon/Minecraft Club (Tuesdays 5:30–6:30pm).

🏊 Green Lake Community Center | Teen Swim & Gym Night, Fridays 6–9pm.

🏓 Magnuson Community Center | Teen Pickleball Drop-In, Saturdays 2:45–4:45pm; Family Open Gym, Saturdays 12:30–2:15pm.

🎸 Northgate Community Center | Teen Guitar Lessons, Mondays 5:15–6:15pm.

🏟️ Seattle Sports Schedules

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