🍲 Soup Battles, a Sinkhole, and a Steakhouse Turning 61

Happy Tuesday! The post–daylight saving adjustment is always rough (4:45pm darkness takes some getting used to), but I’ve been so grateful for the pockets of lovely weather this past week, with the fall colors at their peak. Even Saturday night’s torrential downpour couldn’t knock all the leaves down.

🕳️ A Veterans Day you could fall into. Some NE Seattle history: on the night of Nov 11, 1957, a 50-year-old brick sewer under Ravenna Boulevard collapsed near 16th Ave NE. By morning there was a sinkhole 175 feet wide and 50 feet deep. Ten families were evacuated after midnight, and about 43,000 people went without sewer service for 11 days. It took two years and $2 million to fix, and HistoryLink says it was the most expensive sewer break any U.S. city had seen up to that point. Next time you’re driving down Ravenna Boulevard, you’ll know what’s under you.

🥩 The Wedgwood Broiler made a statewide list. Fast Food Club picked our neighborhood steakhouse as one of six old-school Washington steakhouses still going strong. The Broiler has been at 8230 35th Ave NE since 1965. Steaks are sold by the ounce, the martinis are still hand-poured, and the article singles out the French dip as the locals’ favorite order. “Seattle has changed a lot since 1965,” the writer notes, but the Broiler hasn’t, and with Adams Insurance and Johnson’s closing this fall, that’s worth celebrating. The list

🎁 Help a Lake City kid have a better holiday. Akin (formerly Children’s Home Society of Washington) runs a holiday gift program through its North Seattle Family Center in Lake City, and it’s been going for more than 25 years. Volunteers match local families who can use a hand with sponsors who shop from a child’s wish list. As of last week, they’d matched 71 of the 150 kids they hope to serve, so 79 still need a sponsor. Sponsors buy at least two gifts and one clothing item from the list, plus a $50 grocery gift card (Safeway, Target, or similar) for the family’s holiday meal. To sponsor a child, email [email protected].

🌱 Idea worth stealing from Phinney: neighbors there just opened a free plant library on the 6500 block of Greenwood Ave N. It’s take a cutting, leave a cutting, with a seed swap (blank packets and a pen provided). They even have leftover milkweed from Halloween, since monarch caterpillars can’t eat anything else. It’s worth the trip across I-5, but I’d love to see one on our side. Know of a plant swap in NE Seattle? Hit reply.

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I’m putting together a holiday gift guide for December, and I want it to come from you. What’s the local shop, maker, or small business you’d send everyone to? It could be a bookstore, a bakery, someone selling candles out of their garage, or the place you always find the perfect gift. I’d love to keep it focused on Northeast Seattle, but any Seattle-based business worth the drive (or online visit) counts too. Hit reply and tell me what you love and why. I’ll share the best picks in a few weeks!

🔧 Last call at Johnson’s Auto Repair | 9418 35th Ave NE. Friday, Nov 13 is the last day for Johnson’s, which has been around since Roy Johnson opened it in 1949 and Jeff Johnson has run since 1989. If they’ve kept your car going over the years, this is your week to stop in and say thanks. Hours this week are Mon–Thu 7am–5pm and Friday 7am–4pm. johnsonsautorepair.net

🏛️ Wedgwood Community Council’s November meeting is TODAY, at 7pm on Zoom. Details and Zoom link

🍲 Battle of the Soups at Ravenna Brewing | Thu, Nov 12 (Ravenna Brewing, 5408 26th Ave NE)
Ravenna Brewing’s fifth annual soup showdown puts chefs from Hopvine Pub, Watershed Pub, Layers Green Lake, and Big Time Brewery head to head for the Golden Ladle. Proceeds benefit Washington Wild, which works to protect the state’s wild places. Grab some soup and a pint and pick your favorite.

🧸 Free Indoor Play Space & Kids’ Clothing Swap | Fri, Nov 13, 9–11am (OneLife Community Church, 3524 NE 95th St)
A free morning of indoor play for kids 0–5, hosted by Christopher Robin Learning Center and OneLife, with coffee, tea, and snacks for the grown-ups. Bring any gently used kids’ clothes to swap.

🌳 Tree Planting & Volunteer Appreciation at Meadowbrook Pond | Sat, Nov 14, 10am–1pm (Meadowbrook Pond)
Dirt Corps and Seattle Public Utilities are celebrating Seattle Forest Week with a morning of planting trees and native shrubs around the pond’s wetland. You’ll learn how before you dig in. No experience is needed, and all ages are welcome. It ends with a thank-you celebration for the neighbors who’ve cared for the pond all year, with hot food from a local restaurant. Register ahead if you plan to go.

🦃 Gobble Up Seattle | Sat, Nov 14, 10am–5pm (Hangar 30, Magnuson Park, 6310 NE 74th St)
A holiday food market with tastings from local makers, so you can stock the pantry and knock out a few gifts in one trip. $2 admission (kids 12 and under free); grab tickets ahead to skip the door line

🧥 NE Seattle Neighbors Winter Clothing Swap + Soup Potluck | Sun, Nov 15, 11am–1pm (Cafe Blameless, 5751 33rd Ave NE)
Clean out the coat closet and fill up on soup. The Kapwa Project is hosting a free, family-friendly swap for gently used winter gear: coats, sweaters, accessories, even ski and snowboard equipment. Bring what you’ve outgrown and take what you need, with no limits either way. Anything left over goes to a local mutual aid group. For the potluck, bring a batch of your favorite soup, a recipe card or ingredient list, and a container so you can take home your favorites. RSVP here.

🎻 Ravenna Strings & Sinfonia Fall Concert | Wed, Nov 18, 7:30pm (St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 111 NE 80th St)
Our neighborhood community orchestra plays its free fall concert next Wednesday. It’s an easy, low-key night of live music close to home. Mark your calendar now, since it lands the day after the next issue.

Got something happening in the neighborhood? Submit your event here.

🚲 Bikes & Brews at The Mountaineers | Thu, Nov 12, 6:30–8:30pm, 7700 Sand Point Way NE. Susan Fleenor and Lyssa Smith share their 335-mile bikepacking trip from Pittsburgh to DC along the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath. Tickets are $5–10; register ahead.

👶 Cirandinha | The Brazilian Portuguese music and movement pilot for babies 0–2 starts this Saturday, Nov 14, at 10:30am. It’s capped at 10 families, and a few spots may still be open. Reserve here.

🌊 Aqua Run at Helene Madison Pool | Sat, Nov 28. Seattle Parks’ inflatable pool obstacle course is coming the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with one-hour sessions at 11am, 12:15, 1:30, and 2:45 for ages 6 and up. You have to register ahead, so grab a spot now.

🎻 Fiddler’s Inn | Live music every Thursday at 9219 35th Ave NE.

🥕 Lake City Farmers Market | Saturdays, 10am–2pm, through Dec 19, at NE 125th & 28th Ave NE.

☕ Co-Working Wednesdays at Cafe Blameless | 5751 33rd Ave NE, Wednesdays 9am–2pm.

🌉 Westbound 520 closes this weekend between Montlake and I-5. From 11pm Friday, Nov 13, to 5am Monday, Nov 16, crews are closing westbound SR 520 west of Montlake around the clock to repair expansion joints. The bridge itself stays open both ways, but everyone heading west has to exit at Montlake Blvd or Lake Washington Blvd, with no direct connection to I-5. Coming home from the Eastside? Take Montlake and head north from there. Eastbound 520 and the SR 520 Trail stay open. Closure details

🏈 A quiet sports weekend: the Huskies are at Michigan State and the Seahawks are at the Raiders, so no stadium traffic.

🔍 Karen’s Local Pick: Seiva Aesthetics

5101 25th Ave NE, Suite 2 (Ravenna)

Sarah Tucker has been my go-to for all things skin (facials and beyond) for years, so I was thrilled when she went out on her own earlier this year after a long run at SkinSpirit. What I love most is that I’ve never once felt oversold. She recommends what you actually need, and everything she’s suggested has been worth it. I’ve loved every one of her facials, and if you’ve been curious about microneedling, based on my experience, it’s absolutely worth a try. Seiva is her solo practice, so you see Sarah every time. She also does chemical peels and medical-grade facials, and she’s a certified acne specialist. Her philosophy is one I can get behind: the goal isn’t perfection, it’s consistency.

Open weekdays, 10am–7pm. Book here: vagaro.com/seivaaesthetics. Questions? Text: 206-696-4953

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 in our house

🎂 Where to Host a Kids Birthday Party Near NE Seattle: Updated! A list of 21 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: 5 Bed, 3 bath, 2,820 square feet

$1.25M
$1.40M
$1.59M
$1.75M

🧑 Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center | Teen Kitchen Creations (Tuesdays 4:30–6:30pm) and Pokémon/Minecraft Club (Tuesdays 5:30–6:30pm). Wednesday programs are off this week; community centers are closed for Veterans Day.

🏟️ Seattle Sports Schedules

📌 Holiday season is the best time to reach Northeast Seattle shoppers. Reply to this email to ask about sponsoring an issue.