·         1^st Ave S Median Maintenance (extended from Cherry to Railroad Way)

·         Litter pickup

·         Weeding of tree wells

·         Storm Drain Stenciling

·         Graffiti Removal

 When: Saturday, June 2^nd, 9:00 AM

Where: Meet in Occidental Square Park

Please RSVP by Friday, May 25th here:  http://pioneersquarespringclean.eventbrite.com/

Spring Clean 2011

The eviction spurred a slow-moving exodus of artists, designers, craftspeople and other creative professionals in need of low-rent space to do their work. Some lucked out and moved to other studio buildings in and around Pioneer Square, or farther afield.

WSDOT offered individuals and landlords $50,000 to relocate their studio:

[619 Artist Jane] Richlovsky used her check to set up shop in a historic building nearby at First Avenue and Cherry Street. She renovated an entire floor’s worth of commercial spaces in a project known as the ’57 Biscayne artist studios. About a dozen of her former neighbors from 619 Western have since followed.

’57 Biscayne will open their doors for the June Art Walk. An email from Jane explained what will be featured next month:

Resident artists open up their studios and the adjoining nooks & crannies of the historic Scheuerman block, exhibiting an exquisite, eclectic array of jewelry, paintings, letterpress cards & posters, photographs, frescos, book arts, encaustics, screenprints & other works on paper. Special guests include Lillenthal⎪Zamora’s stairway installation, music by trombonist Marc Smason’s trio, and a few surprises.

Reminder: Metro offers free bus rides for cyclists (Seattle PI)
The offer is available to cyclists who load their bike onto a Metro or Sound Transit Express bus operated by Metro. The promotion is part of National Bike Month to encourage people who are interested in trying bike-and-bus trips for commuting or otherwise.

City OKs funding for Stadium Place (DJC)
City officials this week announced the award of tax credits for the Stadium Place development in Pioneer Square north of CenturyLink Field.

Major project near Colman Dock changes commute for thousands (Kiro)
A major project near Seattle’s Colman Dock changed the commute for thousands of people after crews changed the approach to the dock. Drivers said they are already seeing a parking crunch in Pioneer Square.

Cowboy western dreaming (Weekly Volcano)
Cowgirls Inc in Pioneer Square in Seattle (421 First Ave. S) is not a country bar. Do not be fooled by the name. Hip-hop and rock and metal from the ‘80s to current hits blast from speakers. But the mechanical bull makes it worth the drive.

in celebration of National Bike Month!

Downtown Seattle has one of the largest percentages of bicycle commuters in the nation and, in honor of National Bike Month, Commute Seattle is celebrating those commuters with Bikes & Bagels.

On the morning of Friday, May 11, bike commuters are invited to stop by a celebration station at McGraw Square (5th and Stewart streets) from 7am-9am to receive complementary coffee, bagels and fun prizes on their way to work.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn will be on hand to chat with fellow bike commuters and encourage their feedback on what facilities or amenities would make Downtown more attractive to current and would-be bike commuters.

Representatives from Seattle Department of Transportation will also be on hand gathering feedback, as they will as they will be updating the City’s Bike Master Plan.

“Seattle has the second highest percentage of bicycle commuters in the country and May is a great month to celebrate those individuals,” said Commute Seattle Executive Director Jamie Cheney. “We are thrilled to partner with the City to encourage would-be bicyclists to come out and not only celebrate their commuting choices, but learn how we can work together to improve their experience.”

The Bikes & Bagels celebration kicks off National Bike to Work Week, May 14-18. During that time King County Transit will also be taking part in the celebration by offering free bus fare to any riders who come aboard with their bikes.

“Bikes & Bagels is a great event that encourages people to try bicycling on Seattle streets,” said SDOT Director Peter Hahn. “It is also a great opportunity for us to learn what is important for keeping and getting people to commute by bike so it can be considered in the Bicycle Master Plan Update.”

For 55 years National Bike Month has been recognized by the American League of Cyclists and has been celebrated all over the country. For more information on Seattle celebrations, visit www.commuteseattle.com

I’m trying to spread the word a bit more about an exciting free event we have going on this weekend: Klondike! The Great Alaskan Gold Rush, a musical adventure from Seattle to the wild Yukon. A story for the entire family. Witness the hardships, struggles, and triumphs experienced by those in the frontier, and learn how the Klondike Gold Rush shaped our region forever.

This one day only event happens at 10 am and 1 pm, Saturday May 12, at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center in Pioneer Square, 319 Second Avenue South. The musical will be presented by the 5th Avenue Musical Theater. Seating is limited, but there are seats still available. To reserve your spot at this free event please call 206-220-4240 or reply to our Facebook post. More info at nps.gov/klse

The artist group Rebar will unveil their temporary installation Seattlight at King Street Station’s newly refurbished Jackson Plaza for the First Thursday Art Walk in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, 8 to 9 p.m., May 3. Stop by the station at 303 South Jackson St. and meet the artists as they light up the plaza.

Rebar’s Seattlight is a nighttime, interactive artwork designed to highlight the unseen pathways of pedestrian traffic through the plaza. The artwork lights up in response to the movements of people as they walk past and through the space. Seattlight was commissioned to celebrate the new Jackson Plaza, created as part of the King Street Station restoration. The artwork will remain on view throughout 2012.

Rebar is a multidisciplinary artist team whose work encompasses public art, landscape design, urban intervention and temporary performance installation. Based in San Francisco, Rebar has exhibited and lectured worldwide, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy; ExperimentaDesign Amsterdam, the Netherlands; the Canadian Center for Architecture, Montréal, Québec; and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Boston, Mass.

For more information about Rebar, visit www.rebargroup.org. For more information about the King Street Station restoration, visit  www.seattle.gov/transportation/kingstreet.

+P*ALLEY*DROMES by J. Kempson + L. Keene + S. Marshall

A variety of moss made words will demonstrate a fun mixture of palindromes
which can be read from left to right and right to left down the alley walls.

+ ALLEY PALLET by J. Bennetto

Alley Pallets, transforms discarded industrial pallets into vertical gardens,
demonstrating a green thumbprint for an urban alley.

JOIN US for Pioneer Square’s First Thursday
May 3rd, 2012 from 5-8pm

Enter through NORD ALLEY to view this amazing installation
behind 314-1st Ave South, Seattle 98104
(between Jackson & Main AND Occidental Ave & 1st Ave South)

Music by Parzival
Food offered by Dante’s Inferno Dogs

More Info?  Contact Nikki Somers – nikki@isiseattle.org
www.alleynetworkproject.com
www.facebook.com/events

Sponsors include:
International Sustainability Institute | Feet First | AIA Seattle
Bicycle Alliance of Washington | Back Alley Bike Repair
Waste Management | Metropolitan Improvement District | Historic South Downtown

STAY TUNED for more FUN & EXCITEMENT in NORD ALLEY

First Thursday Events throughout the Summer
Tour de France viewing in July

Although she was a member of the neighborhood and the Quintessa apartments for only a short time, they want to bring everyone together as a community and have a moment of silence in her memory.

Which Seattle neighborhood has the highest number of people and jobs within a 10 minute walk of a frequent transit station? Join us on May 3 to learn the answer and why it’s important to your neighborhood’s future.

Thursday, May 3, 2012
5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
City Hall – Bertha Knight Landes room
600 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington

What are we doing?

Seattle will add more than 100,000 residents by 2035, along with thousands of new jobs.  The City’s Comprehensive Plan is a blueprint for how and where we handle all that growth.  We want your ideas on how we can best guide smart and sustainable growth for future generations.

How can I participate?

On May 3rd, you are invited to join City planners and the Seattle Planning Commission at an interactive and thought-provoking discussion.  Our breakout sessions will focus on climate change actions, walkable communities, and attractive and functional buildings and streets.

This meeting is an important step for developing amendments to the Seattle Comprehensive Plan and the update to the Climate Action Plan.  Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors about this opportunity and join us on May 3rd.

Where can I learn more?

Visit us at:

www.seattle.gov/dpd/planning/compplan

www.facebook.com/SEA2030

www.seattle.gov/environment/climate_plan.htm