Upcoming in April

FlorAbundance returns

The big spring plant sale to benefit the Washington Park Arboretum will take place this year on Saturday, April 27 (10 am until 5 pm) and Sunday, April 28 (10 am until 3 pm). This is always a well-attended event, and because the regular venue at Magnuson Park is still being rehabilitated, FlorAbundance will be held in the Arboretum at the Graham Visitors Center, as it was last year.  So, for those interested in plants take note that this is your opportunity:  more specialty nurseries are slated to participate and the sponsor, the Arboretum Foundation, is also promising a greater diversity of vegetative options, including a selection of edible plants.

Even those not interested in plants or plant sales will want to take note of the timing of this event since the Arboretum will likely be clogged with traffic, as it was last year. Information on FlorAbundance (including details of the shuttle service) is available here.

Restaurant Week is underway

Six Madison Park and Madison Valley restaurants are participating this spring in Restaurant Week, which starts today and extends through April 18.  The purpose of the discount-dinner program, which has grown to include 160 Seattle-area restaurants since its inception in 2010, is to entice diners to get out and explore restaurants they might otherwise overlook.  The inducement is three courses for 28 dollars. This special offer does not apply to dinners served in these establishments on Fridays or Saturdays during the Restaurant Week period, however (the official Restaurant Week covers ten days, April 7-11 and April 14-18).

Our local participants are Cafe Parco, Cafe Flora, CRUSH, The Harvest Vine, Luc, and Voila! Bistrot.  Information on Restaurant Week, including details of all participating eateries is available here.

520 to close again (or not)

It may be true that there will be a weekend closure of the SR 520 floating bridge from April 19 at 11 pm until April 22 at 5 am. In point of fact, the two most recent supposed closings of 520 did not occur due to inclement weather, so it is quite possible that this shut down won't happen either.

We note that WSDOT's website today states that the closing will happen between April 22 and 25th, but the link to the bridge-closure page lists the April 19-22 dates (as does the press release we received this week).  These bridge closures (as least so far) only happen on weekends.

To get presumably-up-to-the minute information on 520 weekend closures you can visit the official WSDOT page here.


Community Center holds open house

The MLK F.A.M.E. Community Center (at the site of what was once the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, 3201 East Republican Street) will be holding an open house on Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m.  The purpose of the event is to "announce activities, share ideas for future programs, and to mingle with neighbors and friends."

Childcare will be provided. Call (206) 257-5572 or visit www.mlkfame.com for more information.


[Photo credits:  FlorAbundance photo by Kit 'Aerie-el', blogger at Gardener's Roost; Restaurant Week photo of CRUSH entrée by TEO on Urban Spoon; 520 photo showing a February aerial view of the new Eastside lid in Medina courtesy of WSDOT.]http://www.mlkfame.com/