All about the West Seattle neighborhood around Beach Drive
UPDATE: Board found by neighbor, Bob! Thank you!!
Sometime today a blue and white inflatable paddleboard Body Glove paddle board drifted from it’s Beach Drive home. The paddleboard had an paddle (oar) at the time of it’s departure.
The neighbors are hoping are really hoping to find it. If you’ve seen it, please let us know!
We’ve had seats in the wings watching the reconstruction of the seawall at Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint. It’s been kind of fun watching the machinery roll down to the beach each morning and scurry back up when the tide rolls in.
I’m toying with the idea of getting my hubby his own Tonka trucks so he can play along as he watches the work take place. He has offered to use his clam gun to help the crew out!
We’ve been pretty lucky so far with the tides and the noise hasn’t been too bad (at least not for us) so far….and it’s been interesting to watch.
We have been informed that the first annual 4th of July Boat Parade will by cruising along the shores off Beach Drive this afternoon. The parade is sponsored by Alki Yacht Club and The Mortgage Porter.
Any neighbor with a boat that can cruise 4 knots (we will make accommodations for slower craft) is welcome to tag along. The parade will start at 2:30 pm today in front of the volly ball courts at Alki and make it’s way around Alki Point, ending at Lincoln Park.
The most decorated vessel will win a Alki Yacht Club burgee. Runner up will receive a commemorative 2020 Mariners baseball schedule magnet.
It appears that it’s about to get serious with the overdue improvements to the seawall at Emma Schmitz Park.
And so it begins! 
Staging for the seawall repair along Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint has started this morning. Neighbors can look forward to the fencing to be covered with green tarps while repairs and improvements are underway. The project will coincide with the tides so anticipate construction during times of low tides.
On a positive note, there will be temporary crosswalks set at Snoqualmie and Jacobsen. I know many neighbors would love to see permanent crosswalks in these locations.
For more information on this project, click here.
Photo credit: Scupper
Today while we were walking our dog along the closed section of Beach Drive, we met Will, his cute daughter and their friendly little dog. Will is trying to drum up support to have the section along Alki Point permanently closed.
As someone who lives on that stretch of Beach Drive and having to deal with racing cars an cruisers, he would like the neighborhood to be safer for all to enjoy.
You can learn more and/or sign the petition at https://bit.ly/StayHealthyAlkiPoint
Happy Father’s Day!
There was a huge rescue call out tonight for a couple of divers off of Emma Schmitz near the rock pile where spear fishing for ling cod is a popular spot.
Neighbors noticed divers with lights surfacing and seeming to submerge when rescue boats were nearby. Eventually two divers appeared and said what was needed to satisfy the officials.
Many neighbors watching this are coming to the same conclusion… it seems a bit fishy. However, fishing for ling cod did open tonight!
Ok, we all know the real heroes have been on the front lines fighting the virus…but there are individuals deserving some thanks for making our local bubble a bit better.
Anyone that walks up or down Jacobson Road lately knows the hazard of keeping a safe 6’ from other walkers, joggers, and dogs while not getting run over by vehicle coming around a corner. The upper portion of the road only has a sidewalk on the north side. That’s if you want to call the disappearing sliver of walkway a sidewalk at all due to the ever encroaching ivy and weeds. As to the shoulder between the sidewalk and vehicular traffic, a six inch white line!
Well, our Human of the Week has been working to make things better up there.
This humble human’s not looking for recognition so no need to enlarge the pic to zoom in on his identity 😉
I caught our human trimming back the holly and hedges on the south side of the street carving out some room for pedestrians to use both sides of the road near the top. After thanking him for the effort I found out he also weed whacks over a hundred yards of the notoriously bad north side starting at the fire hydrant on the top corner. He says “I just want to give people some room!”.
If you have a person you’d like to nominate for Human of the Week (aka HOW) please contact our Chief Editor, contact info is at the bottom of this blog.
Scupper, reporting for the BDB
This morning, after writing about a portion of Beach Drive being closed, my hubby (aka our intrepid reporter, Scupper) and I decided to check out the newly closed road along Constellation Park. I actually did not expect the closure to include Alki Avenue to 63rd (the intersection by Cactus).
Vehicle traffic was definitely reduced. Gone are the cruisers and car clubs hanging out along the sidewalk.
64th was the only side street that I noticed was blocked.
This stretch of Beach Drive is no stranger to cars peeling out. The City has tried passing noise ordinances for this area but I doubt it’s been successful. Neighbors we talked to are pretty pleased with this stretch being closed.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen open parking on a warm sunny day along Alki Avenue.
The closure stretches all the way from Alki Avenue at 62nd to Beach Drive and 62nd. There were still a handful of cars (possibly residents), driving along with bicyclists, skateboards (some motorized) and all sorts of wheeled contraptions mixed with people walking or jogging in the street.
It’s a new experience to walk down the street…it’s a bit liberating. It’s also a lot easier to keep the “safe six” feet away from others. There are a lot of cars from residents along Alki Avenue to Beach Drive where there are condos, apartments and street parking for houses. This stretch is still very popular (and may become even more so) with bicyclist and joggers. If you’re wearing ear-buds, you may need a shoulder-mounted-rear-view-mirror!
It will be interesting to see how this evolves as bicyclist and resident cars, service/delivery vehicles and rule-avoiders are now dealing with people walking in the Mayor’s new “Stay Healthy Street”.
Please stay safe and be kind! This is a new experience for all of us.
Mayor Durkin has formally announced that 1/3 mile of Beach Drive is being added to the Stay Healthy Streets Program. The section runs from Alki Avenue and 63rd Avenue to along Constellation Park to Beach Drive and 63rd and will be closed to vehicles. This stretch of Beach Drive has seen a lot of traffic from cruisers and I’m sure the residence will appreciate not having to deal with the steady stream of traffic in their views.
I do wonder how much this, combined with the failure of the West Seattle Bridge, will impact the rest of Beach Drive and how it will impact homes just off the newly closed Beach Drive. I think we will see increased traffic and will it be more challenging to find parking near our homes. It’s already quite a challenge to cross Beach Drive along Emma Schmitz View Point or Me Kwa Mooks Park. Perhaps with the Stay Healthy Streets Program, the City should be adding crosswalks along Beach Drive and zoned parking for residents?
Stay safe and enjoy this sunny Mothers Day!
NOTE: Post has been updated to correct the area the road is closed.
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