In our interview with former PI reporter Joseph Tartakoff , we asked him what Hill stories CHS should be covering. Here is part of what he told us:
The big story, I think, though, is the shift in the action from Broadway to East Olive. Each month, East Olive seems to get livelier, while Broadway gets duller. There was already a big gap between north and south Broadway due to the horrible way that Seattle Central Community College was built and it’s only getting worse with the Sound Transit destruction.
While I don’t entirely agree with Joe about Broadway, there are definitely pockets on Capitol Hill where there is so much interesting stuff happening beyond Pike/Pine, it can be hard to keep track of it all. We visited two of these areas — 14th at Pine and E. Olive in I-5 Shores — and captured some of what we found. On 14th, new businesses move in — some like Anchovies & Olives are just-born while established salon Aria completes its move from Pike/Pine. Down E. Olive Way way, it’s a story of relative long-term success — Saley and Faire can count their time in business in years now. But there is also something new here with the recent opening of Knee High.
I’d like to profile more Hill pockets and stretches of sidewalk with a story. Let me know what you’re seeing out there.
I started out joking whenever I’d write “olive way is so hot right now”, but it seems that it’s come true.
david choe got some snaps from inside the knee high on opening night –>
>>http://seattle.metblogs.com/2009/03/17/the-knee-high-is-open
Thanks. Was meaning to include more links — thanks for adding yours. Was also hoping the flickr slideshows would show my captions. Anybody know if that’s possible?
I agree that Olive seems to be a hotspot right now and I think its great. I have to admit I was disappointed that a Money Mart is moving into the corner space at Olive and Denny. It is such a good retail space. But I spose people need to get short term loans too – or whatever goes down at a Money Mart.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of JSeattle once again, I have to say that E. Olive is an extremely trashy area. The postering is way excessive and often illegal (several inches of old posters on most utility poles, posters on disallowed structures, tattered half-attached posters blowing in the wind, etc.), trash cans and recycle bins often overflowing and littering the ground nearby, alley dumpsters the same, illegal dumping…on and on. The result is an area which sometimes looks like a third world city.
But, then, apparently many Capitol Hill denizens do not mind this degree of urban blight…more important is where the “latest cool club” is located. Sad.