Author: Carl Setzer

Lynnwood Light Rail Link

Carl Setzer3 Comments
Sound Transit Logo

Back in April, Sound Transit choose it’s light rail station locations which will bring service up into Lynnwood.  As someone who has lived in Lynnwood and commuted to both downtown Seattle and the Eastside, this chart jazzes me.

How long will my trip from Lynnwood take?

Accessing downtown Seattle with a predictable 28 minute trip should be very helpful for both commuters as well as those seeking to enjoy the myriad entertainment options Seattle offers. Here’s a look at the future.

 

Better transit makes all our lives better, and I’m excited to see these developments. Moving forward!

Fun News From the #ArlingtonFlyIn

Carl Setzer
Arlington Fly-In Logo

My good friends, Jack & Francine over at Whiskey Ridge Brewery in Arlington will be providing beer for the beer-garden at this Year’s Fly-In. This is exciting news for them! (Full disclosure: I built their website and help with their social media.)

In case you didn’t know, the Arlington Fly-In is a big deal for recreation aviation enthusiasts. This began as a one day fly-in and spaghetti feed WAAY back in 1969. It’s quite a hoot and one of the more unique Northwest events. This year it’s July 9-11.

 

A response to When Good Enough Becomes Never Enough

Carl Setzer1 Comment

Ah, very wise words; ones which I should embrace as deeply as I can. Often, I’m absorbed into the trap of comparison, and lose sight of “enough”. Losing sight of MY goals and dreams.

This also reinforces the importance of having your own goals and dreams. Vision gives you something to focus on, pulling you forward. That’s critical to avoiding a self-pitying spiral of misery.

Here’s the original post: When Good Enough Becomes Never Enough

Neighborly Reminder: Fireworks Are No Longer Legal in #Lynnwood

Carl Setzer
City of Lynnwood Logo

With much angst, Lynnwood’s city council banned fireworks last year. I expect that they’ll be vigorous with enforcement. Or they won’t, but I wouldn’t push my luck. Anyway, just making sure everyone is thinking about it. Whether or not you like it, it’s now the law.

City officials would like to remind Lynnwood residents that discharging fireworks, even the ‘safe and sane’ variety, is no longer legal in Lynnwood city limits. Instead, we urge you to enjoy a local firework show hosted by one of our many neighboring cities.

On June 17, 2014, the Lynnwood City Council adopted Ordinance 3066 which prohibits the sale and discharge of fireworks in the city, effective in 2015. Anyone caught discharging fireworks in the city limits will have their fireworks confiscated. They may also be cited and face misdemeanor charges.

Visit our events calendar for a listing of local shows at www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/events.

#Lynnwood’s Lynndale Elementary’s Last Hurrah

Carl Setzer

Well, it’s the last community event in the original building. Built in 1957, Lynndale will undergo an 18 month tear-down/rebuild starting almost immediately after the school year ends. This building has been a touchstone for many, many people over the years, and though we’re excited about the possibilities of the new building, we’ll miss the old one.

So, on June 12, starting at 5:30, there will be a BBQ potluck dinner.  This is for everyone in the Lynndale community who has been involved with Lynndale Elementary in any way since it opened its doors in 1957!  A memory table will be set up, people can have one last view of the building, and hopefully they will be able to reunite with friends from their past. This is a BBQ potluck (we need people to a bring side dish, salad, or dessert to share).

Trust that the wonderful community that is Lynndale will continue during the remodel and into the new one. Lynndale is truly Looking Back, Moving Forward.

Driving to Port Angeles today

Carl Setzer

Later today we’re zipping of to Port Angeles for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon’s Kid’s Marathon. My son’s been training with his school’s running club. They’ve run a total of twenty-five miles before today. This afternoon, they’ll run the final 1.2 miles to complete the official marathon distance.

I love Port Angeles! It’s a gorgeous drive to get there; a fun way to spend time with family and friends. A ferry ride will be a delight. It’s been some time, and with the summer-esque weather, it’ll be a particularly delightful trip.

The Victorian downtown enchants me. Plus, the waterfront simply bubbles with charm. It’s not often I’m able to drop to a slower place. Love that, even if it’s just an afternoon.

Driving in Bothell

Carl Setzer

One of the students at my taekwondo school needed a ride home. I never want something as basic as transportation to prohibit participation. So, I find myself driving down old Filbert Road after dark.

I’ve driven this road countless times. It’s a part of the area that, on the surface, doesn’t look much different. But I see through the trees. There are many lights where, once, there were none.

Filbert is long and narrow, and quite dark. I remembered many dark drives over the years. Yet the twinkling of progress lurks nearby. For the good, and the bad, this duality of life.

There are times I miss the old, but I delight in the new too much to be put out. Life’s too short for misery 

Hey @ihop, what’s up with the #Lynnwood location?

Carl Setzer
welcome-to-lynnwood

Noticed on my drive to work today that there is a crew working at Lynnwood’s IHOP. I can’t tell if they’re simply renovating or changing over the store to something else. Does anyone know? Let me know what you know, ya’ know?

Lynndale’s last days

Carl Setzer

Sitting in the old gym last night listening to another concert, I felt a sense of finality. This building, built in 1957 and remarkably unchanged since, is doomed. Within a month, this building will be gone. Making way for the new.

Memories haunt these halls. Though I never was a student here, my son’s whole academic career resides here. Over the past 7 years, I’ve been in many meetings, many activities in many of these rooms. This place contains many memories, and probably the majority of my son’s.

One of the Edmonds School Districts’s oldest buildings, it contains the style of those schools I grew up with. Going forwards, he moves into a structure built in the 2000s, then to one from the late 80s. Yet, there’s connection for me. Name-wise, these are the same institutions I attended.

Progress is good. The new nudge school and high school are well crafted, delightful places. They meet the needs of 21st century students. Good ol’ tired, when Lynndale will soon join those ranks. And the gladness I feel tempers the sadness. The connections will hold.

Observed changes in #Lynnwood

Carl Setzer3 Comments

Yesterday I noticed that demolition started on the old Taco Bell just east of Highway 99 on 196th. It’s last incarnation: another taco place, this one of similar quality to the great taco trucks. Many memories, but the building’s neglect finally won.

We’re getting a CVS pharmacy, which surely shall add delight to an already very busy corner. It’s a high-volume intersection, so I expect they’ll do well. I imagine traffic to get worse there, though. Maybe it’ll hardly be noticeable, that whatever traffic improvements built will easily compensate. One can hope.

Gives me pause, all this development. Our suburb’s design focuses on cars. Parts of Lynnwood are walkable. Yet many spots require a significant level of bravery and/or desperation. I’d love to see more walkability and bicycle friendly design featured in our development. Maybe we can all feel encouraged to slow down and enjoy our neighborhoods. Discovering a great life that doesn’t involve lugging around tons of steel and plastic. One hopes. Well, on this one I act. Some things are important enough to demand action. Some things…