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Karen O'Connor, the Senior Public Relations Specialist for Seattle Parks and Recreation, told us about a new addition to the Arboretum.  There is a guided tour available today at 5:30 and a public meeting for those interested next Tuesday March 16.  Here is what she told us about Pacific Connections Garden:

The Pacific Connections Garden is one of the key components of the Washington Park Arboretum’s 20-year Master Plan for renewal and marks the first major new exhibit in the Arboretum in almost 50 years. The 14-acre garden will be located at the south end of the Arboretum and feature five eco-geographic immersion forests surrounding a central welcoming meadow and a series of stunning entry gardens. The forests will be comprised of temperate-climate plant communities from Australia, New Zealand, China, Chile, and Cascadia.

Construction begins in late spring for the “Gateway to Chile.”  This is part of the second phase of the implementation of the Pacific Connections Garden.  

We invite you to a public tour on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. and a public meeting on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.  

Attached is the flyer with detail information.   We encourage you to come and learn about the upcoming improvements for the Washington Park Arboretum which include the removal of some native trees to make way for the planting of over 70 Chilean trees and the restoration of the overgrown Holmdahl Rockery.

• As we reported Monday, Zhivago's is looking for a buyer and appears to be closed.  The "For Sale" listing notes that the reason for selling is that Geno Sabra "owns other business which is growing."  The other business referenced appears to be Seattle Town Car Inc.  We will continue reaching out to Geno for confirmation regarding Zhivago's.

• Meanwhile, CHS tipper Scott asked us to look into whether Quiznos off Broadway had closed.  Here is what Scott witnessed last Sunday (2/28): "On Sunday night, coming home from dinner, my friend and I noticed that franchisee was packing up their car with receipts and so forth. No sign has been posted on the door since then."  We have not heard back from Quiznos corporate, but Quiznos' landlord is now seeking a tenant.  We were able to confirm that this Craigslist posting is for the Quiznos space.  In addition, the 1801 East Olive Way location is no longer listed on Quiznos store locator. 

• Finally, the Hair Connection will be moving (at the end of March) from their current location at 321 Broadway to the Odd Fellows Building at 915 East Pine.  They will be occupying the retail space to the right of the entrance to Odd Fellows Hall on Pine Street.  Thanks to CHS community member MountDana for this tip.

• Baguette hoping to open next week (big thanks to neighbor Jill Corral for the tip and photo)
• 22 Doors must have sold their mixer because they are now the proud owners of a functioning website
• Calf & Kid's pre-opening party (they are still on track to open in April in the Melrose Market) will be at CHS Sponsor Poco Room on 3/21
• Zhivago's has been closed for the last few days during normal hours of operation and is for sale
• Molly Moon's needs a few good ice cream drivers and its breakfast oatmeal is garnering raves (get it while you can - the oatmeal ends this month)
• CHS Sponsor Tidbit offering 3 courses for $30 every night of the week in March
• Interview with former Gourmet contributor, dad, Hill resident and published author Matthew Amster Burton (he also does funny podcasts)

Starting Monday, Unicorn will open at noon for lunch. Unicorn's co-owner Adam Heimstadt tells CHS that they also plan to institute a weekend brunch soon and are hard at work perfecting a corn dog with french fries built into it.  Other new menu items include a corn dog madame. Oh yeah, and there's more taxidermy.  The specimen at left, Leonard, is but one of two additions - send us a photo of the other new addition and we'll update this post.

Neighbor yancy asked CHS the other day,  "Do you know anything about the Broadway #43 stop being closed? like, how long is it going to last, etc.?"  We have heard from a few of you now that Metro Routes 8 and 43 are now routinely skipping stops between Summit and 12th Avenue on East Olive / East John.  

We contacted Linda Thielke, King County Public Affairs Specialist, to decipher the when and the where of the skipped stops.  She explained that the Broadway/East John stop will be closed for two years due to light rail construction.  The reason for Metro skipping the East Olive/Boylston stop, however, is that Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) requested that Metro cease service at that stop while they construct a median island and other pedestrian safety improvements at East Olive/Boylston.  We then contacted Virginia Coffman at SDOT, who is a manager for the crosswalk project, and she informed us that Metro looked at the usage for the East Olive/Boylston(both Eastbound and Westbound) and East Olive/Howell(Eastbound only) stops and determined that eliminating those stops would increase reliability.

Linda Thielke informed us that Metro is exploring the feasability of a temporary stop (for the two years that the Broadway/East John stop is closed)  at East Olive and Harvard.  However, this stop will only become possible once Sound Transit's truck hauling phasing ceases.  Sound Transit initially projected the truck hauling phase to be complete by 2012, and we have a call in to find out if this is still the expected date.

Seattle Municipal Archives dropped this 1945 shot of the intersection of Bellevue and Olive into the CHS Flickr pool: note that the Westinghouse X-ray Building on the left is now The Saint.  The ad for Columbia Ale appears to be for an ale produced by Tacoma-based Columbia Brewing Company.  In 1941, the brewery introduced Columbia Ale: "Brewmaster Birkmaier developed the ale, which was a top fermenting beer, and a first for the brewery. The old English style Ale  immediately gained a following and remained a popular seller for 17 years."  

• Plum now offering happy hour Monday thru Friday from 3 to 6 pm featuring $3 Sliders & $5 Specialty cocktails including Spanish Lemonade and Sweet Tea White Russians
• Neighbor La Spiga is offering aspiring Seattle chefs the chance to appear on its spring menu (deadline is 3/31)
• Calf & Kid (the new cheese shop coming to Melrose) wants you to save the date 3/21 - they're throwing a pre-opening party at CHS sponsor Poco Wine Room
• Oddfellows now offering happy hour 7 days a week from 4 to 6 ($1 off wells & domestic drafts)
• Bethany Clement captures the Sorrento Drinking Lessons experience perfectly
• Today is the first day of Dine Around Seattle (Sunday thru Thursday till 3/31) - your opportunity to sample 3 courses for $30: the only Hill eatery participating this year is Monsoon
• Last day to get 10% off on all goods at Pike Street Beer & Wine (they close for the rest of the week) before their big (errrr move next door)
• Note that Cakespy (Jessie Oleson who just bought Blue Bottle Art Gallery) has now also received recognition from Saveur for authoring the Best Baking and Desserts blog as well as the Best Individual Post - she is one of five nominees - go vote for her

Is a nightclub that opens in the morning for coffee also a dayclub? Bryan-David Scott, a former furniture broker, plans to serve North Star Fine Coffees inside the Baltic Room before St. Patrick's Day.  Scott explained that North Star will be served in a cafe format at 1207 Pine during the day and coffee drinks will be available at Baltic Room's bar all night:

We will be open daily from 6:30 AM - 8:30 PM, however ... our espresso, coffees and teas will be made available through closing (2 AM).  Customers will be able to order our signature drinks (A Mick) which is made with white chocolate and Irish Cream; and other teas and spirits; and coffee and spirits. 

Scott describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur" and credits his "casually brilliant" wife Cheri with coming up with the idea of entering the coffee business.  He recounted his tale of being evicted from his home in 2006, moving to a homeless shelter with his family of seven, and founding North Star Fine Coffees while at the homeless shelter to the Capitol Hill Times (not available online):

Scott sensed opposition from those running the homeless shelter regarding his coffee business. They told him, 'you're working 80-plus hours a week, but you're not making any more [money]. Therefore, you don't have a job.' Scott said.

But the opposition just pushed him more to make his business successful.

North Star also plans to open two South Seattle locations (at Columbia City Fitness Center and Island Soul) but its flagship location will be on Pine.

 CHS has yet to sample North Star's brew, but Scott tells us that his "coffees are in the top 5% of the world."

Update (3/2): We spoke to Jason Brotman, Baltic Room's owner, who emphasized that Northstar will not be running a separate business at 1207 Pine.  Rather, this is the first step in the Baltic Room's goal of making the lounge more accessible to the Capitol Hill community.

Capitol Hill's own gourmet hot dog purveyor Po Dog announced today that they will establish a second location at 4736 University Way NE, taking over the space formerly occupied by Sunney's Cafe.  This second location will be in business mid-April.  Here are the details from the press release:

Po Dog, a gourmet-chic wiener eatery known for unique creations and fresh toppings, announced plans to open a second location today. The Seattle based restaurant will now have a home in the University District (4736 University Way NE). Laura Olson, 26, founder of Po Dog on Capitol Hill announced today plans to open the second location. Po Dog is a unique Gourmet Hot Dog restaurant known for their over the top creations. These include a deep fried wasabi egg-roll dog, a homemade macaroni & Cheese dog and the deep fried danger dog (a hot dog wrapped in pepper bacon, deep fried, covered in chili sauce and sauteed onions). All offerings available in 100% all beef, Field Roast Veggie, or a rotating selection of locally made sausages. The new location will open mid-April on "the Ave" in the University District. Po Dog will carve out a 635 sqft space adjacent to Rudy's barbershop. When asked why her restaurants are in such small storefronts (the Capitol Hill location is just over 900 sqft) Olson had this to say with a grin; "Our wieners just fit better in tight spaces". Besides being know for her delicious dogs, Po Dog has received much admiration for their tongue and cheek advertising. There seems to be an endless supply of wiener jokes constantly being exchange via Twitter between Ms. Olson and her cult following. "We are lucky to have such a wonderful and diverse clientele which has made Po Dog fun and exciting not only for our customers but for all of us working here" Po Dog University District will feature her signature 12 dogs as well as a monthly rotating special. The recent addition of Uli's famous sausages to Po Dogs' menu has added a new dimension to their irresistible offerings. So set your calendar to grab a cold beer and hot dog at Po Dog! 

While 10th Avenue East awaits a much heralded arrival and the Melrose Project begins taking shape, a stretch of Pine west of Broadway is also kicking into motion with three different businesses making big changes -- and one much-loved bar expanding its sunshiny dominion over a larger swath of Capitol Hill.

Michael Klebeck, whose history in Capitol Hill dates back to the 1990s, has experienced great success, of late, with Sun Liquor and Top Pot Doughnuts.  His yet to be named gin distillery at 514 East Pike hopes to open sometime this summer.  CHS caught up with Klebeck, and we asked him for details regarding the project.   Klebeck envisions a bar that is "almost an exact Sun Liquor" with an attached distillery.  In fact, he is hoping that the liquor authorities allow them to call the project "Sun Liquor Distillery" or something that clearly conveys the connection.  When we pressed him on reasons for the Pike/Pine corridor location, he mentioned that he loves the diversity and the energy of this part of Capitol HIll.  He was also excited by the prospect of occupying a 1930s era building.  As he has noted before, he is very "drawn to is the old style architecture and blending the old with the new."

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Right next door to the planned distillery/bar is The Feed Bag, a pet provisions store, which has been a fixture on the block for sixteen years. Angela (a/k/a Alpha Bitch) and The Feed Bag are moving next door to the corner spot at Pike and Belmont (at 518 East Pike from their current location at 516 East Pike)) on March 1, 2010.  Angela told us that they will have more space and will expand the range of products they have for birds and reptiles.  In addition, they plan to have educational classes covering basic pet care.  If you have not yet stopped by The Feed Bag, here is their story (as reported by their Flickr friend Aandroid):

Picture it Baltimore 1993...Alpha Bitch Angela likes animals more than she likes people and likes being her own boss more than working for one. Her and her Beagle ,Martini Olive(Olly) move to Sea-Town..some other boring stuff happens and then basically... 

The Feed Bag Pet Provisions was born.

Whether dog, cat, small mammal, bird or fish The Feed Bag offers provisions to maintain your beasts well being. Honest knowledgeable friendly service is our goal. Integrity over profit is our mission. We ARE your neighborhood store and have been owner operated since day one back in 1994. We've got plenty of good shit-so your pets will too.

Pike Street Beer and Wine will replace The Feed Bag's at 516 East Pike.  Since they are moving to a smaller space, PSBW is offering a 10% sale on all inventory through March 1.  Seattle Metropolitan reports that PSBW will close for a few days beginning 3/2/10 and reopen in the 2nd week of March.