Port Townsend Real Estate : Washington: Port Townsend: Downtown Port Townsend

Water Street Creperie

 Most mornings I like to take a walk in the historic downtown area of Port Townsend and while the streets are empty and the sun is coming up you really notice if a store has gone out of business and something new has popped up for rent.  The past 12 months or so it seems we have had more closings than I have ever seen.

 This morning I saw a very positive and upbeat sign.  A new store called the Water Street Creperie that just opened 2 days ago.  What a lovely and delightful shop!  Tastefully decorated and beautifully furnished with tables, chairs, counters and imaginative art work.

There are outdoor tables and chairs, and a pass through counter for street side purchases.

 They feature crepes with breakfast ingredients, (eggs, cheese, etc.) or lunch type with turkey and ham, a vegetarian offering, plus wonderful desert crepes.  The two I would most like to try (as soon as I lose 20 pounds) are the Graham Cracker Crumble, and the Goat Cheese and Honey. YUMMMMM!

 I met one of the owners, (who else would be there at 7 am.?) a nice young man named Brandon Ellard, who told me he grew up in Port Townsend,  and his friendly employee Jackson.  I welcomed them and wished them luck.  Brandon's partner James Larson was out of town.  A couple of brave and daring young men, and the backbone of our country's economy.

Port Townsend's  beloved Rose Theater has added some new programs which bring a new dimension to the arts here in our little city of Port Townsend.

 This charming little theater opened in Downtown Port Townsend  in the 1930's and closed sometime in the 50's.  Re-opened in the early 1990's by Rocky Friedman, it is a delightful little theater with one small theater seating about 75 to 100, (I am guessing) with a balcony, and a tiny theater called the Rosebud seating about 35 to 50 people.  Charming 30's architecture and decor, intimate atmosphere and the best popcorn you ever tasted. 

School of Athens Passionate Minds Lecture Series , Nation, from the London National Theater in HD, and

La Danse, the Paris Opera Ballet.  Something for everyone with Avatar held over. 

My son says this is bigger than Christmas...well for some of us maybe.  I am glad to have the afternoon to snuggle up with my two Shit Zhu's for a little nap. 

This is a photo of Port Townsend at 8 am this morning, and a sign I saw in one of the windows.

Port Townsend's New Cafe. 

Don't tell the owner of the recently opened Undertown Coffee House in Port Townsend that things are slow.  He would not believe it.  He has taken an old underground basement downtown and turned it into our little towns newest hot spot. 

It is intriguing and inviting from the top of the stairs to back into the last room of the cafe.  You are instantly met with strong and luscious coffee aromas, small twinkling lights, and the sound of trickling water, all drawing you down the stairs to see what lurks beyond.  It reminds me of something in Paris in the late 50's.

These photos were taken at 8 am this morning and the place was humming.  It is equally busy in the evening hours with eccentric and quirky jazz groups (Last one I saw there was Hillbilly Jazz, and I liked it!)

In addition to coffee they sell wine, soups, muffins and other light fare.  They have art on the wall for sale, and wi-fi, with lots of sofas, easy chairs, and tables grouped into 4 or 5 rooms that flow from one another.  It is a great little spot and I wish them best.  This is a fun place to meet and greet and I am sure it has been discoverd by visitors and local alike. 

When I moved here 10 years ago, it seems to me Port Townsend  had only one strand of decorations in the downtown area.  Now we have two!  We also have a very beautiful tree (donated by one of our county commisioners from his own yard) at the Haller Fountain which was decorated on a gorgeous sunny morning today.  

Organized annually by Port Townsend's Main Street Organization, the downtown decorations are put up with the help of an entire company from the Jefferson County fire department, several city and park employees as well as a multitude of volunteers.

Financed by private business, the city of Port Townsend year. In previous years his arrival was by tugboat, however his boat sank in Alaska this last year and a more conventional mode of transportation has been chosen.

 The annual tree lighting and christmas festivites marked by Santa's arrival is scheduled Saturday at 4 pm.  There will be caroling, carriage rides and a $1000  sweepstake prize of shopping money for one lucky person.

 To learn more about Port Townsend please visit my website

PORT TOWNSEND'S HAUNTED BUILDINGS 

 Port Townsend is a favorite place for some amateur ghost hunters, and their findings include 3 well known historical buildings.  Using film, digital cameras, audio and video recording systems, and computerized surveilance gear they feel they can determine extra paranormal activity.  They feel Port Townsend is one of the most haunted communities in the state of Washington.   

 The "Commander's House" at Fort Worden showed some "orbs" (not visible to the naked eye) in photograpy taken by a  team of "ghost hunters" that visited Port Townsend  in 2006.   Built in the late 1800's and open to the public as a museum, this wonderful home overlooks the Parade Grounds at the fort. 

Another rich field was the Manressa Castle (built in 1891)  with many local ghost stories, surely embellished over the years,  The group found a lot of unexplained activity in the attic  and orbs have been photographed there as well.   Some hotel guests have reported individual incidences ( a broken grandfather clock in the foyer that chimes, ghostly shapes and cold breezes.)    Film crews come regularly to the former Jesuit seminary to photograph in hopes of finding some evidence.   

The Palace Hotel (1889) is the favorite place of ghosts in the downtown area of Port Townsend.  Average tourists have reported many stories of unusual activity ( a strange presesence)  and employees have also seen or felt strange things at the hotel.  

 Atop the staircase is a large portrait of the Lady in Blue, a mournful, mysterious woman from decades ago whose legend paints her as having ties to a former brothel that operated at the hotel from 1925 to 1933. The spirit of the Lady in Blue is believed to leave the portrait to walk the Palace halls in search of a lost lover.

Happy Halloween!

Port Townsend 27th Annual Kinetic Skulpture Race  

 This event 10 years ago was one of my first clues about  this kinky, funky little town, unlike any other! .  No one had prepared me for the antics I was about to encounter, from the racers themselves, the event organizers, the Kinetic Kops and most of the towns people dressed in the strangest and most original costumes I had ever seen.   

 The race entrants must design and build a contraption, called Kinetic Sculptures, that will run on pavement, water and through mud bogs.  They range from sophisticated and large to a bicycle enclosed in a banana shaped cover on pontoons or innertubes,  and are run by teams in costumes that range from clever to twisted.  Even more  amazing are the spectators, dressed in whatever strikes them, the crazier the better.  There will be 15 entries this year.

 Events are non stop beginning Saturday with the Wannabe Parade down Water Street, where all people in costume are welcome to march down the street to the sounds of the Port Townsend Peoples Band.    Next, comes the downhill ride to test brakes, then the water trials through the bay to test for sea worthiness.  This takes place in any kind of weather with the exception of white caps on the bay. 

   Saturday evening there is the Koronation Kostume Ball (The Rose Hips Ball) held at the American Legion (the main fundraiser for the event)  There will be dancing to music by the Turner Brothers, and admission is $15.00  Kandidates for Kween go on stage at 9:30 dressed in their zaniest costume with the theme this year: Unbirthday Teaparty. Kandidates must tell a joke, perform a talent, and offer a recipe.  The Kween and her court will reign over the main event on Sunday and carry that prestegious title till next year.  No cameras allowed, as "what happens at the Rose Hips  ball stays at The Rose Hips Ball!"  

 Sunday is the big race day, beginning at 10:30 am.when the Skulptures line up; presentations at 11 am. and race begins at low noon.  1:30 Kwicksand at Fort Worden, 2:30 Dismal Bog at the fairgrounds, 5:30 post race ceremony at Legion Hall.  

 Rules are: 

1.   Mediocrity rules
2. Bribes are expected
3.  Cheating helps  

You know you have been here too long when all this seems very normal.  Gotta run to get my costume ready!        

The 10^th anniversary of the Port Townsend Film Festival is starting today, September 24 and will run through Sunday.  The person most responsible for the success of our festival, director Peter Simpson  passed away this year, and he will be sorely missed by the community, festival staff, and volunteers. 

 Described on the program as "a film lover's block party", Port Townsend is just the perfect venue for this celebration of great films and filmmakers.  The main stage is in our beloved Rose Theater, with movies also shown at the Uptown Theater,  The Pope Marine Center, and the Upstage.

 The films are chosen by 12 Port Townsend Film Festival reviewers who screened 255 films this year to pick the 60  plus films that will be shown this weekend, some documentary, features and short films.

This year our celebrity guest will be Cloris Leachman, the Oscar and Emmy winning actress known for character roles and a long run on the Mary Tyler Show.  There will be an evening with Cloris and she will be available for an exchange with the audience.

 There is something for everyone, including free outdoor movies on the street in front of the Rose.  On Friday night they will be showing one of my favorites as a kid, An American in Paris with Gene Kelly.  There is a beer garden with drinks and light meals, and of course the best popcorn ever is served at the Rose.

The weather is perfect and I promise this will be a great experience you won't foget, so hop on a ferry and come on over!

Watch a video of storm surge downtown Port Townsend in February of 2007
My son shot this amateur footage the morning after a night of 70 mile per hour winds!

The storm destroyed a restaurant ironically named "The Surf"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjld4ulvyx4

Quaint and charming, this gem is one of 2 theaters in Port Townsend, located just off Water Street in the heart of the Victorian downtown area.  As you pass, you are drawn in by the wonderful posters in the widows, sweet little box office, and the aroma of fresh popcorn, made the old fashioned way and served with real butter. 

Originally opened in 1907 with vaudeville shows and live musical productions, it moved to it's current location in 1908 and began showing the latest innovation, moving pictures.

 In 1958 the Rose closed and would not re-open again until 1992 under the ownership of Rocky Friedman, a nice guy with a dream and a love of movies.  (Financed by local citizens, who also helped with the painting of the building).  Rocky added the smaller cozy theater called the Rosebud, which fills up quickly with a popular movie.  The movies begin with a short talk about the film and a request to clean up after ourselves.  On Mondays there is a door prize for some lucky winner just for coming.

  Rocky studied film making in Southern California and moved back to the Northwest with the hopes of becoming a screenwriter.  Rocky and The Rose are devoted to bringing art to Port Townsend in the form of good movies.  A big part of the Port Townsend Film Festival, it also hosts a lecture series called  School of Athens Lectures, with subjects such as Archeology, Nature Photography, and Symbolism of Ancient Zen Temples. 

 I will just stick with the movies, most  of which are the artsy type, or often foreign film or festival winners. 

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