Local yoga studio Mountain Flow Yoga has been receiving plenty of buzz since moving to Madrona this spring. A mention in Daily Candy, a “Best of Seattle” Award in Seattle Weekly for their popular rooftop yoga classes, and an upcoming blurb in October’s issue of Seattle Magazine have all led to increased attendance at the small business.

As a result, the studio will be doing some minor expansion this weekend, knocking down the wall between the studio and reception area to create one large room. The studio will be closed Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day Weekend before reopening on Labor Day, though re-painting and floor installation are still a few weeks away.

It’s always nice to see local businesses doing well. To those who’ve checked out Mountain Flow Yoga, what do you think?

The official letter to Madrona businesses from Metro on the decision not to move the bus layover went out this morning. As we reported yesterday, the proposed move of the No. 3 bus layover station from in front of St. Clouds to further down the street was deemed too costly.

Today’s letter from Victor Obeso, manager of Metro’s Service Development Section, has more details on the estimated cost of over $486,000 to develop new overhead wire design and construction.

Route 3 is an electric trolley operating on power drawn from overhead wire with limited operational flexibility. The bus stop on 34th Avenue also functions as a terminal or layover. Any new layover site would require overhead wire construction in order to maintain current service levels and operations. Metro Transit estimates the cost of new overhead wire design and construction to be over $486,000. Based on the projected costs involved, relocating the layover is not possible at this time. We had hoped to be able to accommodate the neighborhood business’s request but given the County’s budget crisis, we do not have funds for this project.

In addition to the Madrona Playground, Metro assessed the area for other alternative layover sites but were not successful because of the overhead wire limitations, narrow roadways and driveways in the vicinity of the Route 3 terminal.

The letter also notes that while access to comfort stations (restrooms) for drivers was a consideration, that would not have been a deciding factor were the relocation costs feasible.

Moving forward, the letter includes plans for Metro transit planner Mary Bemowski – the main contact for Madrona businesses throughout the process – to “work with Metro staff regarding the possibility of scheduling only one coach to the terminal at a time in order to reduce the overall bus impact on the adjoining businesses.” 

UPDATE:  John Platt, one of the owners of St. Clouds and a main proponent of the bus move, said via email, ” I’m angry, feel helpless, feel like it was a charade…Ultimately, what a ridiculous idea to have two busses parked in front of businesses, in the middle of a business district. Ridiculous….I’m torn between wanting to pursue this more and wanting to walk away in disgust.”

What do you think of the reasoning here, and do you think scheduling only one bus at the layover at a time will help?

Updated: We’ve heard from a Madrona business owner that the No. 3 bus stop layover has been deemed too cost-prohibitive to move entirely, according to Metro.

An internal review by Metro’s Transit Route Facilities Group, an internal work group that oversees bus stops and other transit issues, concluded that it would cost $450,000 to move the layover from its current spot in front of St. Clouds restaurant.

For a bit of history on the bus layover move: two months ago, several Madrona business owners met with a representative from Metro about moving the layover spot further south, out of the central business district. A poll we ran showed a vast majority preferred moving the layover away from its current spot in front of St. Clouds.

Metro will send out an official letter this week announcing the decision and proposing ways to work with local businesses to improve the situation, such as reducing the amount of time multiple buses are waiting on 34th Ave.

What do you think of the decision?

The 2010 school year, amazingly, is almost about to start. The families of Madrona K-8 are kicking it off right with a “Welcome Back” barbeque this Wednesday, Sept. 1, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the school playground.

The school will provide food and music, as well as class rosters, uniform shirts and a meet-and-greet with new principal Farah Thaxton and other new and returning staff members.

The first day of classes is on Sept. 8. Parents, are you ready?

Those who work M-F 9-5 will appreciate a non-weekday Molly Moon’s truck visit. The big blue ice cream truck will be parked in its customary spot outside Buggy (1422 34th Avenue) from 3:30-5:30 today (Saturday the 28th). 

Also today will be the final event to celebrate Washington Wine Month at Bottlehouse, with Washington winery ANIMALE hosting a reception and free tastings from 6-8pm. 

Kay Smith-Blum, the Seattle School Board Director for District 5 (which includes most of the Central District) will be holding semi-monthly community meetings this fall.

The first two scheduled are Saturday, Sept. 25 from 10-11:30 am and Saturday, Nov. 13 from 10-11:30am. The meetings will be held at Douglass Truth Library and are open to the public.

The other district directors already hold monthly meetings, so it’s good to see District 5 getting on the calendar as well. Additional dates are TBA but expected to be forthcoming.

The Madrona Dining and Sipping Society is capping their summer of eating and drinking with their third annual End of Summer Picnic on Sunday, Sept. 12. 

The picnic will be held on the lawn at St. Therese and catered by St. Clouds, though attendees should bring their own beverage of choice. The event kicks off at 5:30 with dinner served buffet-style at 6pm.

This year, there’s an additional twist – the best “picnic setup” will win a glassybaby votive. To win, we suggest going beyond the traditional blanket and folding chairs. 

Tickets are available at glassybaby and St. Clouds. Adults and kids 12 and up are $16, kids 5-11 are $5, and kids under 5 are free. Exact change is preferred, or make checks out to St. Clouds.

If you’re planning on going, what are you brainstorming for your elaborate picnic setup?

Our news partners at the Seattle Times visited Madrona restaurant June for the weekly Happy Hour column this week, and came away raving about Chef Vuong Loc’s pickled beef tongue sandwich.

Brined, braised and grilled to a smoky finish. Spread with a rich aioli on a grilled baguette. Tasted like a hanger steak, only tender, better.

The sandwich is $5 during happy hour, Monday-Friday from 5-7 p.m. Other menu items praised were the spaetzle and the rabbit rillette.

Having personally sampled the beef tongue sandwich, we can tell you the hype is legit – even if you’re not the sort of person who’s into offal or out-of-the-ordinary meats, you’ll likely be swayed by Loc’s preparation. 

Have you tried the beef tongue at June, or other items at happy hour? What did you think of it?

Popular Madrona shop glassybaby will be hosting an event Wednesday night (this evening) to celebrate the launch of their newest gift set, “Sisterhood”.

From 6:30-9pm, you can swing by to experience “bites, drinks, color and light“.

The two votives in the gift set are a light pink and light lavender, named “peony” and “sister”, respectively. The store will donate 10% from the sale of each gift set to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

In addition, the expanded playground areas and basketball courts will be open to the neighborhood after school hours, part of Neely’s goal to have the school be an integral part of the community.

“We’re trying to open up to the neighborhood,” he said. “The school has had a conservative, cloistered reputation that I think we’re undoing.”

Madrona community members can check out the new buildings at a community-wide Open House on Oct. 15. The school will also have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day of classes.