Have Qwest DSL?!3{2}What is your download speed?

I’m wondering if anyone is getting decent download speed from Qwest in the CD.  I am paying for 7.0 MB down / 1.5 MB up.  I’m actually getting about 1.6 down and 0.39 up. Shocker.

After some frustrating calls to Qwest, they now say I’ll have to pay for someone to come out and run a new line from the telephone pole to my house, install a new jack and start over.  I’m ok with that if it will solve my problem, but I’m skeptical.  I asked them if anyone else in my neighborhood is actually getting 7.0 down, and they told me that they can’t tell, because the mechanism they use to test that is broken (!) and they don’t know when it will be working again(!!).  Is anyone getting what they are paying for from Qwest?  Specifically, is anyone in the hood getting anywhere close to 7.0MB download speed?

If you want to test your speed, you can do it on Speakeasy’s site here:   http://speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Thanks, I’d appreciate hearing from you.

Possible Prowler around 16th and Jefferson

Just wanted to give a heads up about a possible prowler casing homes on 16th between Alder and Jefferson.  He knocked on the door after 11pm claiming to be a neighbor but when asked where he lives, he ran off.  (Plus, we know pretty much all of our neighbors on the street and didn’t recognize him.)  He is an African American male with cornrows, average height and build. 

Warning – Aggressive Dog – 18th and Alder

One of my neighbors was out walking her dog last night when her dog was attacked by a German Shepherd living on the north-west corner of 18th and Alder. Her dog will be ok, but did need stitches. Just wanted to let folks know that they may want to be careful if walking dogs around that intersection. Caveat – I wasn’t there so I don’t know the exact circumstances, but thought it was worth a cautionary post.

Dog-O-Ween

CDN is going to the dogs… COLA (those nice folks involved with creating more dogparks in Seattle) has a Halloween event coming up on Oct 25. Dog-O-Ween is at Genesee Park on Saturday 10/25/08 from 11am – 2pm. The canine costume contest starts at noon. For some pics of last year’s entries, click here: http://www.dogoween.org/photos.html

This is also a fund raiser for COLA and they have a raffle and vendor booths in addition to the parade of dogs in costume.

Debate night at Cafe Presse

Cafe Presse (12th and Madison) is showing the presidential and vice presidential (oughta be entertaining) debates on a big screen tv. Thought this might be of interest. Below is the schedule. (Though it looks like McCain is postponing this Friday’s debate, so I suppose it is subject to change.)

2008 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SCHEDULE
Friday, September 26 6:00-7:30pm Domestic Policy
Thursday, October 2 6:00-7:30pm Vice Presidential Debate
Tuesday, October 7 6:00-7:30pm Town Hall Format
Wednesday, October 15 6:00-7:30pm Foreign Policy

No cover. No reservations. Everyone welcome!

Café Presse
1117 12th Avenue Seattle, WA
TEL: 206.709.7674
WWW.cafepresseseattle.com

Dog Park in the CD (woof!)

Hey neighbors, anyone else want an off-leash dog park in the CD? There are a zillion small parks aimed at kids in the Central District, but no sanctioned off-leash areas for our pooches to romp and play. Some statistics to ponder – only 19% of Seattle households have children, but 33% have dogs. There are an estimated 125,000 dogs in Seattle but fewer than 90,000 children. My rough count (depending on how you define the borders of the CD) is that there are about 20 parks in our neighborhood, but not one dogpark.

I’m not anti-kid, but I am pro-pooch. How great would it be for everyone to have an off-leash dog park within easy walking distance of their home? I think it would be fantastic for us humans too – meeting our neighbors, creating good times and healthy play for the dogs.

Remember the Crack Park at 3rd and Bell in Belltown? I believe the dog enthusiasts were given 18 months to try to turn it from an open air drug market to a dogpark. It has been fabulously successful, and now the pooches in Belltown have a place to play. I’d love to see us do the same thing. Maybe we could pick one or two usually-empty kid parks in the CD and lobby the city to turn them into dogparks. I’m not really sure how to get this ball rolling, but I thought I’d start with a post here to see how much support there is for the idea. What do you think?

Getting in Shape in the CD

Any suggestions for where to get your sweat on in the CD? I got my ass kicked by a pilates/springs class at the Body & Mind place last night. I used to drop in at the community center at 23rd & Cherry. You can use the gym there for $1/day or $10/month. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Editors Note:  If you’ve got your favorite spot, share it on the site by creating a business review

Gangstaz

This isn’t breaking news exactly, but it was news to me. I had a conversation with someone else in the neighborhood yesterday. He told me that a couple of years ago he went to a community meeting and heard from some youth pastors and priests that a few key gang leaders were due to get out of jail (juvenile hall?) in a couple of years (ie. NOW). Has anyone else heard this? Could it be related to the mini-wave of violence around here lately? Not trying to be an alarmist, mad props to the CD. Just curiuos.