Individual jumps from NOMA roof.

I heard this evening that a gentleman between the ages of 45-50 jumped from the roof of NOMA this morning. This is a true tragedy. I was informed that he was taken to Harborview.

Does anyone have any additional information?

"Breaking" News - Truck drives into side of bus

At approximately 5:35 this evening, a truck pulled out of the Lock Vista parking lot on 56th and into the side of the Metro 17 Express, originally hitting just behind the forward doors as can be seen in the photo and scraping along the side as the bus came to a complete stop. Initial indications are that no one was injured since the bus was barely moving at the time, a lucky break for the many people standing during the ride who could easily have been knocked off balance.

This gossip girl witnessed the accident from inside the bus, where it sounded like the front end of the white truck was being shaved off the completely. The driver of the pickup was overheard saying something about his brakes having issues.
Judging from previous damage to his vehicle, this might not be the first time these issues have come up. I'm sure there will be an investigation by Metro, but I would not anticipate any blame being directed towards the bus driver. In addition to passengers, another Metro driver witnessed the incident from across the parking lot and was quickly at the scene. We'll keep you updated if we hear further information. For now we're just glad that everyone was alright.

Curtains for Zayda Buddy's?

We heard a rumor that Zayda Buddy's will be closing it's doors soon. Is Ballard not willing to shell out for swilly Midwest beer and greasy hot dish? Or is it just a smear campaign by neighboring restaurateurs?

Update: According to an intrepid reader, someone there told them that no, they aren't shutting down. Well, in this case, it really is just another neighborhood land owner/restaurateur bad mouthing them. Boo! Shame on him. Sounds like this dish was not so delish if you get my drift.

We also heard that Monkey Bridge has been closed recently at odd times like 6 p.m. on Thursday. What's up with that?

Update: And the MB is fine, so go get some Pho!

The Best Gossip of the Week! The Sun Was Spotted in Ballard

If you missed it look out your window. This BGG was on the porch of the OP tonight and low and behold the sun appeared. Cherish it Ballard! It could be another two weeks until it appears again.

Sushi in September

Confidential whispers have confirmed that the hot new sushi joint going in on Ballard Ave is scheduled to be opening in September. We're ready now since it already feels like fall. We know who is opening it, the proposed name and more salacious details but we're not telling....yet.

Sex and The Bay

Is it just me or does the Majestic Bay play children's movies nearly exclusively? Yes, there are lots of kids and families in Ballard, but come on. In the spirit of full disclosure while we regularly see nearly every movie they show including the kid's movies, we were just hoping they would be playing Sex and The City. Oh, well. The Ballard Gossip Girls will have to leave the hood to catch this summer treat.

I don't think it's just me: They are currently showing Narnia, Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda. Kid's Movie Trifecta.

Seabreeze Blows Out

Seabreeze is shut down and a new restaurant appears to be opening up there. We were sad to realize the family that ran Seabreeze/Il Forno/La Romantico closed up shop but hopefully they'll keep cooking in another location. It's the same Italian family who had the Italian restaurant where Matador is located now.

The signs are already up for Hamburger Harry's and they've applied for a liquor license. It looks like they're also trying to figure out menus or pricing since an array of area burger restaurant menus were under study on a table in the front. We're interested in seeing what they do with this place. My only advice is that they should apply now for patio seating and create some storefront interest. And we hope they serve strong drinks!

Update from the comments: Good call John, we're not really lacking in the burger department.

"Let's see. Zesto's, Lunchbox Laboratory, Scooters, King's, Gordo's, Zak's. And, on the borders, Red Mill and Dick's. That's not counting the fast food spots, or places which just have a darn good burger (Bad Albert's, Jolly Roger, Mike's, Ballard Brothers). It's a classic business plan 'Look at all the burger restaurants! Burger's must be incredibly popular, so lets open our own!' "

In our humble opinion, the scariest menu on the table was one from Red Robin. We hope they're not planning "all you can eat crappy steak fries" as a hook. I'm also really curious about the concept based on their graphics - casual dining with tuxedo-level burgers. Oh, wait, I've been there. It's Hubert Keller's Burger Bar. Will they offer a $90 Kobe burger with foie gras and truffles, too?

Just a thought here - but no one in Ballard has yet to nail a good seafood burger - sorry Ballard Bros. A good halibut burger or a fish cake style burger would be a nice twist.