Here is a preview of a project I am working on that revolves around the adventures of some animal characters in Seattle.
Category Archives: Ballard Comics
Art: Whimsical Animals in Seattle
Filed under Art, Ballard, Ballard Comics, Children's Books, Henry Chamberlain, Illustration, Seattle
BALLARD COMICS #13
Into the night, we pressed on in search of the heart and soul of Ballard.
Portraits of Jennifer at Ballard Inn.
She and I had ventured onto an interesting journey.
Sights. Sounds. History. Ghosts. Maybe some answers.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Seattle, Webcomics
BALLARD COMICS #12
Editor’s Note: Percy’s & Co. is a shining example of how old and new can come together. Percy’s & Co. is not some cute name that a marketing team came up with. It refers to Percy Sankey who built the building in 1893 to house his dry goods business. The Sankey building has mostly housed liquor purveyors of one form or another. Even when it was a dry goods business, there was a speakeasy in the back room.
Percy’s & Co. might be mistaken by tourists as a business going back over a hundred years. It’s actually brand new but it’s not brash. Just some local kids providing unique cocktails and working with local growers. Percy’s & Co. offers apothecary inspired cocktails. As its website states, these drinks feature “infused spirits, fresh purees, and beneficial tinctures.”
Thankfully, here’s a place that looks like it has a bright future because it bothered to take a careful look at the past. Visit Percy’s & Co. here.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Seattle, Webcomics
BALLARD COMICS #11
Editor’s Note: While any place of quality is welcome in the Ballard hub, we have a soft spot for any business that finds a way to authentically integrate itself within the culture. The Noble Fir is a fine example of thinking locally. It is a tavern with an eye, a mind, and a heart, to being part of the community. You’re looking for something unique and refreshing? You want to feel like you’re really still in Ballard? Then visit The Noble Fir.
Maybe a place like The Noble Fir would have seemed just a bit too luxurious in the past. Maybe. But then again, Seattle has maintained a long love affair with microbrewies and can boast at having some of the best in the world.
Why not have that level of excellence, and even elegance, amid the industrial and mechanical fixtures of old Ballard?
What we all wish to avoid is The Planet Hollywood treatment. If a place has no real connection to anywhere, then it contributes to diminishing that place. Not to put down Planet Hollywood but I think you know what I mean. So, yeah, The Noble Fir, and other fine establishments like it, are what we want to see: something that enhances the character of Ballard and actually fits.
These sort of ponderings take time but we have plenty of that. And, once a good mood is set, perhaps with a fine ale, in a good place, we can settle in and find all sorts of stories to tell.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Seattle, Webcomics
BALLARD COMICS #10
Editor’s Note: Kickin’ Boot Whiskey Kitchen is one of Ballard’s new hot spots which features tasty barbecue, catfish, and assorted specialty drinks and fine whiskies. Visit them here.
Ballard Comics comes out each Monday here at Comics Grinder.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain, Seattle, Webcomics
BALLARD COMICS #9
As our story continues, we finally check in at Ballard Inn. For longtime residents, Ballard Inn is a landmark. Now, it is part of the ownership behind the brand new Hotel Ballard and the revamped Olympic Athletic Club. We made sure to enjoy our complimentary access to Olympic Athletic Club. And we dined at Hotel Ballard’s restaurant, Stoneburner.
The combination of all this hospitality was a thrill for the senses indeed.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain
BALLARD COMICS #8
Editor’s Note: Here in Seattle, we have an election this Tuesday. And, here in Seattle, we are going through some vastly problematic growing pains. What exactly are we doing as we sprout condos in every conceivable spot? Well, rest assured, Seattle will elect someone mayor. However, we the citizens of Seattle need to look beyond this, or any, election. Consider, for example, visiting a site looking to make a difference, Reasonable Density Seattle. Sure, growth can be wonderful, just as long as we don’t stomp out the very reasons Seattle is so attractive.
Visit us every Monday for a new installment of Ballard Comics.
BALLARD COMICS #7
Editor’s Note: Any serious conversation on urban planning will include the thoughts of activist Jane Jacobs. She was a champion of urban spaces at a human scale and of the preservation of older buildings in a community. Just in terms of practicality, it was the older buildings that had intrinsic value. It was their presumably lower rents, that allowed for risk-taking ventures with limited funds.
When is gentrification too much of a good thing? Something to consider as Ballard continues to grow. Will there always be room for those things with the original sense of Ballard?
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics
BALLARD COMICS #6
Editor’s Note: Marshall McLuhan is gaining ground, much like Nikola Tesla, as a hero from the past speaking for today. He would certainly have something to say about the hotspot that is today’s Ballard, a far cry from the sleepy little hamlet that it once was. McLuhan was sensitive to such things as the character and identity of a place.
Has Ballard lost something? Well, it’s always been under development, that’s one way of looking at it. Consider the last panel in this comic. You see what was once a grand old fire station. It was converted into one of Ballard’s leading restaurants, The Hi-Life, long before the arrival of all the other new hotspots that make up the new Ballard. It’s certainly a great place and enhances the whole area. All you have to do is try their famously good fried chicken to know they belong right where they are.
Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Commentary, Edith Macefield, Henry Chamberlain, Humor, pop culture, Satire, Seattle, Webcomics
BALLARD COMICS #14
Macefied Music Festival celebrated its debut on October 5, 2013. We were there as part of my 24-Hour Comics Day exploration of Ballard, Washington.
What would Edith Macefield have to say about all the big changes in the once mellow neighborhood of Ballard? That’s what I’d like to know.
Some things take time to fully understand.
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Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Edith Macefield, Macefield Music Festival, Music, Seattle, Urbanization
Tagged as 24 Hour Comics Day, Ballard, Ballard Comics, Cities, City Life, Comic Strips, comics, Commentary, Edith Macefield, Entertainment, Macefield Music Festival, Music, Music Festivals, Pop Culture, Seattle, Urbanization