Cafe Lulu – Greenlake
Description on Cafe Lulu’s website: A fun, cozy, welcoming atmosphere might just become a natural extension of your own home.
Neighborhood: Greenlake
Address: 6417 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Cinnamon Roll.
Comments: It’s actually been awhile since we’d been to Café Lulu, the small little neighborhood coffee shop in between Greenlake and Roosevelt neighborhoods. They just recently did a remodel which really changed the feel of the café. Before it was a cozy colorful spot with orange walls, chalkboard menus and lots of art. Now Café Lulu has been transformed to a more modern clean café with white walls, bright lights and no artwork. Perhaps the remodel is not completely done? One thing that remains at Café Lulu is their collection of travel books. I remember coming here a few years ago and reading through a Japan travel guide right before our trip there.
Here are the before and after comparisons:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
The seating quantity is about the same as before, but the quality is much nicer. There’s some stool seating along the front counter looking out on Latona Ave. There 5 tables of two and 1 table in the front that starts at the wall and goes perpendicular to create a table. The wood tables are quite stunning. The counter between the customers and the barista is much more open and lower now, so you can more easily interact now. Before you could only see their heads as they were making drinks.
The coffee machine they have has a Caffe Vita sticker(yes, I finally figured out Vita vs Ladro), so I assume that’s what they’re serving.Some of the food options are yogurt, banana, oatmeal, breakfast burritos, bagels and I think some bagel sandwiches. One other thing they added with the new remodel is the selling of wine by the glass and bottle. With the addition of wine it only makes sense that they extend their hours from 2:00 closing to 6:00 on weeknights starting in February.
I’ll be honest, even with the upgrades in lighting and outlets, I kind of miss the cozy environment prior to the remodel. Perhaps, it’s just something we need to get used to. I give kudos to any coffee shop that’s been in business for 21 years especially with the plethora of coffee in Seattle. They’re obviously doing something right maintaining their customer base.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Library of travel books
Atmosphere: 3.75
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.15
Eavedropping Convo: There must be a Microsoft Connector bus stop nearby. 2 Microsoft employees waiting inside Cafe Lulu for the bus. I think they had just figured out that both of them were both waiting for the Connector.
M1(Microsoft Employee 1): What area do you work in?
M2(Microsoft Employee 2): —-Sales. I just started two weeks ago so I’m still finding my way with the commute and the company. Note: I couldn’t hear the exact sales dept.
M1: It takes awhile to get the lay of the land that’s for sure. It’ll get better. I promise.
M2: Yeah, I’m sure it will.
M1: Where did you come from?
M2: I moved here from Atlanta. Man, this cold weather is another thing I need to get used to.
M1: This? This ain’t nothing. It’s actually been a mild winter. Don’t worry, it’ll get colder.
M2: Gee, thanks.
Related:
Green Lake Park Secrets- Murder, Crocodiles, Led Zeppelin, Ted Bundy, WWE, Secret Skatepark Island!
Neighborhood/Type: Green Lake(of course)
Address: 7201 East Greenlake Drive N, Seattle, WA 98115
There’s no doubt that Green Lake Park is thee most popular park in Seattle. So why is this blog post located in the “Seattle Secret Places” category? Well, most locals know Green Lake Park as the park with the perfect lake setting that you can stroll around, run around(perfect 5k), fish in, swim in, paddle on, play basketball or baseball or volleyball at or just hang out. We mentioned Green Lake Park in our Revolutions Coffee and Coffee Shops for Each Stage of Dating posts, but did you know about these little tidbits about Green Lake Park?
- Led Zeppelin and The Grateful Dead had concerts here.
The southern most part of the Green Lake still has the remnants of the grand stand that used to be the Green Lake Aqua Theater. It was built in 1950 and was shut down in 1970, but not before Led Zeppelin played a concert there in May 1969 and the Grateful Dead a few months later in August of 1969. Bob Hope even performed here. When the Aqua Theater was first built it, there were variety shows during the summer, but as we all know during the Fall, Winter and Spring, outdoor entertainment is not feasible due to the Seattle weather and so the use of the theater quickly subsided. It just blows my mind that you could have seen a Led Zeppelin concert at Green Lake Park!!
Or Caimans to be exact. In 1986, people reported seeing red eyes in Green Lake at night, which led to people not going into the lake that summer. Was this a hoax? How could caimans be in the lake? How would they have gotten there? This was no a hoax. On June 2, 1986, the Game Department found two 2.5 foot caimans on the shore of the lake. Both needed emergency care and were starving to death. It was believed they were in the lake for a couple of weeks and abandoned by a previous owner. Both were taken to Woodland Park Zoo, where one of the caimans ended up eating some smelt and mice, while the other was too weak to eat and died. It’s believed there was a third caiman that died in the lake due to the cold.
- Ted Bundy Saves a Life at Green Lake.
Yes, that Ted Bundy. Serial Killer Ted Bundy allegedly saved the life of a three year old when the boy snuck away from his parents and fell into the lake in 1970. Apparently, he was the first person to spot the child struggling in the lake and dived in to save him. I don’t know if there is any record of him picking up any of his murder victims at Green Lake Park, but a few of the scenes from this movie depicting Ted Bundy, played by Mark Harmon, sure does look a lot like Green Lake.
- The Secret Duck Island Skateboard Park
Duck Island is a little man-made island that was created in the 30’s that was intended to be a swan sanctuary, but due to an improper breeding habitat it never materialized. Although not formally an official nature reserve, it is considered off limits to people for safety reasons. But in July of 2017, Green Lake Park walkers started hearing strange sounds coming from the island.
When the Parks Department went out to investigate, they found a unauthorized concrete skate park. A local skateboard shop apparently built the park as part of a Nike contest to build or expand an existing skateboard park. The police were called and in November of 2017 a lawsuit was filed against 20 people who were documented on video as taking part in the building of the skateboard park as part of the video entry to the Nike contest. The lawsuit was due to the damages and clean up that was needed on Duck Island. In February of 2018, the City of Seattle settled the lawsuit against the local skateboard shop in the amount of $30,000.
Although this was illegal, you have to be impressed with the ingenuity to build this skate bowl stealthily and having to transport all the supplies over water.
Here are a couple of videos 1 and 2 showing the skateboard bowl on Duck Island
- WWE Hall of Famer Gorgeous George Wrestles at Green Lake
Besides Led Zeppelin there appears to have been pro wrestling at the Green Lake Aqua Theater with the ring surrounded by water. Check out this video from WWE’s library of Gorgeous George wrestling Leo Garibaldi(Masked Marvel) where the wrestlers actually fall into Green Lake!
- Ice Skating on a Frozen Solid Green Lake
There have been 4 times in the last 101 years that Green Lake has been completely frozen. One of those times was in 2017, but the ice wasn’t thick enough for anybody to safely walk on it. Not like 1930 when people drove their cars on to Green Lake or in 1916 when people were able to ice skate on it. As a long time resident who has lived close to Green Lake my entire time in Seattle, this just blows my mind and would be so cool if one day we were able to ice skate on Green Lake.
Source: Pauldorpat.com
- Gaines Point-Murder at Greenlake
On the northern part of the lake right smack dab in the middle between the Greenlake boathouse and the Greenlake Wading Pool is a section called, “Gaines Point”. In 1926, two men found a 22 year old woman’s body with a nearby bloody rock that appeared to be the murder weapon. The woman, Sylvia Gaines, had just recently moved from Massachusetts to be with her father and stepmother near Greenlake. You can read about the detailed events that lead up to the murder here, but it appears that Sylvia and her dad’s relationship was much more than father/daughter. Ewww. One theory is that Sylvia was going to “out” their relationship and in a drunken rage her father killed her.
To make things even more interesting is that Sylvia’s dad’s brother(her uncle) was the King County Commissioner, who tried to get the governor of Washington to pardon his brother after having been convicted of the murder. The governer refused to pardon him , so he was executed via hanging in 1928. Most sunbathers who hang out here probably have no idea that this point is called, “Gaines Point”, and that it was a murder scene
Gaines Point “X” marks the spot
- Giant Fish in Green Lake
This just happened recently. We always see fishermen at Green Lake and always wondered, “Do they ever catch anything”? We suspected there was maybe blue gill or bass in there, but whenever I looked in any fisherman’s bucket, there was never any fish in it. Well here’s living proof that there really are fish in Green Lake and huge fish at that.
In June of this year, not only did this guy catch a 30 pound carp, but a few hours later caught a 45 lb catfish! The previous state record for a catfish was 36.2 lbs. Funny thing is that although he has photographic proof of the catch and he did contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife he was advised to get the fish weighed on a certified scale to make it official, but didn’t want the meat to spoil so he said, “screw it”.
He just took the fish home and carved it up into fillets. The Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that catfish were stocked in 2005, 2011, 2014. Experts believe that due to the lake being stocked with trout every year, that it is possible for trout eating fish, such as carp and catfish, to grow to be giants. Although the fisherman did not get the fish officially weight, a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist plans to meet with him to get a piece of it so they can at least determine how old it was.
I had a lot of fun researching these Green Lake Park secrets. Hopefully, you’ve learned something new.
Related Posts:
Zoka Coffee Roasters – Tangletown
Description on Zoka Coffee Roaster’s website : The flagship store that started it all. Situated snuggly in the beautiful Tangletown neighborhood of Green Lake, Zoka One is a community favorite. Host to a multitude of groups, early morning adventurers, students, and coffee enthusiasts this location has become an invaluable resource to the area. With an offering of hand brewed single origin coffees, freshly baked pastries, and unlimited wifi, its easy to see why this shop is seldom empty.
Neighborhood: Green Lake/Tangletown
Address: 2200 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso
Comments: Zoka Coffee Roasters has been around as long as I can remember in Tangletown. I believe the first time going there was in the late 90’s. It’s the first coffee place I can remember that had the reputation of having zombie college students taking up every table for hours on end. This is before laptops and wifi became prevalent. Students would come with their backpacks and books and sprawl out until every spot was taken. I remember it being like a library. It was so quiet and you always had to take your drink to go even if you intended to stay unless you were lucky enough to grab a spot when one of the zombies decided to leave.
It also had the reputation of having the stereotypical snooty Seattle barista. The theory was that because Zoka Coffee Roasters was always crowded with people, the workers could be as pleasant or unpleasant as they wanted because their customer service didn’t matter if it was good or bad. They would still get enough business to pack the place regardless. I personally never experienced any bad service, but it was definitely the reputation.
There’s a lot more competition these days, but even today, you can understand why people pack this place. The space is huge by Seattle café standards. They have beautiful exposed wooden beams, wood walls and shelves throughout with multiple tables and chairs. The location is on a corner so it has huge windows facing south and west, which lets in a lot of light. Towards the back is a separated area that’s more conducive for groups or private chats.
Because it’s off a main thoroughfare, it’s easy to find parking in the neighborhood. Like Seven Coffee Roasters Market & Cafe, Lighthouse Roasters and Analog Coffee, Zoka Coffee Roasters is not on a main street. It’s right in the middle of the Tangletown neighborhood, but it’s not really a secret because it’s been around so long everybody knows about it. The coffee is A+ , but food options are limited to pastries and breakfast sandwiches.
Their website doesn’t give a whole lot of information about the company, but it does have video instructions(albeit in cartoon form) on using a French Press, Aeropress, Pour Over, Chemex, but the rest are links to buy beans, gear or subscription. Besides this location, they have one near University Village, another in South Lake Union and one in Kirkland. I’ve been to the University Village location and it’s very similar in vibe and decor to this location.
Our observation is that it’s not as crowded as it used to be and it’s not as difficult to find a spot to sit anymore, which is great. If we had to guess, it’s probably due to the presence of a lot more coffee shops in Seattle now for people to study/work at.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Spacious, but cozy atmosphere
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.35
Eavedropping Convo: This was a rather brazen customer to have this conversation with the barista and he was pretty loud.
Customer(C)-I’m so glad your here. The person who was working the mornings the last few weeks was not very good. I haven’t been here for three weeks. I think he was over pouring because the drink was not very good
Barista(B)-Really?
C-I think a lot of people complained because my co-workers said the same thing. Something was just off with the viscosity. I don’t know.
B-hmmmm..
C-Do you guys have a regular schedule so I know when you’re working?
B-Normally I have my schedule two weeks out only.
C-Yeah, I just don’t want to come here when that guy is working here.
Revolutions Coffee
Description on Revolutions Coffee website: Coffee As A Conduit To Community and Conversation
Neighborhood: Green Lake
Address: 7208 East Green Lake Drive North, Seattle WA 98115
Music playing: My Kind of Woman-Mac Dermarco
What we ate/drank: Americano
Comments: This Revolutions Coffee is a new location, opened in early July, that couldn’t be more different from its old version. The old location was down the street a few blocks. I remember it had bright red and deep blue walls and concrete floors with different rugs all over. It was spacious, warm and conducive for big group gatherings.
The new location is very sparse, smaller and very minimalist. Where before there seemed to be big groups having conversations, now it’s like a library with people studying/working. This is neither bad, nor good, just such a huge transformation.
It’s also now right across from Green Lake Park, which is one of the reasons they decided to move once the location came open in the Spring of 2016. It’s super quiet. 7 people on their computers. Nobody was talking so if anybody had a conversation, you could hear it.
You can tell from the picture that it can get rather dark especially near the middle and back since the good amount of sunlight comes from the front windows. Because the place is long and narrow, the main sunlight is in the front. All their coffee is roasted by Herkimer, which has a retail location down the street on The Ave.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: Whenever a guy came into order, the barista would greet him by saying, “What can I get for you, my brotha?”
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.5
Overall: 3.75
Eavesdropping Convos:
Customer(C)-On his phone waiting to order- He’s already there?! I’ll be there in 5 minutes. Gets off phone to order.
Barista(B)-What can I get for you, my brotha?
C-I’m just getting a turkey sandwich. I’m interviewing somebody and I’m five minutes late. I’m just dragging coming back from a three day weekend. Totally not in the mood to be doing an interview right now. I’m going to finish this interview real quick and head home early.
I’m pretty certain the interviewee had no chance at getting hired.