We here in Ballard don't need the Seattle Times to tell us what makes us so great. But it's still flattering.

In an article titled, "Go play and stay in Ballard," features editor Lynn Jacobsen waxes poetic about Ballard, a place that has seen a lot of change in the past year -- let alone the past ten years.

In her opening, she writes: "With its walkable streets, quirky shops and inviting restaurants, Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood has long been a great place to spend the day. Now, with the addition of an upscale hotel on Ballard Avenue Northwest, it’s also an appealing place to spend the night. Whether you’re a visitor from out of town or from just the other side of Phinney Ridge, the neighborhood makes an ideal in-city getawayt."

In addition to absolutely gushing over Hotel Ballard and the Ballard Inn, Jacobsen namedrops quite a few places, trying to focus on what's new: Lucca Great Finds, Ballard Home Comforts, Horseshoe, Ballard Annex Oyster House, Percy's & Co., Skillet Diner, Staple & Fancy, Stoneburner, the Barnacle Bar, Dandelion Botanical Garden and of course the Ballard Farmers Market.

Each time an article like this is written, it seems the names are always different. Consider when Ballard was featured in Sunset Magazine and USA Today. Restaurants and shops disappear, doomed to be forgotten and replaced by new ones.

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