By Kerrie Houston Reightley
With a remarkable collection of people, deep and informative history, wooded retreats, admired public schools, a variety of shops and restaurants, a farming community, artistic culture, and a unique location, Bainbridge Island has much to offer. With this in mind, we at Bainbridge Island Magazine wanted to compile a list of just some of the reasons why we love living here.
1 Beaches Our beaches are better for walking along in a fleece jacket than lying down on in a bikini.
2 Bald eagles abound.
3 Lost dogs are usually found. Lost cats, not so much. (See item #2)
4 (Very) talented people Chances are high that you’ll run into one of your favorite authors, band members, artists, or actors on Winslow Way or the post office, but you might not know it, because everything and everybody here is on the down low. Don’t you know?
5 Celebrity sightings Jennifer Aniston was here looking for a house with Brad Pitt. Really, we all have visions of an A-list star, or at least one who knows someone who saw her in the ferry line, visiting Bainbridge this summer. She was wearing red capris.
6 Good intentions We’re all bringing our plastic bags, fast-food signage and people who don’t recycle.
7 Scenic drives at every turn
8 The Grand Old Fourth of July Parade A Bainbridge Island favorite, and probably the best small-town parade in America, where everyone in our community is honored as special, each in their own way.
9 You really can just do it. All of it. Hiking, biking and horse trails everywhere; an indoor public swimming pool with a lazy river and slide; choices of athletic clubs; a state park; golf courses; beautiful playing fields for lacrosse, soccer, baseball and T-ball; an indoor tennis club; tennis courts; a rowing club; a boating club; a sailing club; summer track meets; swim club; a karate club; a theater; a saddle club; daylong, and more. Plus, youth teams at every regional, state, and all 1,000 Island competitions. We’re talking about you, Bainbridge Island Recreation!
10 Bainbridge in Bloom Still growing strong after 24 years, this garden tour just should prove that Island soil is Shangri-La on steroids.
11 Frog Rock and Refinery Bug Our community’s sacred guardian and jester, respectively. This is what small-town living is all about.
12 The (enforced) scoop-the-poop law
13 Low-tide treasures, the fog and the sound of a foghorn.
14 Santa sounds the siren Every December, you can count on the holiday spirit (aka Island Fire and Rescue) to circle the island, complete with flashing lights, old-time holiday music (blaring from their speakers; if you’ve ever wondered, candy canes, and firefighters with the biggest smiles in the world. It’s our year-end blast of holiday magic.
15 The Historic Lynwood Theatre is home to foreign and avant-garde movies, popcorn with real butter, and a vintage charm that abides.
16 The possibility that Dr. Doolittle might move in if he/she could talk to the horses, chickens, goats, rabbits, turkeys and other wildlife.
17 Bainbridge Bakers Now Coquette Bake Shop, find cinnamon pull-aparts, Max, and back-corner table where Bainbridge Island business deals are negotiated with a handshake.
18 The Grand Forest Walk, run, skip, ride your bike or your horse through 225 acres of beautiful trails, bridges, ferns, flowers and everything you’d expect from a Grand Forest (except Robin Hood, of course). Yay, Bainbridge Island Land Trust!
19 The Bloedel Reserve. It’s easy to imagine you’re in another place and time (without ever leaving the Island) on this internationally renowned 150-acre oasis of beautifully landscaped gardens. The Bloedel Reserve includes a formal English garden, a Japanese garden, a reflection pool, a bird refuge, a waterfall, a Camellia trail and the Bloedels’ former French chateau-style estate.
20 Bird nerds Maybe they can explain the pheasant that hangs out in the Ace Hardware parking lot or the Blue Heron rookery.
21 Toast at Blackbird Bakery How can something so simple be so good? And don’t forget about their toast.
22 The Chilly Hilly An annual 33-mile bike race where thousands of riders test their stamina (or foolhardiness) under gray, after-winter skies the past 40 years.
23 When life gives us blackberries, we make ice cream Just one of the divine locally inspired flavors at our own Mora’s Iced Creamery (now Island Cool).
24 Dark chocolate caramel and sea salt fudge Bon Bon is not just the spot for homemade fudge. It’s a sweet shop full of every kind of nostalgic candy imaginable, and the cutest shop owner this side of the Mississippi!
25 We work together to play together Check out the extravagant woody play structure at Battle Point Park, dreamed up by a Bainbridge designer and built by the community with donated materials.
26 Power outages that last for days A great excuse for a neighborhood potluck to use up the contents of everyone’s refrigerator.
27 Phone reception that lasts for seconds Just long enough to phone home—wherever that might be.
28 “842” numbers Only the locals know what this means.
29 Smart kids grow here Bainbridge Island kids really bring it: on statewide and national tests, and gain entrance into the best universities in the country. Well done, Bainbridge Island School District!
30 The Berry Population World-famous strawberries grown here. We walk our farms in fear of missing one, lest we stand in pick-it-yourself lines. Blackberries are everywhere, all free, ready to consume our homes and obscure our property lines. But instead, we devour them first—we freeze ’em, make homemade jam (well, not everyone) and attempt to cut them back each year. We are Blackberry Island, too.
31 Happy childhoods are made here Elementary school carnivals; Point White dock jumping; Meadowmeer’s 8th hole for open sledding in the winter (and secret ice-blocking in the summer); the Culture Fair project at Woodward; Indian Guides; music recitals; school science projects (that drive parents crazy); marching in the Fourth of July Parade with all your buddies; teachers who remember your name your entire life; Bainbridge Gardens’ pumpkin walk and safe neighborhood trick-or-treating; sand castles at Fay Bainbridge Park; bike-to-school days; a community where everyone’s mom is your other mom; preschool friendships that last a lifetime. And so much more.
32 You probably won’t find America’s Next Top Model here. Drop off your significant other at the morning ferry wearing your UW pajama pants or your leopard print Snuggie, and no one seems to care or notice. However, if you prefer Manolo Blahniks to Danskos, you should probably keep that to yourself.
33 Riding the ferry It’s our version of a seafaring town square.
34 Free summer concerts in Waterfront Park
35 Occasionally, we stay up late Especially if Eagle Harbor Books or Bainbridge Cinemas is releasing a new book or movie at midnight.
36 Breadlove As in, Pane d’Amore‘s freshly baked bread.
37 Margaritas and Mojitos at “The Pub“
38 History in the flesh “The Professor from ‘Gilligan’s Island'” lives here—marooned on yet another island, but this time with no desire to leave.
39 Seattle Not that we want to leave, but if we do, it’s pretty cool that Seattle is where we end up.
40 Orthodontists and dentists who make emergency house calls
41 Bay Hay & Feed The place for must-have sweatshirts and novelty garden items.
42 The Swan Boat Especially good for those who enjoy pedaling hard and getting nowhere fast.
43 Ferry forevers I Foot passengers pay to ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island.
44 Ferry fairness II Foot passengers return to Seattle for free.
45 Fort Ward Park The park was originally built to protect Bremerton Naval Shipyard, and famed for the radio station and listening post during World War II, today, you can walk amongst the batteries and bunkers of historic military significance, as well as enjoy trails, a rocky beach, a boat launch and an underwater park for scuba divers.
46 The Farmers’ Market Yum.
47 Art all around Cultured, community… This island is filled with ultra-talented artists, young and old. In-spirit and emerging artwork is found not only on our two annual Studio Tours, but also in our many galleries and gift shops. And there’s “free” art and interpretation everywhere you look… creatively painted fire hydrants and animal boxes, fish tails protruding from the sidewalks, knitted coverings for street posts, a hidden abandoned building for graffiti artists, and much more.
48 Is an island Being surrounded by water creates many interesting road ends and access to beaches everywhere.
49 But not isolated Hot pizza, cold beer and live music at The Treehouse. A perfect trifecta for any season.
50 When it’s good, it’s great Sure, it rains a lot, but that gives us the chance to linger with friends over another cup of coffee. But when that sun comes out, we can see that we’re encircled in a veritable crown of sapphires and diamonds: the magnificent Cascades to the east, the mighty Olympics to the west, towering Mount Baker to the north, and then, on the best of days, the crown jewel of them all, glorious, gorgeous Mount Rainier to the south.
Yup, when the “mountain’s out” it almost seems like a majestic mirage, but instead it’s a poignant reminder that… there’s no place like Bainbridge Island.
