We went to the zoo today and learned about Penguins on the March, a Seattle neighborhood art exhibit:

This summer, sixty-two Seattle artists of all ages and experience levels painted, embellished and decorated 22″ fabricated penguins as a community celebration of art and wildlife conservation, inspired by Woodland Park Zoo’s brand new Humboldt penguin exhibit, which opened in May.

Penguins on the March will begin migrating into Ballard, Fremont and Greenwood-Phinney, where you will find individual penguins prominently featured in front of neighborhood businesses in July, August and September.

As you can see from the map, though Wallingford isn’t mentioned, they get a penguin, too. So everyone nearby but us. What’s the deal? It’s because we’re not considered cultured enough, isn’t it? We’re just a destination: drive on over, jog around our lake, grab your Starbucks Double Tall Soy No Whip No Sprinkles 1 Pump Peppermint 1 Pump Mocha, laugh at our hole that should be a grocery store, and turn up your nose at Circa as you drive back home. What about our Bathhouse Theater? Do we need to change the spelling to theatre to get noticed? What about our guerilla knitter? And where are you going to go if you need something gilded? Right here in Green Lake.

This is bigger than a couple of penguins; this is our neighborhood identity! We don’t have more to say on the matter at the moment, but rest assured it’ll be an ongoing theme.