Things to do while you're visiting the Haller Lake neighborhood:

• Swim: There's Haller Lake, which neighbor Rick Barrett says gets most of its swimmers from May until October. Also during warmer weather, Northacres Park's wading pool offers kids a safer alternative, and has swings nearby. For year-round swimmers, the Helene Madison Pool offers heated indoor swimming. For hours and fees at Helene Madison Pool, call 206-684-4979.

• Curling: No, we're not talking about hair. Most nights, the Granite Curling Club plays a kind of shuffleboard on ice using granite weights. The action starts at 7 p.m., and spectators are welcome. The club claims to have the only curling lanes west of the Rockies in the United States, though the sport is popular in Canada.

  About once a month, the club has a beginner's night with potluck dinner. First-timers should wear loose, warm clothing and rubber-soled shoes. For details, call 206-362-2446.

• Drive: On the Jackson Park Golf Course, that is. There are nine holes of par-3s for those working on their short game, or a relatively open, par-71, 18-hole course that drives alongside Interstate 5. To arrange a tee time, call 800-892-8605.

• Restore: The city and hundreds of volunteers have been working to restore Thornton Creek, which flows to the east and south of Haller Lake. The project mobilizes students and others to restore habitat and monitor water quality, bird and bug life in a creek hammered by urbanization, pollution and general misuse.

  The community is also tackling the question of whether it should try to restore salmon in Thornton Creek. Maybe the best that can be expected is a healthy trout stream and "a sense of hope that we can do better," says Lakeside environmental science teacher Peter Hayes. And check out www.thorntoncreek.org