And then We are At Seattle

Day 1
Day Ones' are always when things start slow, like dragging luggage up a hill. However, that was not what we did because we left our luggage at the Green Tortoise Hostel. Then we went on a very interesting walk around the Pike Place Market. The Seattle Pike Place Market really shows the true nature of Seattle. Although quiet during the night, the Pike Place Market is the climax of Seattle during daytime. The Pike Place Market' stores attract everyday locals to buy its locally grown fruits and vegetables. It’s truly an unbelievable place. Somewhat hard to describe, the amount of people that would walk around the market could be comparable to the amount of people that shop for groceries in San Francisco Chinatown. While walking around the market, you would often times smell the aroma of peaches.  

While many of its streets in the outer districts like the International District (ID) is really plain. The ID of Seattle is inconsistent when it comes to attractiveness. During ball games, the CenturyLink Field, right next to the it, would attract many fans from all over Seattle, making it a top spot for parking and hanging out. However, during off seasons, the International District doesn’t really have much attraction. Recently, the improvements to its parks have helped increased the amount of locals using public space.

We did end up at the Wing Luke Museum at around 1. One of the tour guides at the Wing Luke Museum, John, led us around the museum, explaining the different racial groups involved in the ID. I learned about how the groups in the district coped with the discrimination and poor living conditions they faced. While the Chinese Americans bonded with each other, the other Asian races also helped each other out, creating a variety of ethnic neighborhoods.

The Asian population usually hangs out in the alleyways doing activities ranging from smoking opium to hanging out with fellow clansmen, people who have the same surname. However, alleyways' popularity dropped significantly after the federal government raided the opium dens in the alleyways. These days, people see it as mysterious and dangerous places to go through, especially with the huge dumpsters that protrude out of the alleyways and the activities that goes on behind them. Currently, new community groups are trying to promote their alleyways, hosting festivals and other activities. Similarly, San Francisco Adopt An Alleyway(AAA), started out as a group that helped clean up alleyways and make it more comfortable and safe to walk through.

-Steven Jiang

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