The International District

Speaker 1: [0:09] Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of the Awesome in Seattle podcast. My name is Christian Nossum. I am a real estate agent here with the Awesome Nossum Group in Seattle, and I am joined with the rest of the Awesome Nossum Group. First off, we have the one and only Mr. Jason Saldarriaga.

Speaker 2: [0:26] That's me.

Speaker 1: [0:29] We have, we have the Seattle native, Reed Watson.

Speaker 3: [0:33] That's me with two Es. Two Es.

Speaker 1: [0:35] Shh. And we have the dog whisperer, Les Cunning.

Speaker 4: [0:40] Yeah, hello, all

Speaker 1: [0:42] All right, so today's episode, we are going to explore the International District. We're gonna discuss its origins, its rich history, uh, and the ways that people can learn about it, and the best places to visit as well. Uh, and before we get into it, I wanna point out that the official name of the area is Chinatown International District. In this podcast, we're gonna often refer to it as either just the International District or Chinatown. Just realize that we mean either or. Um, and now that we got that out of the way, let's get right into it.

Speaker 2: [1:12] Sweet. Yeah, a little background on how the In- International District… You see I'm referring to it just as International District for now … how it landed in its current location. So first off, I found this very interesting. It is the only area in the continental United States where Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, African American, and the Vietnamese have settled together and built one neighborhood. In, uh, some other cities, they're more segregated. They might have, you know, Koreatown and Chinatown, and that sort of thing. But in Seattle, we ha- apparently have the only neighborhood that's all of the above, which is awesome. Um- That is pretty cool. Yeah.

Speaker 3: [1:51] Yeah, it's truly international.

Speaker 2: [1:53] Exactly. Mm-hmm. It's a good name. Mm-hmm. So let's talk really quick about how this area started. Um, a little background. In the 1850s, Chinese immi- immigrants moved to the Pacific Northwest, and quite frankly, Chinatown was the only place where they could find housing and were safe from attacks of various kinds. Um, if you're not aware, the International District is currently located next to Pioneer Square. Um, it links Pioneer Square to the Central District. It's cut in half basically by I-5, and it measures about 6 by 11 blocks in size. So over time, Chinatown or the International District wasn't always in the location it's currently in. It actually started in the 1850s and the 1860s at the waterfront, because that's where the Chinese dock workers lived. A lot of them were near Yesler's Mill. I believe Yesler's, Yesler's Mill was at the end of Yesler Way. Um, a little background there. I, I also believe the term Skid Row refers to that road, because they would just pull logs down Yesler Way and it would cause skid marks, you know, on the, on the road.

Speaker 4: [3:12] Interesting.

Speaker 2: [3:13] Down… And they would- Mm-hmm … skid them down to Yesler's Mill for processing and shipment And, uh, near that area, that's where the original Chinatown was located. But then in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted- Mm-hmm … and that d- decreased the amount of Chinese that were migrating to the US, though by that point they had already established a community over near Yesler's Mill. And then a few decades later in 1889 was the Great Seattle Fire, which caused the Chinese to move farther inland to modern-day Washington Street and Second Avenue, which is basically the heart of Pioneer Square. Unfortunately, over time it just got too expensive as Seattle started developing, and the construction of the Smith Tower didn't help because it really raised property values in that area. So they m- headed east a bit to their current location, what we currently know as the International District.

Speaker 1: [4:12] Yeah. Actually, Asian Pacific Americans really helped to shape the city of Seattle. Uh, in the early days they helped log the forest, they labored in the fisheries. Um, and actually an interesting fact, Boeing's first aeronautical engineer, whose name was Wong Tsu, was actually Chinese. I thought that was pretty cool. Chinese rail workers also helped to build the railroads, including the Transcontinental, and, uh, Asian cultural influences can definitely be seen all across Seattle, from architecture to garden designs, uh, food, and obviously some art

Speaker 3: [4:48] Yeah, those are really everywhere you look in Seattle. Um, you know, you'll, you'll notice that Asian influence. Some of my favorite spots to go are… Well, two of these are actually not even in the International District, but they're great places to get, uh, a little bit more information on the Asian American community here in Seattle. One is the Seattle Asian Art Museum, or SAAM. Um, it is in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, not too far from the International District, and they actually just underwent a major renovation, and that museum is really beautiful now. I would definitely recommend checking it out. Uh, very-

Speaker 1: [5:26] I just- Yeah … I just realized why you said SAAM. Yeah. 'Cause it's Seattle Asian Art Museum. Mm-hmm. Not just SAM, which is Seattle Art Museum.

Speaker 3: [5:33] Yeah, Seattle Art Museum is- We usually call that SAM. Yes. And so Seattle Asian Art Museum is SAAM. Um, very close by to that, um, next to Volunteer Park is Bruce Lee's and Brandon Lee's grave sites. And I learned a lot actually about just how many people from all over the world come and visit those grave sites every year. And people actually… I read a, um, really interesting comment from a man who had saved up a bunch of money to come here from Kazakhstan because he is such a Bru- big Bruce Lee fan, and-

Speaker 1: [6:12] Mm … Speaker 3: that that journey meant a lot to him. In the actual International District though, and I mean, it is so vibrant down there. There are really great markets, galleries, gift shops, architecture, you know, open air markets, everything you could possibly want in a neighborhood. The Wing Luke Museum is another museum dedicated to the Asian American experience in Seattle, and they actually… I just learned this, they do not have a cafe in the museum like most typical museums do because they're surrounded by such great authentic food that they just felt like, "Why do that?" That's on King Street, and they are actually reopening March 5th. So check out the Wing Luke Museum, and they have a bunch of cool tours around the International District that you can do too. There's also the beautiful… Has anyone seen the cherry trees at Kobe Terrace? Oh, yeah.

Speaker 3: [7:06] They're gorgeous. Um, and Kobe is actually one of… Kobe, Japan is one of Seattle's international sister cities. Mm-hmm. So those cherry trees were gifted to the City of Seattle by the people of Kobe, Japan. They're really gorgeous. There's another park in the International District called Hing Hay Park, and that's where a lot of cultural performances and celebrations take place, you know, for the Lunar New Year and the Summer Dragon Fest. All of that's kind of happening at Hing Hay Park, and there is gorgeous art in that park as well, both abstract and more literal depictions of iconic figures from the International District- Yeah … and also from around the world.

Speaker 1: [7:48] It's a, it's a beautiful park. I've, I've been there. Yeah. It is… It's pretty cool.

Speaker 3: [7:52] Mm-hmm. Absolutely. The last thing I wanted to touch on is one of the many tours. You can actually go on this by yourself, but the Wing Luke also will, you know, do these tours in non-pandemic times, is the Japanese American Remembrance Tour. So this takes you around to a bunch of different spots in the International District, and it, the, it's meant to document the life of Japanese Americans in Seattle from early pioneers through World War II and the really unfortunate history of the 1942 executive order- Mm-hmm interning Japanese families, and up to present day. And one thing I think is so cool in this tour, one of my favorite spots in the International District is Nihonmachi Alley, which contains four historic businesses that prevail to this day. So through World War II, through that executive order, they were able to remain, and they're still here serving the community. They're all really great central businesses. So those are Kokusai Theater, Maneki Restaurant, Sagamiya Confectionery, and Wajamaya Grocers.

Speaker 4: [8:57] Well, while we're on the topic of food, let's get to it. So the International- Mm-hmm … District is incredible. It's not only bringing, uh, Asian cultures all together, or just culture in general all together in the Seattle area, but it's also host to a bunch of unreal food. So some of the famous spots that you guys should definitely check out, Fuji Bakery. I'm not a huge pastry person, but you gotta try the Crunch- Crunchy Cream. When I do go on my cheat days- Mm-hmm … I get, I go, get out there and I'm out there, I do do the Crunchy Cream. It's basically a little bun with a little custard in it, and it's not too sweet. Um, it's just… And has like… It's flaky. It's really good. Uh, you can also check out the Dozone. I like the shrimp, uh, pot stickers. That's my thing. And the spicy beef shank. It's, uh, basically a little, uh, plate full of beef. Has onions and some kind of sauce. Awesome. Maneki, that she just mentioned, uh, it's a, a staple restaurant in the International District.

Speaker 1: [9:53] I actually believe, uh, Maneki is the oldest restaurant in Seattle. Oh,

Speaker 4: [9:57] wow.

Speaker 1: [9:58] It's, uh- Mm-hmm. Yeah. Bet. I used to, used to go there all the time. I used to live on North Beacon Hill, and it was just a short walk away, and, uh, I've had more than one birthday party, which is, you know, a dinner gathering with friends there, and it is, it is amazing. Super authentic, just delicious sushi. And a tip, if you want to go, because it's often packed, they don't do reservations, but they kinda do reservations. If you call during the day and leave a voicemail on their actual, like, tape voice recorder, um, and say, "Hey, this is Christian. I have, uh … I was hoping that I could bring four people tonight

at 6: [10:36] 00 PM," they'll call you back when they get in at around 2:00

or 3: [10:40] 00 o'clock and say, "Perfect. 4:00 PM…

or f- four people at 6: [10:43] 00 PM. You're good. You're on the list." So just a tip.

Speaker 4: [10:47] Nice. Nice. Nice. Okay. And, um, there's also- Mm-hmm … Saigon Deli. Har-

Speaker 1: [10:52] Mm. So good. The banh mi there is delicious and cheap.

Speaker 4: [10:55] Mm. And Harbor City, and of course- Mm-hmm … Uwajimaya. So there's this little spot in there. I don't know exactly Well, I know exactly where it is, but I don't know what it's called. So I actually used to go there. Uh, we used to have a radio show across the street from Uwajimaya, and after the radio show- Nice … I would head over there, and I would get their spare ribs. And I don't know how they cook it, but it's, like, braised in, like, a sweet sauce, and they give you soy sauce to dip it in. Delicious. It's like, oh, I, I can't even explain it. So if you ever have the chance to check that out, I definitely recommend it. But let's just talk about the population. Uh, Seattle's Asian population currently makes up 15% of the Seattle population. It should be noted that stats from 2018 state that 81.6% of households in the International District are renter, compared to 53% citywide. Do any of you guys have any idea why that is?

Speaker 1: [11:48] I, I believe it is… Well, first off, obviously this location, it's very densely populated. You're right near downtown. Right. So there's not, like… There's no single-family homes in the International District. It is all, you know, buildings, uh, taller buildings, and there's really only a handful of condo buildings in that area. It's such an old, historic location in Seattle that there just, there wasn't land to build condos when that kinda became a thing to build. So there was already buildings there, not a lot of condo options. So I believe that's why.

Speaker 2: [12:19] Yeah. I believe the Wing Luke M- Museum, for example, is in a building that used to be, like, a hotel or short-term rental type place. So it's just, it has evolved a lot over time, but the density does not lend itself to, to ownership in terms of, like, single-family.

Speaker 1: [12:33] Yep. Exactly. All right, so before we close out, uh, I do wanna point out that part of the reason that we are talking about the International District in today's episode is due to the fact that there's been a recent uptick in anti-Asian racism and hate crimes since COVID began, and obviously that's not okay. Anti-Asian hate crimes, and really any and all hate crimes need to stop. Uh, we wanna share a positive light, uh, on the Chinatown International District, and I hope we achieved that goal with today's episode. The area is so rich in history, and we as a team wanted to use our platform, however small it may be , uh, to point out some of the incredible contributions that Asian Americans have had on the city of, of Seattle. Um, and with that said, w- we will wrap up this episode of the Awesome in Seattle podcast. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll see you again in about two weeks.

Speaker 4: [13:25] Bye. Bye, guys.

Speaker 3: [13:27] Yeah. Bye.