Chinatown/International District (The ID)
As you stroll through the Chinatown/International District, close your eyes and let the cacophony of voices sort themselves into the various languages and dialects of the many that call this area home. The cadence of the different voices can transport you back to a time when this area was just beginning to grow and build.
The first Chinese businessman, Chin Chum Hock, arrived in Seattle in 1860, by 1868 he was considered the leading businessman in the old “China Town” located in Pioneer Square.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Hing Hay Park
411 Maynard Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
January 29, 2011
11:00 am to 04:00 pm
Click Here for Event times, Locations and Directions
Welcome in the Year of the Dragon at the Chinatown-International District Lunar New Year Celebration on January 28, 2012 at Hing Hay Park.
Take in the Lion and Dragon dances, the rhythmical Japanese taiko drumming, or Marshal Arts demonstrations. Or, maybe the Cultural Activities Pavilion, featuring authentic calligraphy drawing, games and kids’ activities the whole family can enjoy, is more up your alley. Join the fun and usher in the Year of the Tiger.
The Radio8Ball Show
The Radio8Ball Show launches a new season at Theater Off Jackson!
We last saw Radio8Ball packing them in at The Center House Theater at Bumbershoot for a show that people are still talking about. Now, after a brief hiatus, Andras Jones is bringing his Pop Oracle show to Theater Off Jackson for extended run of Sundays through June, featuring some very exciting musical acts and startling celebrity guests Skypeing in from out of town to ask their own question.
Newcomers and Old Hands alike, Andras Jones and Theater Off Jackson welcome you, one and all, to the magickal world of The Radio8Ball Show! A world where questions are answered by picking songs at random and interpreting them like musical tarot cards. Part experimental theater. Part rock and roll cabaret. Part mystic mind-expansion. The Radio8Ball Show is a night of live rock and roll divination hosted by Andras Jones featuring a different live musical guest every night. Songs are chosen by spinning a large wheel that determines which song the artist plays as the answer to the question. Although the use of a spinning wheel as an element of a rock and roll show is nothing new (Elvis Costello pioneered the song wheel idea on his late-80's tours) its use for divination in this show is a neat twist on an old idea. It is a fun way to spend an evening, but be warned, it can be addictive.
For show times and tickets Click Here
Theatre Off Jackson
409 – 7th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
206-340-1049
Map
The Theatre Off Jackson offers entertainment for everyone, children and adults, fun for the family and the risqué. One day a puppet show, the next night Burlesque may be the ticket. Comedies and comedians, new plays written by locals or readings of the works of masters are offered on the Theatre Off Jackson smorgasbord of entertainment. Looking for fun, Click Here to see what is playing and when.
The Wing Luke Asian Museum
719 South King Street
Phone 206 623 5124
www.wingluke.org
map!
Admission: $4 and under
Free on 1st Thurs and 3rd Sat of each month
The old China Town, located in Pioneer Square, lasted until 1910 when a group of Chinese businessmen bankrolled a pair of buildings that would become the center of the new Chinese community now called the International District. This pair of four story buildings afforded the community with hotels containing retail space on the ground level.
One of these buildings, the East Kong Yick building has now been reborn into the new home of the Wing Luke Asian Museum. Moving the museum to its new location has been a community dream and goal for over some ten years. The Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) represented by the museum constitutes the history of hope, struggle, sorrow, and success of the people from over forty Pacific Rim countries. The museum provides guided tours that are both soulful and educational.
Chinatown Discovery Tour
Wing Luke Asian Museum
719 South King Street
Seattle Washington 98104
Phone 206 623 5124
www.seattlechinatowntour.com
map!
Touch of Chinatown tour 10:30am to 2:30pm
Tours take 1½ hours Make reservations at least 1 day in advance.
As you tour the International District, stop by an apothecary shop where prescriptions from local traditional Chinese medical practitioner on a regular basis. You might want to pick up something for that sunburn or some other malaise. Or stop in at the local pet shop and purchase a lucky cricket.
What ever you decide to do, be sure to walk and wonder at the many lives and stories that have gone on before.
Hing Hay Park
Hing Hay Park — "Park for Pleasurable Gatherings" — is a hub of the International District. The parks red brick square and ornate Grand Pavilion designed and constructed in Taipei, Taiwan. Check out the dragon painted on the adjacent building wall, a depiction of Asian-American history in the Northwest. It’s a great place to eat a take out lunch and watch the chess players, or a Tai Chi class, maybe just listen to the music and the sounds of this wonderful neighborhood.
Hing Hay Park is located at the corner of S. King Street and Maynard Avenue S.
Uwajimaya Seattle
600 5th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone 206 624 6248
http://www.uwajimaya.com/
map!
Mon thru Sat 9am to10pm, Sun 9am to 9pm
Another stop you must make when visiting the International District is Uwajimaya’s. A grocery store, you might ask…
Well, Uwajimaya’s isn’t just a grocery store, it's a destination. Sort of like visiting Japan with out leaving Seattle. Leave yourself plenty of time, there’s a lot to stop and gawk at — the seafood section is like a visit to the aquarium. The produce section is magical and the deli’s out of sight. They carry all kinds of gadgets and gifts, there’s a great food court and the Kinokuniya Bookstore, specializing in Asian language books and periodicals. It’s an experience even if you don’t buy anything. But that’s doubtful.
