rss feedThey’re here, in Seattle: Tofu Robots
posted by brad wong on 2010.02.21, under Tofu: The toy robots, color, context, international district, wow
In this case, everything aligned just perfectly.
Archive for the ‘international district’ Category
Three quick images from Seattle’s Chinatown International District
posted by brad wong on 2010.02.15, under international district
I don’t know what to say except there is nothing like the image of Chinese-style chicken hanging in a window.
Yes, I know that I’ve talked much about tofu in the past.
Looking back at a Chinese lion in Seattle
posted by brad wong on 2010.02.15, under china, context, design, history, information, international district, lunar new year, wow
This Chinese lion dance team performs during the Lunar New Year celebration in Seattle's Chinatown in 1921. The group also helped raise money for famine relief in China. Photo source: PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection (courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry and spotted in an outdoor, public display by The Wing Luke Asian Museum)
As you’ve noticed, I’ve been on a run with Chinese dragons and lions lately – what with the Year of the Tiger that started Sunday.
I know it’s a day after the Lunar New Year began – and people still are celebrating. I thought I’d continue with one more post about lion heads used during Lunar New Year festivities.
Why?
Well, to quote singer (and pop philosopher) Kenny Rogers: “You’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them.”
I’m holding on to this idea for just a bit longer.
I’m also doing this because I recall a person telling me years ago that the past is prologue.
Video: With a pop and pow, Seattle welcomes Lunar New Year with lions
posted by brad wong on 2010.02.13, under china, history, international district, lunar new year, video, wow
So after my son and I watched the opening performance of the Lunar New Year festival in Seattle, we met up with my wife.
The three of us headed over to Hing Loon, a Cantonese Chinese restaurant which is one of our favorites in Seattle.
During last year’s Lunar New Year celebration, my parents were visiting us – and the five of us made our way to the scrumptious restaurant where the waitresses remember you and are friendly.
On Saturday, we ducked inside because our bellies were giving us signs that it was time to fill up – and our choice for the day were noodles.
Then, moments after we sat down – just as what happened when my parents joined us last year – we spotted Seattle martial arts master Mak Fai and his crew of lion dancers make their way to the popular restaurant.
Video: Dragon, lions, drums usher in Lunar New Year in Seattle’s International District
posted by brad wong on 2010.02.13, under china, chinese dragons, history, international district, lunar new year, video, wow
With my son at my side, I turned on my digital camera, switched to video mode and captured Saturday’s Lunar New Year celebration in Seattle’s Chinatown International District.
It was terrific – bringing back memories and giving my son a chance to see what I saw in San Francisco and Oakland Chinatowns when I was a kid.
My grandparents lived in those Chinatowns and my parents would take my sister and me to celebrate and watch the colorful, loud street performances.
Seattle gains hostels – about $35 per night
The American Hotel is Seattle's largest hostel with 320 beds. Located in the International District, it's part of the Hostelling International network.
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It must be something from my traveling days. But I’ve always enjoyed staying at and learning about hostels.
I recently filed this freelance story for seattlepi.com about more hostel beds in Seattle, including ones at the Hostelling International-affiliated American Hotel.
The price is right, too: About $35 per person per night.
The addition of hostels in Seattle marks an increase since 2007, when one near Pike Place Market closed and left the Green Tortoise Hostel as the only one of its kind in downtown.Â
Hostels come in all types of buildings, too.
On the Northern California coast, my friends and I pedaled our bicycles to one housed in an old lighthouse. Some are based in castles.
I’ve always found that they’re a good way to stretch your traveling dollar.
You can spend more time in a location to walk around, look at the buildings, eat food, take photographs or just rest up.
 
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When cold, curry chicken for internal heat
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If there is one lesson that I learned while lugging my backpack through China’s mountains, staying put in long-distance buses for a long time in that country or realizing that my inexpensive hotel room lacked heat, it is this:
When temperatures drop, winds kick up and a chill threatens to invade your bones, it is time to find hot-out-of-the-wok food, preferably with chili, curry, garlic or ginger (yes, yes – tofu, too).
This week in the Seattle area, the thermostat dipped, bringing temperatures down to the mid-40s to mid-50s. Gray clouds hovered.
That meant, as I ran errands on an empty stomach, I needed to fill up with the right ingredients.
I stopped at Hing Loon, an old Seattle standby because I know - on almost every visit – the Cantonese flavors are authentic and worth paying money.
This time, I opted for a curry chicken rice plate.
For decades, Chinese dragons on my mind
posted by brad wong on 2009.09.29, under china, chinese dragons, design, international district, wow
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As a teenager, I once bought a white T-shirt from Honolulu’s Chinatown that had black letters noting the location and a red curving dragon representing Chinese culture.
Its mouth was agape, its teeth were sharp, its pointed toes jutting out and its spiny body swirled on the white cotton. For some reason, I liked it.
Since then, I’ve tried to keep my eyes open for Chinese-style dragons in the United States, China or other parts of Asia. I like seeing designs, learning the history behind them and noting where they pop up.
In fact, I once bought some note cards printed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art that featured a yellow dragon on a Chinese emperor’s silk robe.
When I went to the New York City museum’s Web site, I didn’t spot that image but I found this eye-catching piece of history.
Butterfly kite flutters in Seattle alley
posted by brad wong on 2009.09.24, under international district
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This yellow butterfly kite flying in the wind outside Liem’s Aquarium in an alley in Seattle’s International District caught my attention.
I don’t know if it was the yellow next to the green paint or orange character or the red sign or muted brick.
Or it might have been that something was moving in the wind in an alley in which I expected no motion at all. For some reason, I like it.
I didn’t step inside the store on Maynard Alley South, which is off South King Street. I just took the photograph and continued with my day.
If you’re interested, though, reviewers have made their thoughts known at Yelp.
