By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asian Weekly
Public library in Seattle’s Chinatown
1. Did you know Chinatown is “a city within a city”? It has several doctors, dentists, attorneys, a post office, a library, a church, social services agencies, and a community center.
2. Do you know which ethnic group dominates the Chinatown ID? Chinese is the largest, but the diversity is surprising—Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, African Americans, whites, Native Americans, and other Asian groups.
3. Did you know there is a public/charter school? Summit Public School: Sierra Charter School.
4. How many banks does Chinatown have? Six banks (all a quarter mile from each other).
Chinatown street car on a test run
5. How many restaurants does Chinatown have? More than 100—including surprisingly good pizza, Chinese, Cambodian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese—a worldwide selection.
6. We have a wide range of grocery stores in town from upscale to the cheapest in the city— the Chinatown/ID’s stores cover the gamut.
Hing Hay Park
7. More than just food! Did you know Chinatown is home to Getty Images and three Asian media outlets?
8. Did you know Chinatown can help with your caffeine fix, tea and coffee? There is Starbucks, Tully’s, Specialty’s Café & Bakery, Eastern Café, Oasis Tea Zone, Ambrosia Bubble Tea, Yummy House Bakery, and many independent shops.
Bruce Lee exhibition at the Wing Luke Museum (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)
9. Did you know the Chinatown/ID has three national treasures? It is home to the Panama Hotel, the Wing Luke Asian Museum, and the historic Chinese gate.
10. Chinatown is one of the most popular spots for politicians to fundraise. The list of political luminaries includes Jim McDermott, Jay Inslee, Gary Locke, Bruce Harrell, Wes Uhlman, Rep. Sharon Tomoko Santos, Sen. Bob Hasegawa, the late Hon. Kip Tokuda, and many others. (end)
Assunta Ng can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.