Backstory

Backstory: The Right Note

Backstory: The Right Note

A new public art installation celebrates the Central area’s history and rich African American heritage.

A new public art installation throughout Vulcan Real Estate’s Jackson Apartments on South Jackson Street between 23rd and 25th Avenues celebrates the Central area’s history and rich African American heritage. Pieces within the colorful collection include sculptures, murals, prints and more. Vulcan engaged art consultants and neighborhood advocates Vivian Phillips and Leilani Lewis to curate the experience…

Backstory: Dog Day Afternoons

Backstory: Dog Day Afternoons

Joe’s Grilled Gourmet Dogs is back in business.

Perhaps the most beloved vendor on the mall next to Seattle’s professional sports stadiums is back in action. Joe Bernstein has operated Joe’s Grilled Gourmet Dogs for more than two decades. The pandemic sent his business into a tailspin and he was a man without a stand last year. He returned on opening day for the Seattle…

Backstory: Grief and Art

Backstory: Grief and Art

How Elizabeth Coplan turned to play writing to deal with loss

From left, actors Monica Domina and Cristina Key in “Untold 2 Actors,” a “Grief Dialogues” performance directed by Rachel Delmar.

OBAMA Celebrates Bad Art

OBAMA Celebrates Bad Art

Upstairs at Café Racer, feast your eyes on the Official Bad Art Museum of Art

Work on display at Café Racer’s Official Bad Art Museum of Art

Backstory: How Pioneer Square's Purple Sidewalk Skylights Came to Be

Backstory: How Pioneer Square’s Purple Sidewalk Skylights Came to Be

The lights reveal a dark network of passageways where old Seattle once stood

This article appears in print in the February 2020 issue. Click here to subscribe. After Seattleites carved Pioneer Square out of lush forestland alongside Elliott Bay, businesses in our city’s first neighborhood were constantly battling floods and sewage backup caused by the bay’s tides. When the Great Seattle Fire destroyed much of the area in 1889, city officials decided…

Backstory: Why Glowing Monkeys Are All over Phinney Ridge and Greenwood

Backstory: Why Glowing Monkeys Are All over Phinney Ridge and Greenwood

Cheery LED animals are more than mere holiday decoration

Greenwood Hardware on Phinney Ridge

Backstory: How a 1950s Seattle Ice Cream Shop Became a Boat-shaped Pho Institution

Backstory: How a 1950s Seattle Ice Cream Shop Became a Boat-shaped Pho Institution

Seattle's love affair with pho started at this iconic spot

This article appears in print in the November 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe. The landmark. Pho Bac RestaurantThe location. Chinatown–International District, 1314 S Jackson St. The backstory. At the corner of what is perhaps Little Saigon’s busiest intersection, a boat-shaped building and yellow faux palm tree mark the birthplace of Seattle’s love affair with pho. But before…

Backstory: Why Some Seattle Hatch Covers Are Adorned with Street Art

Backstory: Why Some Seattle Hatch Covers Are Adorned with Street Art

A beautification effort provided art for city maintenance entries

This article appears in print in the October 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe. The Landmark: Seattle hatch covers The Location: Various locations, including downtown, Seattle Center and South Lake Union The Backstory: If you walk through downtown or Seattle Center with your head in the clouds or your nose in your phone, you’re missing out: You just might have stepped…

Backstory: Seattle's Passion for P-Patches All Started with One Community Garden

Backstory: Seattle’s Passion for P-Patches All Started with One Community Garden

Contrary to popular belief, the 'p' doesn’t stand for peas

This article appears in print in the September 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe. The Landmark: Seattle’s original P-Patch The Location: Wedgwood, 8040 25th Ave. NE The Backstory: Spread throughout the city are approximately 90 P-Patches, community garden plots where people can rent space to exercise their green thumbs. But while shared plots are common in many dense urban areas, the…

Backstory: How the Gas Works Became a Seattle Park Landmark

Backstory: How the Gas Works Became a Seattle Park Landmark

An abandoned structure at a Seattle park was once a beacon of progress

This article appears in print in the August 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe. The Landmark. The Gas Works at Gas Works ParkThe Location. Wallingford, 2101 N Northlake Way The Backstory. Most Seattleites are familiar with the iconic industrial remnants that give Gas Works Park its name. But did you know that the structures we see today, perched…

Backstory: Seattle's Tucked Away Waterfall Garden Park Stands out for Its Unlikely Story

Backstory: Seattle’s Tucked Away Waterfall Garden Park Stands out for Its Unlikely Story

This hidden pocket park is an ode to the origins of a parcel delivery service

This article appears in print in the July 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe. The Landmark: Waterfall Garden ParkThe Location: Pioneer Square, 219 Second Ave. S The Backstory: In a neighborhood full of historic sites, Waterfall Garden Park stands out for its unlikely story. The tiny park—hidden behind very tall fences—features an artificial waterfall, a Japanese garden, and several tables…

Backstory: The Man Behind the Music at Seattle Center's International Fountain

Backstory: The Man Behind the Music at Seattle Center’s International Fountain

A local landmark comes alive thanks to its own DJ

HEY MR. DJ: James Whetzel, in front of the International Fountain at the Seattle Center; he’s responsible for the fountain’s playlist

Backstory: Inside The Showbox's Hidden Graffiti Room

Backstory: Inside The Showbox’s Hidden Graffiti Room

A secret room in The Showbox is a time capsule of the city’s rock history

This article appears in print in the May 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe. The Landmark: The graffiti room in The Showbox The Location: Downtown, The Showbox, 1426 First Ave. The Backstory: The Showbox—Seattle’s legendary live-music venue where everyone from Duke Ellington to Mudhoney has performed—has been well known to Seattleites since it opened in 1939. But a significantly smaller crowd…

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