Globe Corner Blogs

Dancer and Mask--photo by Lisa

Last week I had the rare opportunity to leave rainy Boston and head to sunny Seattle. Thankfully the weather was perfect for my family, friends, and me to take a cruise to Blake Island State Park in Puget Sound. Our main objective was to go to Tillicum Village for a traditional Northwest Native American Potlach.  Traditional Potlachs are ceremonies practiced by Native Northwest Indigenous Peoples where the tribal leaders would gather guests for a redistribution of wealth; they usually included dances and feasts. We went to see the tourist-friendly modified show.

Potlach Dinner--photo by Lisa

Blake Island is a beautiful island that is only accessible by tour or private boat. Among the many attractions are hiking trails and a long house that was built in 1962 to help showcase Northwest Native American Culture for the Seattle World’s Fair. Today the long house still serves as a showcase and there are tours of it during the summer. Boats leave from Pier 55 and there is a narrated hour-long cruise through Elliot Bay into Puget Sound all the way to Blake Island. We were greeted with a cup of clam nectar and then led into the long house for a “smorgasbord-style” salmon dinner. After the dinner the lights dimmed and the dancers began to demonstrate different dances from the region. The masks were impressive and one even weighed more than 55 pounds.

It was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon and the views of the Seattle skyline were picture perfect. I was so surprised to return from Seattle with a tan.

Pike Place Market -photo by Lisa

I have many rituals I have to complete every time I return home to Seattle for a visit. I must have almond-fried chicken at any Chinese restaurant because I have never found it in Boston. I must have Ivar’s halibut and chips. I must meet up at cafes with friends and drink lots of vanilla lattes. And I absolutely have to go to my favorite place in the world: The Pike Place Market.

Pike Place Market is one of the most popular and

Crafts at the Market -photo by Lisa

iconic sights in Seattle. After having worked there for five years as a barista in one of the many cafes, I have spent lots of time wandering around. Pike Place Market is a huge maze of small shops with everything from Polish pottery to magic shops, cheap and not-so-cheapish ethnic foods, flower stalls, arts and crafts vendors, coffee shops (including the first Starbucks, which whether you like it or not, has become a pilgrimage destination), street performers, tourists, locals doing their shopping, and most importantly, fish mongers.

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