Monique Truong talks about her novel, Bitter In The Mouth: "When we tell the stories of our lives, I think that what we leave out, what we leave till the end, and what we never say are as revealing as the words that we do utter." more ›

50th and Phinney, 1935 by Seattle Municipal Archives from the Seattlest Flickr pool. more ›

Why do you get a day off anyway? Thank the union workers. more ›

Mainstream media outlets have written about the history of teriyaki in Seattle, one writer for the New York Times going so far as to call it Seattle’s signature food. But there’s another version of the story as well—and behind it, other stories about Japanese and Japanese American food in Seattle. We found these stories at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW). more ›

For over 50 years now, the Museum of History and Industry has quietly worked their magic on Seattle-area residents. Local history isn't always an easy sell, but the MOHAI has consistently found ways to make the stories of Seattle's past compelling through excellent curation and inventive cross-marketing (historians gotta get their name out there too, y'all). It's no surprise, then, that in order to celebrate the MOHAI's upcoming move to South Lake Union in 2012, museum coordinators have set up an event that promises to tickle the fancies of both your brain and liver - the MOHAI Crawl. more ›

Back before the days of cell phones or even quartz timing, public clocks were the closest thing to official time. And ever since Daylight Savings Time hit the scene, any clock still behind an hour has been ridiculed, scorned, and generally laughed at. more ›

The Association of King County Historical Organizations (AKCHO) provides a wonderful calendar of events put on by member organizations. It's very comprehensive. more ›

This is the latest in a series of posts examining the naming origins of our Seattle neighborhoods. Last week we stopped by Ballard, but we're following Rob's lead from Monday's Re:Take and heading over to Wallingford. more ›

I assumed going into this that Fremont took its name from John C. Frémont, the general and politician who helped settle California. The real origins, however, lie in Fremont, Nebraska. more ›

Crusty Capitol Hill Month comes to a close with a controversial proposition: let's stop destroying bars and create an alcohol thematic historic district. more ›

It's Crusty Capitol Hill Month here at the Re:Take column. We start off our tour inside Volunteer Park Conservatory, where the wild oats are on display. more ›

"Give me what you got and put it in a sack," growled the man through tinted sunglasses, his automatic pistol pointed at the bartender. more ›

"If you have never seen Oregon, Washington or British Columbia in summer you lack important qualifications for imagining what the climate of heaven may be like." -- Dr. Woods Hutchinson, 1922. more ›

"There is no city in America that affords such a magnificent scene of harbor, city and mountains as this view point in West Seattle." - 'Daddy' Standley, 1939. more ›

Get your feet wet for Seafair's culminating event with this preview Retake. Old and new photos of the fastest hydroplane of the '50s. more ›

Re:Take is a weekly look at the Emerald City now and in days of yore through photos dug out of the city archives. This week we shop for good deals at the Pike Place Market. more ›

Re:Take is local history buff Rob Ketcherside's weekly look at the Emerald City now and in days of yore through photos dug out of the city archives. This week, south Seattle booms with bubbly 1920s auto expansion. more ›

Re:Take is local history buff Rob Ketcherside's weekly look at the Emerald City now and in days of yore through photos dug out of the city archives. Ready for a cliche landmark construction photo? Read on! more ›

THE CHILDREN ARE OUR RALLY: Friends of Children’s Hospital, your friendly neighborhood Fearey Group-promoted advocacy group for Seattle Children's Hospital is taking it the steps of City Hall. The rally is to show support for Children's after Laurelhurst Community Club protested Children's proposed expansion and won the city hearing. Few moments in life offer the moral high ground of this rally, and it should be a great way to meet hot nurses and doctors. noon-1:30 p.m. // City Hall's west side steps, 600 4th Avenue // FREE more ›

Who says we're making transportation progress? Eighty years ago, you could've joined other day-tripping Puget Sounders on a passenger train to Monte Cristo, then one of the area's leading tourist destinations. Now you have to hoof it. The rails are gone, and most of the town, too. But the gorgeous sights that drew your grandparents here remain. more ›

It is our sad duty to report that the 50th St. Market, a Wallingford fixture since the Woodrow Wilson administration, has closed. more ›

WTF, HISTORY?: It was George Santayana, if we recall, who issued the famous dictum about people who don't learn from history having to re-take it or something...honestly we weren't paying attention and apparently neither was anyone else, which is sort of the subject of historian Roger van Oosten's talk tonight at MOHAI: what are the differences and similarities between today and the Great Depression. And he should know, 'cause unlike all the journalists with their accursed similes, he actually studies the '30s and is a recognized expert on WPA art. more ›

This American Life-r Sarah Vowell has written a new book, The Wordy Shipmates, which is the most readable history of New England Puritan thought you're likely to come across in your lifetime. It's a bit like reading the journal of a grad student who's doing their thesis on Puritan rhetoric--with all the marginal asides and musings left poignantly in. We emailed her a few questions, and she wrote back, double-spacing after periods, which extra space we edited out to save on pixels. If you have better questions, super-genius, she's in town on Monday, October 13, at Town Hall. Hie thee hence, why doncha. more ›

"We Remember because They're Our Families" by Synapped more ›

At the intersection of Sussex Avenue and Sheridan Street in Tenino, a small stone stands erect on the edge of a vacant lot, with the words "Old Oregon Trail 1845–53" etched in it. Many Oregon Trail markers exist, of course, many laid at the time the trail was blazed, others—like this one—laid later to commemorate the pioneers. But this one in Tenino happens to be special: This was the first one laid by Ezra Meeker. more ›

At 4:45 a.m. Saturday morning, July 12th, 2,427 bicyclists set out from the Husky Stadium parking lot to make the 204.5-mile Group Health Seattle to Portland Classic in one day. Fifteen minutes before that, we were drowsily slumped over the steering wheel of our car, stuck in the traffic jam on NE 45th St. headed towards University Village. Around us, cyclists with enough foresight to their bikes to the event were zooming downhill, past the poor suckers who drove. more ›

Guy Maddin films are not for everyone. With his love of silent film flourishes and his often bizarre sense of humor, Maddin can easily confound viewers. To wit: we have a good friend who lives and breathes cinema. He likes his films weird and dark and avant garde. But even he says of Maddin, "I just can't handle the guy." more ›

Photo by Nils Geylen. Thanks! more ›

This is the coolest collection of random, old Seattle photos we’ve ever stumbled upon while not working at work. For anyone who can’t imagine 3rd and Pine before crack, or the masochistic liberal who wants to marvel at a time when people would have paraded massive, old growth firs down the street in celebration, this is your time capsule. more ›