In (and Under & Above) the Emerald City
Seattle
June 26, 2010
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The guide for our Underground Tour told us that when early 20th-century
Seattle took a census of the city, there were thousands of women living in the
old neighborhood around Pioneer Square who listed their profession as "seamstress."
Oddly, there were no sewing machines to be found in the area, "which led
the city officials to conclude they must have done most of their work
by hand." The city imposed a tax on seamstresses and did well off the
revenues from the ladies and even a few "cross-stitchers." As she wrapped
up the tour, our guide urged us to be generous at the tip jar since that
determined "whether or not I have to go to my sewing job tonight."
After that, we went up to the Smith Building, which was the tallest
skyscraper outside of New York when it was completed in 1913. The
observation floor is called the China Room, and it's still decorated
with furniture donated by the Empress of China, Su-xhi, whose
summer
palace outside of Beijing we visited some years ago. It offers awesome
views of the Space Needle, Mt. Rainier, and the ferries heading out to
Puget Sound.
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