Gateway to the Pacific: Seattle

Seattle has long been a crossroads for migration from East Asia. From First Nations peoples such as the Duwamish to later arriving Chinese and Japanese migrants, each community has left its imprint on this city on the shores of Puget Sound. We will explore the ongoing presence of East Asian cultural practices in the City by the Sound. From our base just outside the Chinatown–International District, we’ll move through the city on foot and by its extensive transit system.

At the Wing Luke Museum, we’ll learn about the struggles and triumphs of Asian immigrants and their descendants. Our visit to the Seattle Asian Art Museum will introduce us to cultural treasures from across the Pacific. The Seattle Go Center will introduce us to the ancient strategy game of Go, while the New Century Tea Gallery will guide us in brewing and tasting a wide range of Chinese teas. We’ll also visit the Seattle Chinese Garden, the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial, and the Burke Museum to deepen our understanding of the region’s cultural and natural heritage. No trip to the Emerald City would be complete without iconic Seattle experiences: the Underground Tour, Pike Place Market, MoPOP pop culture museum, the waterfront, and the University of Washington campus.

This trip will require extensive walking in an environment that is regularly overcast and rainy. Anticipate covering 9 miles on foot each day. We will also encounter the full diversity of life in the city, including members of the unhoused community. We will take time to learn how to interact respectfully and safely in these situations, balancing compassion with clear boundaries. Our goal is to prepare with practical strategies to feel confident, safe, and thoughtful as we move through the city.

Educational Goals:

  1. Deepen understanding of how Asian immigrants and their descendants have built lives for themselves and shaped Seattle’s history, neighborhoods, and cultural life.

  2. Identify and reflect on East Asian cultural products and practices, both historical and contemporary, and their significance in Seattle.

  3. Experience Asian cuisines through exploration of Asian groceries, restaurants, and tea culture.

  4. Develop confidence and skills to safely navigate a complex urban environment, including use of public transit and respectful interactions with diverse communities.

Instructors: Matt Carter and Malcolm Tassi 

Open to: Grades 9–12 

Limit: 12 students 

Cost: $1,875 

Local day: Friday, March 6

Travel days: Sunday, March 8–Friday, March 13