Post #814007 by Debette on Sun, Oct 6, 2024 7:13 AM

I am posting in memory of the Trade Winds on 1st and Wall in Seattle, Washington.

I was born in 1956. My mom worked at the Trade Winds in the early 60s. I have wonderful memories of the place. It was in the basement below the Seaman's Union Hall. You had to go down a set of stairs, and as you went down there was a waterfall off to the left. On Thanksgiving and Christmas they opened the bar for dinning, and my brother and I would go in with mom and buss tables for her. We were pretty young, so can't say how good a job we did. They would make us special drinks called Shirley Temple and Rob Roy.

My mom would dance on the piano bar for tips. On my 21st birthday, she asked where I wanted to go. Without hesitation, I replied Trade Winds. She and I got up and danced on the piano bar together. Lou was still playing the piano. My mom's name was Carol. She was 5 ft tall with a 19 inch waist and bleached blonde hair. She actually helped Lou write Summer of 62. We had the 45 for years. "See you at the fair in Seattle, summer of 62."

They maintained some of the older rules in seating. A woman alone had to sit at the piano bar. Only prostitutes sat at the main bar without an escort. The last time I was there was in 1983. In July of that year, I moved to California. It was a wonderful place that seemed magical to me. The world is sadder without it.