Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
This map is intended to be used with Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Additional information and photographs are included for better understanding of the places and people named in the story.

Author Jamie Ford's Information

Eureka, CA
Author Jamie Ford was born in Eureka, California on July 9, 1968. The port city, established in the mid 1800's, had also been a major lumber center where local redwood forests were over harvested. The first two images show two of the city's historic buildings located near the waterfront in the Old Town area; the second image shows one side of the Carson Block building, built in 1892 by lumber baron William Carson. Carson had immigrated to America in search of gold, but instead of finding gold in the soil of California, Carson earned a great deal of gold in the lumber and railroad industries. The Carson Mansion was built in 1884 and continues to be one of the most photographed, grand Victorian homes in America; visit the interior at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ronioURsfEs. Fishing is both a popular pastime and business venture in nearby Arcata and Humboldt Bays, the channel, and its tributary rivers, with a variety of fresh, brackish, and saltwater options.  The fourth image features stacks of lobster pots and Table Bluff Lighthouse. The Fisherman Statue, featured in the fifth image, honors those "whom the sea sustained...and those it claimed," as a nearby sign reads. (Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by John Margolies, [LC-DIG-mrg-01103 and LC-DIG-mrg-01106], Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com, and https://www.loc.gov/item/2013634827/.)

Ashland, OR
The town of Ashland, Oregon, as pictured in the first two images, was first settled in 1852 and grew into a lumber town serving the needs of the Oregon and California Railroad. Jamie Ford and his family called this riverfront community, perched by the Siskiyou Mountains, as seen in third image, their home during his childhood. The town's annual Shakespearean festival lasts 9 months each year and is now largely supports the local economy. It was here that the young Jamie Ford found his life surrounded and shaped by the arts.  (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Port Orchard, WA
Port Orchard, Washington sits on the Puget Sound's Sinclair Inlet, placing it west of Seattle and east of the Olympic Mountains. The city and historic port are home to manufacturing and technology and is a ferry ride away from the largest naval yard on the West Coast. This area was home to Jamie Ford and his family during his teen years. His father ran a diner there during those years; learn more about this family business at https://bit.ly/3O1cFkj. The images seen here offer a glimpse of one of the marinas (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Seattle, WA
Over the years the face of Seattle and its Chinatown have changed; today Seattle continues to be a major port city with professional sports teams and numerous tourist attractions as the images here show. Jamie Ford's father and grandparents grew up in Seattle's Chinatown and Jamie himself spent time in  both the city and its International District. The Chinatown-International District as it is now known is home to Asian-American communities, with history and cultural traditions all around. Seattle is sometimes called "The Emerald City" due to lush greenery year round.  The first image shows the Interstate 5 Expressway winding through the city and as it passes the Mariners' T-Mobile Stadium in the second image. The waterfront-pier area has also experienced dramatic changes over the years and draws visitors to sites like the Great Seattle Wheel, Aquarium, and the new promenade stretching from the pier 50 ferry terminal to pier 70; visit https://seattlewaterfront.org/interactive-map/ to learn more. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com and unsplash.com.)

Former Art Institute of Seattle
Jamie Ford attended the now closed Art Institute of Seattle where he earned a two-year degree in Design. This private university had been founded in 1946, but closed its doors in 2019. With this background Mr. Ford worked for many years as both an art director and a creative director before changing careers to pursue writing.

Montana
Jamie Ford moved to Montana as his writing career is now his full-time profession. These images demonstrate the varied landscape of the state of Montana. The first image Stanton Lake in Flathead National Forrest with the Great Northern Mountain in the background; this mountain's trails are quite popular for the rugged terrain and spectacular views. The Gates of Mountains, along the Missouri River, is another example of the grandeur of even the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, as featured in the second image. Not far away the land can farmed and the area transitions to prairie. as the third and fourth images show. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Publisher's Information

Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Ballantine Books was founded in 1952 and later acquired by Random House. At the time this publisher was one of the pioneers of paperback books.

Henry's Places in 1940's

Family Apartment
Located on Canton Alley South, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in the heart of Seattle's Chinatown, was the small apartment where Henry lived with his parents in the story. Visit https://bit.ly/3suBVZ8 to view an apartment building just a half a block away from Henry's childhood home. Visit https://bit.ly/45Nw3sf to view this location as it looks today.

Panama Hotel
Construction of the Panama Hotel was completed in 1910 serving Japanese men who had traveled to America to look for work. The hotel was designed by Seattle's first Japanese architect, Sabro Ozasa and located in the center of the Nihonmachi, then Japantown, now part of the International District. Refurbished decades after WWII, it is the only hotel in North America with Japanese -style bath houses; visit https://www.panamahotelseattle.net/ to view images of the hotel and its bathhouse. The Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee House has a glass floor that allows patrons to view the unclaimed family treasures and trunks left there in response to Executive Order 9066; the image seen here shows similar items stored at another location. The sounds of jazz still resonate inside the hotel; learn more at http://panamahoteljazz.blogspot.com/. The Panama Hotel is now a National Historic Landmark. (Photo Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2003652583/)

Chinatown
Seattle's Chinatown was first established along the Seattle waterfront in the 1860's and 1870's by Chinese immigrants in search of employment opportunities in the lumber, fishing, and railroad industries, but this community was mostly destroyed by the Great Fire of 1889. New Chinese-owned business built and others rebuilt in the area of South Washington Street, establishing a second Chinatown. The city of Seattle's road regrading, finishing in 1910, resulted in a third Chinatown being established where it remains today around King Street. Chinese immigration slowed following new Congressional laws passed from 1882 to 1902.  Despite the imposed limits, Chinatown grew and the Chinese culture was shared with younger generations. As stricter building codes were passed in the city, many older buildings were razed and many were also lost in the construction of Interstate 5 separating Chinatown and Japantown. In 1973 Seattle set to preserve the heritage and culture of the International District and today the community thrives. The historic Chinatown Gate, seen in the first image, greets visitors in the Paifang architectural style; learn more about the Dragon Gate at https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=142220. Walking along the sidewalks, the neighborhood marker, pictured in the second image, can be seen around the community. Traditional architecture, such as that in the third image, abounds in Chinatown. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Rainier Elementary School

First Hill
The First Hill neighborhood is believed to be the first neighborhood in Seattle. It was nicknamed "Pill Hill" because of the various medical facilities near by. The homes here are a mix of elegant older homes, historic and high rise apartment buildings, and condos. Take a virtual tour at https://historylink.tours/tour/first-hill/ to view the neighborhood.

Columbus Hospital/Cabrini Center
Founded in 1916 as the Columbus Sanitarium, it would later become the Columbus Hospital and eventually the Cabrini Center before closing its doors 1990 due to increased operational costs. Visit https://www.historylink.org/File/2323 to learn more and see photos of the founder, Mother Francesca Xavier Cabrini, and how the hospital looked in 1925. In the story it was the birthplace of both Henry Lee and Keiko Okabe.

Former Rhodes Department Store
First operating in Tacoma and then launching into Seattle on a grand scale, Rhodes Department Store and its bargain Dime Store in the Arcade Building next door covered most of a city block. The department store was a very popular shopping destination offering clothing and footwear for the whole family, furniture and bedding, jewelry, and housewares.

Walla Walla, WA

Chinatown Post Office

Garfield High School

Henry's Family's Places and Family Heritage

China
The People's Republic of China, having the largest population worldwide, is geographically quite diverse. The nation's written historical records date back some 4,000 years. Much of the nation's culture and traditions developed without the impact of other societies' influences. These images show some of the memories Henry's father may have had of China, such as picking rice, as in the first image, possibly in a rice paddy like the ones surrounding the village pictured in the second image. Possibly he had heard of the rainbow colored mountains of eroding sandstone, featured in the third image, or of traveling down streets of water by boat as in the fourth image. The final image offers a glimpse of a shrine along a river in Xi Tang, somewhere Mr. Lee may have longed to visit. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Chongqing, China
Today, Chongqing is a large city in China where the the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers meet making the city a critical river port. Japanese bombers attacked the city from 1938 to 1943 to create terror; some 268 air raids were conducted causing more than 10,000 deaths of Chinese civilians. This image shows Chongqing as it looked in 2020. (Photo credit: Unsplash.com)

Chong Wa Benevolent Association
The Chong Wa Benevolent Association operates with a threefold purpose: communication and cooperation between the community and local government, revitalization and preservation of Chinatown in Seattle, and leadership dealing with community concerns. Chong Wa is the umbrella benevolent association for the other benevolent associations in Chinese communities across the region. A portion of this building was also used as a classroom for Chinese children living in the community. Visit https://bit.ly/3EkOk4I to learn more and to view photos of this organization.

Canton/Guangzhou
Guangzhou is a port city that is also the capital city of the Guangdong Province on China's mainland; it was formerly known as Canton or Canton City. This port city on the Pearl River has been trading center since hundreds of years. The city also known for its educational centers. In the story Henry's father had attended school here. These images show both the historic and modern architecture of Guangzhou.(Image Credit: Unsplash.com)

Henry's Places in the 1980's

Lake View Cemetery
Built on Capitol Hill in 1872, the Lake View Cemetery, first known as the Seattle Masonic Cemetery, offers views of lakes and mountains. As the city's population grew, this cemetery's hilltop location was soon in the middle of an affluent neighborhood. This cemetery is the final resting place many of the pioneers who settled the area along with notables such as Bruce and Brandon Lee, and Princess Angeline, the daughter of Chief Sealth, the Native American Chief who the city is named for. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Lake Washington
Sitting just west of Seattle is Washington's second largest freshwater lake at 21,500 acres and 22 miles long, Lake Washington. Locks and a canal offer marine navigation to Puget Sound and a fish ladder was constructed for the areas salmon migration. The lake provides ample water sports activities, including the Seafair Festival. There is even a seaplane harbor for floatplanes. Lake Washington can be seen from Seattle's Capitol Hill. The shoreline is dotted with waterfront homes as the first image depicts; over the course of time many piers and docks, as the second images shows, have broken down leaving only partial pilings as reminder of their locations. (Photo Credit: Unsplash.com)

Boeing Field/King County International Airport
Boeing Field was once Seattle's main airport for passenger flight until WWII when it was used by the military and then a new airport opened in the late 1940's. The Boeing Company still uses the airstrip for testing aircraft and the area is home to the Museum of Flight. These images show a time when the planes were built there; many planes, such as these, were built for the military during WWII. (Photo Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017864481/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017864373/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017864471/ )

Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, both a physical hill and neighborhood, bounded by Interstates 5 and 90 on two sides, is a diverse, suburban neighborhood where Henry lived with his wife Ethel and son Marty in the 1970's and 1980's. This photo shows the neighborhood in 2018. Historically the Beacon Hill neighborhood has been a melting pot where immigrants from across the globe could own land. Visit https://www.beaconhillcouncilseattle.org/diverse to learn more.  (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

University of Washington
The University of Washington, originally founded as Territorial University in 1861, is a public university consisting of three campuses now--Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma. More than 33,000 undergraduate students are majors in more than 180 areas at the Seattle campus; Bothell and Tacoma campuses serve smaller groups of students. Visit washington.edu and take a virtual tour of one of the many programs and the campuses see more images like these from around the university. In the story Henry Lee chose to drop out of classes there as felt he did not fit in, a sense of peer rejection; in 1949 student body diversity was not very diverse. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com and Unsplash.com.)

Bud's Jazz Records
Bud Young founded Bud's Jazz Records in 1982 serving students of jazz and music lovers, especially those following local artists. Bud sold the store in 2001 to a local trumpet player who kept the store open until 2008. Bud also cohosted a jazz radio show on a local community college station. Learn more about Bud and the record shop at https://bit.ly/3OWcgjv. (Image Credit: Unsplash.com)

Uwajimaya
This Seattle Asian grocery store is the flagship of this chain of stores. This family-owned grocery store first opened in 1928 in Tacoma, but was forced to close in 1942. After WWII, the family settled in Seattle and opened a retail store with the grocery supermarket opening in 1970. Learn more at https://www.uwajimaya.com/.

Green Lake
Green Lake is the centerpiece of a neighborhood sharing the same name. The neighborhood began being settled in the 1860's and officially became part of Seattle in 1891. The 259 acre lake is relatively shallow with an average depth of just 13 feet. Paddle boats and small sail boats, as well as row boats, kayaks, and paddle boards are allowed on Green Lake, launching from many areas, but motorized boats are not allowed. Fishing is known to be good, especially Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout. In the story, Henry and Ethel enjoyed an outing here. (Image Credit: Unsplash.com)

Bonney Watson Funeral Home
Seattle's longest, continually serving the community with funeral and cremation services, Bonney Watson Funeral Home, opened in 1868. In the story, this provider aided the Lee family at Ethel's death.

Volunteer Park
Volunteer Park covers 48 acres in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and is home to the Volunteer Park Conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the Lake View Cemetery, and the Water Tower Observation Deck. The park was built in 1903 to honor veterans of the Spanish-American War. These images show the wide variety of plants growing inside the conservatory. (Image Credit: Unsplash.com)

Nisei War Memorial
A veterans memorial for the 56 Japanese-American soldiers who died in battle during WWII was installed and dedicated in 1949, more than half a century before a national monument would be built. This Nisei War Memorial is constructed of rainbow granite and came from a quarry in Cold Spring, Minnesota. The names of these military service members and the battles where they perished are carved into this 21 foot tall and 9 other names have since been added in the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and Korea. Visit https://bit.ly/47PQ97f to view the monument.

Marty's Places

Seattle University
Seattle University is a private university, initially known as Seattle College in 1898, and became Seattle University in 1948. The university offers 65 programs where degrees can be obtained on the undergraduate level and many more on the graduate level. These images offer a glimpse of the campus, but a virtual tour is available at https://www.seattleu.edu/virtual-tour/; more information about the college is available at https://www.seattleu.edu/. Marty Lee attended this college in the story earning a degree in Chemistry. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Capitol Hill
Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood is home to the Volunteer Park Conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and more. The area is also known for its counter culture and diversity. These images show the Capitol Hill neighborhood and an example of the vibrant nightlife there. (Photo Credit: Unsplash.com)

Keiko's Places

Nihonmachi/Japantown
Japanese immigrants to Seattle from 1900 to 1910 established a community to the Northeast of Chinatown called Nihonmachi or Japantown. This was the second largest Japanese community on the West Coast. Visit https://bit.ly/3qRbLiK and https://bit.ly/3qSBbfX to learn a bit more and view images of the area.

Japan
The island nation of Japan is actually a string of islands, formed by volcanoes just of the western coast of Asia, stretching for 1,500 miles. Its population has been mostly homogeneous, with some cultural impacts from China and Korea, such as Buddhism and the China's logographic writing system. Japan's tallest mountain is the snow-capped Mount Fuji can be seen in the background of the first image along with cherry blossoms and a line pagodas that symbolize the traditional ideology. An emphasis on education has helped form their advanced economy and technological understanding in the second image allow rice and other crops to grow in the rugged terrain. Traditional Japanese wedding party attire is shown in the third image as is referenced in the story. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Northern Pacific Hotel
The Northern Pacific Hotel, often referred to as the N.P., was first built for rail passengers in 1914. It soon became lodging for the immigrant workers and offered community and cultural resources. The former hotel now serves as a low-income housing facility meeting the needs of individuals in the area. The building is also home to the oldest Japanese restaurant in Seattle, Maneki, which opened in 1904.

Nippon Kan Theater
Entertaining community patrons from 1909 until 1942, the Nippon Kan Theater presented dancers, singers, and musicians across a variety of musical genres. After a restoration in 1981 the theater reopened through 2005. Visit https://bit.ly/3Pm9g1v and https://bit.ly/3Z0hXlm to learn more. (Image Credit: (c. 1910s-1960s) Lotus group performance. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-128-32/)

Kobe Park
Kobe Terrace Park was often simply referenced as Kobe Park. The park is on a hillside and is terraced, much like areas of Japan's mountainous areas are as well, and there are numerous benches to sit and enjoy the scenic nature. The park was named for Seattle's sister city in Japan--Kobe; a 200 year old stone lantern was given as a gift to Seattle from Kobe. Mount Fuji cherry trees, as seen in the image here, grow all around the park and bloom in March. A portion of the park has been converted to a community garden where individuals lease a small space to grown vegetables that reflect their culture; visit https://bit.ly/3L1u3oc to learn more. Take a virtual tour of the park in springtime at https://bit.ly/3Pixppr.

Cornish Institute/College of the Arts
The Cornish Institute, now the Cornish College of the Arts is a private art college that began in 1914. The college has a limited enrollment per semester and offers 8 undergraduate majors. In the story it had been Keiko's mother's aspirations for Keiko to attend there.

Union Station

Camp Harmony
Location of Camp Harmony internment camp during WWII, Puyallup, WA   Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Minidoka Relocation Center
Location of Minidoka Relocation Center during WWII, Jerome County, Idaho https://www.nps.gov/miin/index.htm  Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

New York -- Keiko's Home

Bailey Gatzert Elementary School

Sheldon's Places

Sheldon's Corner to Play
Sheldon would entertain passersby playing jazz on his saxophone on this corner. An open case collected listeners spare change. (Image Credit: Unsplash.com)

Black Elks Club
The fraternal members of the Elks of the World or now known as the African American Elks Club, who were not permitted membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elk, formed their own organization. The Seattle chapter leased the second floor of the Rainier Power and Heating Building, now called the C & T Building beginning in 1938. Visit https://bit.ly/3R0lDBj to view how the building looked decades ago when jazz legend Ray Charles was first paid for his performance. In the story Oscar Holden and his band played here on a regular basis.

Other Places

Yokohama
Yokohama  grew from a fishing village to a large port city and trade hub on Japan's eastern coast with a natural deep harbor once established in the 1860's, The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1923 and the fire that followed, but was rebuilt in short order. Today the city is a metropolitan area with a wide array of manufacturing. Admiral Oriental Line  operated out of the Yokohama port offering cruises and Transpacific crossings to Seattle. (Photo Credit: "Japanese Steamer Arriving at Dock" (photograph) , ca 1914; (Seattle), public domain)

Pearl Harbor Attack
Pearl Harbor is a United States Naval base and serves as the headquarters of their Pacific Fleet. The base is west of Honolulu on Oahu Island's southern coast. Relations between the United States of American and Japan were severely strained and tensions were high before the attack as American embargos created a supply shortage of items needed by the Japanese military. The attack on December 7, 1941, temporarily crippled the Pacific Fleet in addition to other United States military installations in the Pacific arena. The bombing raid by Japan's naval air force included over 200 planes, armed with both bombs and torpedoes. Extensive damage was done to the American Naval Air Force planes. Almost all of the American Navy ships were damaged, with several completely destroyed. The loss of lives exceeded 2,400 individuals. The first image was taken on the morning of the attack. Over the next few years during the war, many areas of the base were rebuilt, such as the base post office in the second image. (Photo credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/98506923/,  https://www.loc.gov/item/2002695213/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017694982/, and https://www.loc.gov/item/2017694993/)

Seattle's Waterfront and Coleman Dock
Coleman Dock can be found at Pier 52; it is the Seattle Ferry Terminal. The dock first opened in 1882 and has been rebuilt three times since as it was lost in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, which opened at the Coleman Dock in 1904, originally opened 1899; visit the shop at https://www.yeoldecuriosityshop.com/ or on Pier 54, their new location. (Photo Credit: "Seattle, WA-The Business District of Seattle, Washington, showing its Famous Harbor," postcard, 1942; (Seattle, WA), public domain.)

Pioneer Square
Pioneer Square is a neighborhood, as many would say, the birthplace of Seattle, its original downtown, established in 1852. Take a virtual tour at https://bit.ly/3YZslJN. This historic district pays homage to the Yukon Gold Rush of the 1890's and those who traveled through Seattle on their way to search for gold. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park is located here sharing Seattle's involvement in the hunt for gold.(Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Paine Air Field
The year before America was drawn into WWII, the Army leased the airport and named it Paine Army Airfield after Lt. Paine of Everett. After the war the military gave control of the airport back to Snohomish County. In 1951 the airport  began serving both military and civilian planes.

Puget Sound

Olympic Mountains

Bremerton

Lumen Field/Former Kingdome Site

Alki Beach

Hong Kong

Washington, DC --Executive Order 9066

Vashon Island

Bainbridge Island

Vigor/Former Todd Shipyards

Borneo

Makassar Strait

Washington Park Arboretum

Nanjing