Podcast | Watching ‘third places’ disappear with Vanishing Seattle
We spoke with Cynthia Brothers, founder of the project that highlights disappearing institutions and cultures in the city, about losing public spaces.
Vanishing Seattle creator Cynthia Brothers outside the former location of Seattle’s famed Bush Garden. Brothers says she was heartbroken when the popular restaurant and karaoke joint closed during the pandemic, and hasn’t done karaoke anywhere since. (Grant Hindsley for Cascade PBS)
Coffee shops. Churches. Gyms.
These are just a few examples of what you might consider your “third place” – a spot you go outside of work and your home to hang out and connect.
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Left: Locks on the door of the former Bush Garden, in the Chinatown-International District, on Monday, April 1, 2024. Right: Cynthia Brothers, creator of Vanishing Seattle, in the Chinatown-International District. (Grant Hindsley for Cascade PBS)
The concept of third places isn’t new, but it has seen renewed interest in recent years as we navigate the social fallout of COVID-19 and increased screen time.
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed chats with Cynthia Brothers of Vanishing Seattle, a media project that highlights disappearing institutions and cultures around the city, about why we’re seeing some of our third places disappear and what it means to lose them.
Bush Garden will reopen this year at a new location in the Chinatown-International District. (Grant Hindsley for Cascade PBS)
