Taking charge 🏙

Seattle’s first female mayor: Bertha Knight Landes

Bertha was quick on her feet and often encouraged other women to follow her footsteps. | Photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives

With elections around the corner, we thought it was a good time to turn back the clock for a little history lesson. Did you know that Seattle played a huge part in democratic history — electing the first female mayor of any major US city in 1926?

Let us tell you a little about Bertha Knight Landes.

She liked to work fast 💪

In 1924, Seattle Mayor Edwin J. Brown named Landes — a City Councilmember at the time — as acting mayor while he traveled to New York for the Democratic National Convention.

Bertha worked... uh... efficiently in the temporary role. She declared a state of emergency and fired the city’s police chief when he refused to cut officers he had previously stated were corrupt.

Mayor Brown heard of the “commotion” and returned from his New York trip five days early, where he then reinstated the fired police chief.

Two years later, Landes campaigned to replace Brown officially and won by 6,000 votes.

She kept pretty busy 📝

Landes did some heavy lifting for public services facing major budgeting issues, like the streetcars.

She was also responsible for hosting several major historical figures like Charles Lindbergh, Queen Marie of Romania, and Will Rogers.

She may be a ghost 👻

Yup — before the now-closed Harvard Exit Theatre showed films, it hosted the Women’s Century Club, which Landes had a major role in.

In 1970, workers began to report seeing ghostly historical figures on the third and first floors and made the connection to the former mayor.

In the 1980s, some of Landes’ belongings were put on display in the Smith Tower. A worker who was arranging the exhibit saw a ghost appear to check out the handiwork. When he was shown Landes’ photo, he recognized her as the apparition.

We can neither confirm nor deny her supernatural status, but you can learn more about her historic time on this earthly plain via the Seattle City Archives and UW’s Digital Collections.

Click here to have your event featured.

Monday, Nov. 7

Speed Mingling: Make It Queer | Monday, Nov. 7 | 5:30-9 p.m. | The Collective, 400 Dexter Ave N., Seattle | $10 | Meet some new folks for dates, networking, or just friendship while lounging in cozy seats.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

“Mountain Sunset” Painting | Tuesday, Nov. 8 | 6-8 p.m. | L’Ecole, 17401 133rd Ave NE #1010, Seattle | $45 | Sip on award-winning wine while painting your own stunning landscape.

Wednesday, Nov. 9

Mushroom Mania: The Secret Life of Fungi | Wednesday, Nov. 9 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Ave. NE, Bellevue | $35 | Snack on mushroom appetizers, meet other mycology enthusiasts, and learn about the fungus among us.
Schilling Cider Maker’s Dinner | Wednesday, Nov. 9 | 7 p.m. | The Factory Luxe, 3100 Airport Way S., Seattle | $20-$200 | “Top Chef” alum Sara Hauman has prepared a four-course, gluten-free menu to pair with award-winning suds.

Thursday, Nov. 10

Runic Basic Writing Class | Thursday, Nov. 10 | 8-9:30 p.m. | Skål Beer Hall, 5429 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle | $15 | Learn how to read and write the old Viking script — bring your own writing materials.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

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Weather

43º | Occasional showers | 50% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:02 a.m.
Set: 4:42 p.m.

Drink

17 Seattle-based breweries won gold medals at the 2022 Washington Beer Awards Friday night. The competition included 75+ categories like pumpkin beer, Irish stouts, and American-style lagers. For a full list of winning breweries — including names like Fair Isle, Lucky Envelope, and Flying Lion — check online. 🍻 (Washington Beer Blog)

Open

A new theater recently opened at Pike Place Market. The Rabbit Box — located at 94 Pike Street — has plans to host live music, stand-up comedians, and literary events for children and adults. 🎭 (Crosscut)

Traffic

Time for a refresher. With Daylight Saving Time ending, the Seattle Department of Transportation has a list of reminders for how to drive safely in the dark. Tips include keeping a closer eye out for pedestrians and increasing distance between cars. 🚗

Travel

The Seattle cruise industry just wrapped up its biggest season ever with 295 sailings and 1.3 million passengers leaving from the port. There were 85 sailings in 2021, zero in 2020, and 211 in 2019. 🛳 (Puget Sound Business Journal)
Picture this: It’s a regular Monday at the office. You’re skimming your inbox for the fifteenth time when suddenly, an email arrives: ⛵Malta — $400-$500s. With a flash of your credit card, you’ve booked sunny skies + crystal blue waters for this year’s summer vacation. Good thing you got those Scott’s Cheap Flights notifications.*

Edu

The 2023 application for Bank of America’s Student Leaders paid internship program is now open through Jan. 13, 2023. Selected students will participate in an eight-week internship at a local nonprofit organization and learn about the needs of their community and the role nonprofits play. Learn about the application requirements + apply. 📲*

Shop

Meet Rent the Runway, the easiest way to dress to impress (for less) this holiday season. By becoming a member, you can try every style, trend + designer you want — without ever buying a single thing. Bonus: Use code 6AMXRTR for 40% off two months of a membership or one-time rental. 👗 *

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Everyone’s a critic

One-star reviews of Mt. Rainier

We’ve seen better mountains. | Photo by @expeditionsinlight

Sure, mountains are impressive. But Mother Nature could always do better — even the majestic Mount Rainier.

Well, at least that’s what some people think — apparently other locals are just not impressed.

Check out these real, honest-to-goodness one-star reviews of the 500,000-year-old volcano. Which, sure, may be jokes, but still took some effort to post.

Mt. Rainier review — Charlie has a sense for the height of things.

Clearly this person’s never used a dating app. The rest of us have gone a bit numb to the surprise.

MORE DISAPPOINTED REVIEWERS

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Alina.

Editor’s pick: I really love the outdoors and mountains (I know, big shocker), so I did get a big kick out of writing commentary on those one-star Mt. Rainier reviews. But you know, I think we all have weirdly specific things in life that we would absolutely give bad ratings to.

For me personally, I would write some very strongly worded reviews on Tennessee’s summer humidity levels (inhumane), the existence of house centipedes (completely unnecessary), and sour blueberries (high expectations ruined).

Missed Friday’s newsletter? Here’s some ways to survive the Big Dark.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Alina Hunter-Grah, Gabe Guarente, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Terri Kiesenhofer | Advertise with us.

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