Seattle Tour Blog: The Rocket Magazine

The Rocket Towers was located on Fifth Avenue and Lenora Street, in the Jordan Building on the second floor. Charles R. Cross’ corner office was above the Palace Kitchen sign. The offices had no elevator, but it did have wonderful natural lighting, and a stunning view of the Seattle Center’s famous monorail, which was eye-level for the passengers and journalists alike. 

As a freelancer at The Rocket, I covered “alternative” music genres. I love jazz, soul, funk, disco, trance, classical, reggae, gospel, R&B, blues, folk, art-rock, and C&W. Grunge music was covered by Rocket staff.  

I don’t own any of these Google, and Wikicommons screenshots.

I do own this sketch of The Rocket’s floor plan that (former art director) Art Chantry drew for me. I like the spontaneous cocktail napkin look of it.

Pink Umbrellas Love Rainydaze is a collection of short fiction based on true events from my life as a freelance writer at The Rocket, City Heat magazine, The Stranger, and Wire, during the 80s and 90s. I worked as a waitress at The Rainier Club and the Fisherman’s on pier 57 (future location of Seattle’s Great Wheel), and rode a bicycle or took Metro Transit. Later, I worked at the Space Needle for one crazy summer in the main dining room.

This is a screenshot photo of Seattle that shows the places where I worked and lived. I modified it with the arrows. 

My father and grandmother were very close, he took care of her all of his adult life. When he passed away in 1989, my brother and I took care of her. I’d visit every morning before work and make her breakfast, and Jay would bring her dinner. She had been living in the same apartment at Yesler Terrace since the 1960’s, and was happy there. 

The clips (below) are a few of my published CD reviews, interviews, articles from the 80s and 90s. The Rocket newspaper is a now a free digital archive online: washington digital newspapers.org

I do not own the digital archives, but the old fashioned clips are mine.

Pink Umbrellas Love Rainydaze Out Now on Amazon.com