The Twin Teepees is suddenly no more, and a lot of Seattleites are in mourning
People are sad. Others are mad. What has them stirred up is yesterday's demolition of a Northwest landmark: the Twin Teepees restaurant on Aurora Avenue North. It was close to the last of Seattle's roadside oddities, leaving only the former Hat 'n' Boots gas station.
The late Walter Clark, who owned a dozen Seattle eateries, opened the Twin Teepees in 1937. Legend has it that Clark hired an old Army buddy as cook and, while working there, Col. Harland Sanders perfected his fried-chicken recipe.
The Teepees outlasted many food fads. But it was damaged by fire in June 2000. At the time, landlord Rob Pierides said the restaurant would reopen in September. But September came, and Pierides blamed "legal problems."
Yesterday's demolition happened quickly. During rush hour, the restaurant was standing. By 10 a.m., it was a pile of rubble, guarded by hired security. People streamed past, stunned by the loss. One older gentleman recalled the last time he'd eaten there with his late wife. It was 1991.
Family feud: The race for the Seattle School Board seat representing the area from Belltown to Ballard is turning into a family affair. The field includes PTSA leader Pat Griffith, departing mayoral spokesman Dick Lilly — and the two Soriano cousins.
The cousins are business leader Lawrence Soriano, 47, and labor organizer Sally Soriano, 55. They belong to a large local family whose members include the late Dewey Soriano, a Seattle Pilots owner and Seattle Rainiers general manager.
The Sorianos filed for the Position 4 seat that School Board President Don Nielsen is leaving. Nielsen said he hopes the seat will go to someone with a business perspective.
That would seem to fit Larry Soriano, president and chief executive officer of Western Pioneer Shipping Services. Sally Soriano, on the other hand, scorns the board's business-oriented decisions.
She said, "I'm ashamed of the Coke contract (for vending machines in schools). A bottle contains nine teaspoons of sugar." She also wants to educate the community on the World Trade Organization. She fears imposition — through international trade agreements — of a "quick voucher system."
Not since 1999, when David Irons Jr. and his sister Di battled one another for a Metropolitan King County Council seat — she waged a write-in campaign, but David won — has there been so much potential for a public family food fight.
Small world: Finding a Starbucks Coffee at the Al Rashid Mall in Saudi Arabia was a touch of home for Seattle native Abbie Howell Clifford. She's living there with her husband, Michael, who works for Saudi Aramco.
Abbie mailed home a Starbucks "How are we doing?" questionnaire, printed in English and Arabic, with the standard queries. But the Starbucks' logo isn't quite the same. The green "Starbucks Coffee" circle encloses a star-topped crown adrift on white waves. The familiar crown-wearing mermaid is apparently taking a coffee break.
Clothes call: Spotted on a pickup: "If God had meant us to go naked, we would have been born that way."
Jean Godden appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Phone 206-464-8300. E-mail: jgodden@seattletimes.com.