♪♪
-I think it's so fun.
I think it promotes community and strategic thinking.
-Tile by tile, click by click.
Seattle's mahjong scene is having a moment,
and it's nothing like the game your grandma played.
-If you're not good, it's OK.
-We're talking tee time and
it's not the kind where you meet for a
a hot beverage.
All you need here are two clubs
and a great attitude.
We'll take you inside the Green Lake Pitch and Putt.
-Close your eyes.
Imagine what songs they sang
this day.
-And 140 years of elevating the voices of
Seattle's Black community.
We highlight the impact of the first AME Church.
These stories and much more are coming up next on City Stream.
♪♪
Hi everyone.
I'm Lindsay Cohen alongside my
best bud Otis Redding.
Yes, that's my dog's name.
And welcome to CityStream from beautiful Green Lake Park.
Did you know that a glacial ice sheet actually formed Green
Lake more than 50,000 years ago?
♪♪
This beautiful spot got its name in 1855 by
surveyor David Phillips.
He apparently thought its green algae bloom
fittingly described it.
Soon after, white settlers claimed the area and they
dubbed it the perfect urban escape from Seattle's
bustling downtown.
♪♪
It was popular then and it's still popular today with
its proximity to downtown and the Woodland Park Zoo.
There's playfields, water activities and this nearly three
mile loop to walk, run or bike.
And hey Otis here, he gives it two paws up.
Bump it.
Yes, good bump it.
Good job.
You know what else has been around almost as long
as the name Green Lake?
Mahjong, the Chinese tile game of skill and chance.
And just like this park, the game has
has a unique ability to bring people together,
no matter their age or skill level.
Producer Ian Devier explains.
[tiles clacking and shuffling]
- Today, we're playing intergenerational mahjong
in the Chinatown International District,
here in Union Station.
♪♪
- We're in collaboration with the Wing Luke Museum
and then the Seattle Office of Planning
and Community Development to help activate this space.
[tiles clacking and shuffling]
-Teaching mahjong 101, 13 tile, Hong Kong style.
-I think at the heart of it, you just need a set and four people
who want to learn and play.
♪♪
-One of my favorite parts of this event is being
able to teach new players and see the moment in their
brain where the game clicks and they start to get familiar
with the different tiles and the texture of
playing together.
-Oh, again!
-Dang! We're getting hustled.
We're getting hustled.
-Social clubs have been popping up in Seattle.
We already know we're playing at our senior centers,
we're playing in the library, playing in the public.
What if we all played together and built community together?
-As a Filipino American, mahjong is one of my major cultural
touchstones and how I connect with my culture and build
community around my identity, especially here in the CID and Seattle.
-It's been really special in the last few months to really see
different mahjong organizations in Seattle come together.
-Everybody wants to connect and teach each other.
-You might not know the characters when
they're on the scene.
-These are from Taiwan, so they're a little longer.
A lot of us grew up in homes that played mahjong.
-I used to play with my grandpa growing up as a kid.
And now he has dementia, and so mahjong
is one of the only times where he gets that clear brain
and can really focus and be in rhythm with me.
So it holds a special place in my heart.
♪♪
-We're trying to make it feel like home.
I mean, there's everything but karaoke on a laser disc.
but there's activities for the kids, there's snack
breaks, we have people talking and laughing and cheering.
[applause and cheering]
And just sharing stories and making that one-on-one
moments of human connection.
♪♪
-So what makes this game so popular?
Is it the fast action?
Is it a way to unplug and connect with the community in
our increasingly digital world?
Or might it be the colorful tiles themselves?
Producers Kathy Tuohy and Valerie Vozza flip some tiles
and the script, exploring the intricacies of mahjong.
♪♪
-Drop into any mahjong meetup and the first thing
you'll notice is the sound.
[tiles clacking and shuffling]
The clickety-clack of the tiles being shuffled, which
can mean only one thing: a game of mahjong
is about to start.
-Arrange things based on family and based on numerical sequence.
That's how I like to do it.
-The goal of the rummy-like game is to build a winning hand by
drawing and discarding tiles.
Winning hands vary depending on the style being played,
but all include groupings of sets and a pair.
- How are you guys doing?
How's the game going?
- This evening, the action is at Kilig,
a Filipino restaurant in the Chinatown
International District.
- It is Mahjong Monday, and this is probably
my third time to be here.
- I was like, "Who's winning?"
- For the past year, owner Melissa Miranda
has been holding the bimonthly gatherings
and filling the restaurant with mostly Asian
or Asian American Millennials and Gen Zers.
-This is my first time playing mahjong, and
I'm on a winning streak.
Yeah, about to be three.
♪♪
-Mahjong, it turns out, is attracting a whole
new legion of fans who are embracing the
200-year-old game.
In the U.S., online searches for mahjong clubs are up
almost 4,500% since last year.
The crowded at Kilig play mostly Filipino or Hong
Kong-style mahjong, and for many, it's a cultural thing.
-My family used to play mahjong for all of
the family gatherings, and the noise you hear of the
tiles is something that me and my cousins grew up with.
I don't know, it's just something that's
very nostalgic for me.
-Growing up, I used to watch my aunties and my mom play mahjong,
and they would let the kids watch, but we didn't play.
-Mahjong started in China in the 1800s.
-An American businessman brought it to the United
States in the 1920s, and it went rogue.
It became very popular quite quickly,
but what ended up happening is people were playing
with different rules, different versions.
So in 1937, the National Mahjong League was developed.
A group of women in Manhattan got together and decided to
standardize the game, and they came up with this card.
In order to win American Mahjong, which is played with a
card, not just tiles, you have to fulfill one of the
hands on the card, and then you Mahj, you win.
-Okay, I got Mahj!
-Oh my God!
-Woohoo!
-There are over 40 varieties
of mahjong played globally.
But American mahjong, along with classic Chinese and
Japanese Riichi mahjong, are the main versions
played in the U.S.
Seattle Riichi Mahjong Club meets weekly at various locations
in Seattle and Bellevue.
Today's noon meetup is at Stoup Brewery on Capitol Hill.
-A lot of mahjongs, they're like just kind of you play
the hand and then you're done.
But Japanese, we have points which keep track of like
how well you're doing.
So the games will be longer than a single hand.
There'll be multiple hands.
So there's a bit of a further layer of competition to try to
be first at the end of the game.
-Japanese Riichi is one of the fastest growing variants of
the game in the U.S.
today, having captured the younger,
more competitive and gaming-oriented demographic.
-First time playing Japanese Mahjong, I just wanted
to kind of experience new things and meet new people.
-We saw the meetup for this particular mahjong community
and we wanted to be around like a younger group,
so we decided to learn Japanese Mahjong.
- I think it's a socialization thing.
I mean, all these kids on their devices all the time,
noses in their phones.
So I think it's a really good way for people
to meet other people, be social, use their brains.
- I think it's so fun.
I think it promotes community and strategic thinking,
and it's really like hands-on, just super fun.
- Oh, I love it when I win.
Luckily it happens a lot, yeah.
- It's easy enough to still have a conversation
and socialize, but it's also challenging enough
to still be kind of mentally stimulating and fun.
So that's what I like about it.
- The ancient game of mahjong is the same as it's
been for centuries.
The tiles, the shuffle, the wall, the draw and discard.
And now more people than ever are coming to the table.
-Whichever style of mahjong fits you, really the best
way to learn is to find a group and jump right in.
There are more mahjong meetups than we can
mention in a single show.
So a simple online search can help you find one
in your neighborhood.
♪♪
Coming up next, some say it's the hardest part of the game,
but also maybe the most fun.
We're pitching and putting around Green
Lake when we come back.
-Look at that.
-We are the everyday storytellers of this great city.
We are Seattle Channel, a gateway to everything Seattle.
♪♪
The intersection between government, culture, news,
and the ever unfolding story of the city we call home.
♪♪
So follow your curiosity and come explore Seattle with us.
♪♪
Seattle Channel.
♪♪
-Welcome back to CityStream from beautiful Green Lake Park.
If you've ever played golf, you know how frustrating
it can be at times.
But here at Green Lake Pitch and Putt, whether you're
young or old, experienced or just getting started, the
only measure that matters is how much fun you have.
Unless you score a hole in one.
Producer Eric Riddle and photographer-editor
Mark Morache have more.
-When you get to the middle of the course, you forget
you're in the middle of a city.
[golf ball plunking]
This is an urban area.
I am touching grass.
I'm in nature.
-Oh!
[golf thwack]
Much better, Uncle Perry.
My name is Amy Faulkner.
I'm the operator at Green Lake Pitch and Putt.
[golf thwack]
-Yeah!
-We are the oldest continuously operating
pitch and putt in the United States.
We started in 1947.
This part of Green Lake was partially flooded, and it was
also a landfill that the Olmsted brothers, the same people that
developed Central Park, they designated that they would lower
the water level in Green Lake and make this a recreation area.
I would come here and golf just casually.
And I just saw this place as a diamond in the rough.
Like there's so much community around it.
You can look at everybody's chatting and having a good time.
When it came available, I submitted a proposal to the city
and we're seeing that continue to grow.
The biggest thing I saw was that it wasn't a super
welcoming environment.
We immediately improved the pro shop and found some
interesting challenges in that.
There's no hot water in the pro shop because it was built in
1947 and supposed to be kind of a primitive building.
But we painted, we put new flooring in because there
was disgusting carpet before.
-Next up to tee is
Shelby played in party.
-There you go.
Nice, nice.
-Pitch and putt started in Ireland in the 1930s, and it
was designed for people that didn't have the time or the
financial means to go spend five hours at an 18-hole golf course.
-Good shot, dude!
-Nice shot, Pear.
-It's a nine-hole course.
It's easy.
It's simple.
You could have fun.
and it's just great.
- You need two clubs, a pitching wedge and a putter.
It's really easy.
It's designed for people that want to work
on their short game and they're avid golfers,
but also people that are just like never golfed before.
[golf thwack] [cheering]
The rules are not as crazy as a golf course.
There's no special attire that you have to wear.
-Yeah. -It's designed for
people to learn.
So if you're not good, it's okay.
It's not about being the best golfer ever.
It's about coming out and having fun.
-It was supposed to go over the palm tree to
the hole, but oh well.
[chuckling]
-Greens take a whole lot of work to maintain and take care of.
and when you have maybe less experienced golfers,
they might take a little bit more of a beating
than at Pebble Beach, perhaps.
- The mom caddy, always important.
- We do scrambles, so you might be golfing
with people that you've never met before.
We do something called a short game social club.
It's all about, hey, you wanna come meet people?
They talk about the Seattle freeze all the time.
This is a great way.
Come out here, hit some balls around.
They might go in the right direction, they might not.
-The ball's in there somewhere.
-Just experiencing the community of it and feeling welcome
and making sure everybody feels welcome
and making sure that people that may not have had
the opportunity to golf get that opportunity.
-Look at that.
-Thank you, thank you.
So great to come here and see familiar faces
and know that we're part of their
lives and they're part of ours.
I feel like it is a weird calling,
but it's been so delightful and seeing the results
of it that I want to continue it for
a really long time.
It's just a fun place to be.
[golf thwack] -Ohhhhhh! Fore!
-So I'm not saying I'm terrible at
Pitch and Putt, but I might be saying that the ducks in the
lake have been keeping score and it's not looking good for
me. For golfers who'd rather make friends than keep score,
the Pitch and Putt also runs a weekly social
every Monday night.
For more information about
their meetups, the tee times, and all the ins
and outs of Pitch and Putt, go to their website,
greenlakepitchandputt.com. And one more thing,
dogs are unfortunately not allowed here.
So So sorry Otis, I owe
you some treats later.
After the break, how one small church became the voice for
Seattle's Black community.
We'll explain in just a moment.
♪♪
- We've made our way over to the Aqua Theater.
You know, this spot has hosted a number of legends
over the years, including Bob Hope and Led Zeppelin.
But it's the combination of music and fellowship that
have lifted one church beyond prayer and into action.
This social activism has helped shape Seattle's Black community
for more than a century.
Producers Ian Devier and Susie Philipson have the story
of Seattle's first African Methodist Episcopal Church.
-First AME continues to be a leader in community
outreach through its Central District Affordable Housing
Project Bryant Manor, which provides low and
moderate income housing for families and seniors.
If you'd like to learn more about their work,
you can head to their website at FAMEseattle.org.
Also, this story is the first in a series by our
Department of Neighborhoods, highlighting Seattle's Black
heritage as well as historic preservation.
For more information, you can visit their
blog at frontporch.seattle.gov.
We'll be right back.
-Seattle Channel, recipient of the National Association
of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors 2025
Overall Excellence Award.
The highest honor for a government TV
station in the country.
-We get it.
Local elections can feel like
a mountain of homework.
But the decisions made right here in Seattle
affect your everyday life.
So don't worry, the Seattle channel is here to make it easy.
Our Video Voters’ Guide can help you make an informed decision.
Here's what's on it.
This August primary, the guide features five races,
including King County Assessor.
Don't worry, if you don't know what that is,
this guide will explain.
There's also council member races for both the
county and city of Seattle, a municipal court
judge position, and a Seattle ballot measure.
Each candidate's video is no more than two minutes long,
completely unedited and straight from the people
looking to represent you.
Here are the dates and deadlines you need to know.
Once you've made your choices, sign your ballot envelope.
You can drop it off at an official dropbox by 8 p.m.
on Election Day or mail it back.
Just make sure it's postmarked by Election Day.
USPS recommends mailing it at least one week early to be safe.
Make your voice count.
Visit our website, seattlechannel.org/elections
to watch our guide, learn about the candidates,
and then fill out your ballot.
♪♪
-That's all for this episode of CityStream.
But before we go, a quick reminder that Green Lake has so
much to offer all year round.
So come on down for a walk, a bite, or even to hang out
with me and Otis Redding, the best co-host I could
have ever asked for.
If you'd like more information about the activities down here,
you can go to seattle.gov/parks and search for Green Lake Park.
If you'd like to learn more about Seattle Channel's
award-winning programming, you can head on over
to seattlechannel.org or visit us on our social media.
Thanks again for joining.
I'm Lindsay Cohen and Otis, last words?
He'll just sit here and look cute.
♪ ♪