CHAPTER
06
WATER FOR RECREATION AND ENJOYMENT
Water has not simply been a means for employment and service for Filipinos, but a place for enjoyment, connection, and recreation.
Washington's waterfronts have been a favorite place for leisure time for many Filipino families since their arrivals in the United States. Gathering at the beach, swimming, and relaxing on the waterfront have been important to maintaining connections with family, unwinding after hard days of work, and providing respite from the challenges of living in a new country.
Recreation on the water continues to play a prominent role within Washington's Filipino-American community today. Filipino-owned recreational tourism businesses provide enjoyment for many in Puget Sound and beyond, sharing the love of and appreciation for water through a cultural lens.
Viviana and Mike Castillano (left, circa 1928) often spent time with friends along the waterfront. Their daughter, Dorothy Cordova, was the lead researcher for this exhibit.
"Filipinos always want to picnic where there is water. My mom [Viviana Castillano] would swim. Where she was from the Philippines, there was a river. She came here in 1928 and continued to swim whenever she could."
–dorothy cordova
The Mamnon kids play in the sand on a Puget Sound beach in the 1930s.
Sharing stories of our waterfront
For almost 20 years, Megan Laigo Schorr and her husband Erik have owned a successful sea kayak touring company in Anacortes. Before they started Anacortes Kayak Tours, Erik was a whale-watch boat captain and kayak guide, and Megan worked as a naturalist for whale-watch tours.
