The absolute best place to vanquish a case of the munchies after a Led Zeppelin concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum circa 1970 used to be Morningtown Pizza. Tucked in a one-story garage on Roosevelt Way, Morningtown began life in 1969 as an anarchist pizza collective. It was the first place I ever ate pizza made with whole wheat crusts. And at the time, even the toppings bore an anarchic bent—significantly, the Hawaiian, with its unholy marriage of Canadian bacon and pineapple.
As a student, I knew nothing about the business model or the politics, but I did know Morningtown was a really cool hangout run by hippies. Behind the counter, beneath a sign that read “We Are All the Boss,” a genial, long-haired guy in wire-rimmed glasses could be overheard espousing his philosophy: “I don’t vote for people. I vote against them.” He seemed clearly committed to living a life faithful to his beliefs and ideology. A poster on the wall exhorted patrons to “Eat the Rich.” Which, if you were waiting—and waiting—for the pie to come out of the oven, began to sound like a reasonable option. When the pizza finally arrived, I would dive in so fast that I always, always, seared the roof of my mouth on the bubbling, hot cheese. The blisters would sting for days… read more >
