Snapshots From Seattlefeatured
The greatest perk of my job, bar none, is the unlimited vacation policy. The second greatest perk, though, is that I get to travel to Seattle every quarter.
Well, that or the free Vitamin Water.
((No, it’s definitely Seattle. Sorry, Glaceau…))
I don’t think Seattle gets the credit it deserves, lost in the shine of bigger cities like New York and San Francisco. I think of Seattle as this melting pot of everything I love about those cities. My favorite thing to do in Seattle when I’m not working? Walk around and take pictures. Seriously. Seattle is a photogenic city, with its steep, sloping streets, and a skyline punctuated by that futuristic Space Needle.
With four trips under my belt in the past 12 months, I have my routine down pretty pat: I fly out on Sunday morning so I can settle in and hit the ground running on Monday morning (the only downside to working from the Seattle office? My work day starts at 7:00 am when my teammates at home get into the Chicago office!). I check into my hotel and once I’m settled, I wander. I usually stop at the Gum Wall first and look for new messages of hope, love and peace in the graffiti around Post Alley and from there? I just wander. Sometimes I head out to Pioneer Square. Or the International District. Sometimes I explore Pike Place, or head out to Capitol Hill. I’ve been told that Ballard is gorgeous. That’s next on my list. And I drink coffee. I drink a lot of coffee.
I was out there a couple of weeks back. And even as the last vestiges of winter passed through with chilly temps and more rain than I’d seen on all of my other visits combined, Seattle was as beautiful as ever.
The sunrise over Chicago almost makes up for the early flight time
The views of Montana aren’t too shabby, either
But nothing beats that descent into SeaTac
Hello, old friend!
Love is all around Pike Place Market
So are messages of hope and inspiration
Art and graffiti line the drive down to Post Alley
The Gum Wall is always a crowd favorite
Even though it was wiped clean a few months back, the Gum Wall is as colorful as ever
Aphorisms are all around Post Alley
Rainy days in Seattle are plentiful, but they have their own kind of charm to them
Springtime blooms on sale at Pike Place Market
When the line to get a Piroshky is longer than the line to get into the original Starbucks, you know you’re in for something good
Fresh produce
Coffee break
Corner market blooms
Ode to Bowie
After hours of rain, a few rays of sun poke out from the clouds over Puget Sound
An afternoon snack at Storyville Coffee
Strolling around Pioneer Square
Seattlites definitely have an interesting love/hate relationship with the rain
All you need is love
The upside to all of the rain is that rainbows appear frequently in Seattle
Seattle may be the home of Starbucks, but there are hundreds of small, unique coffee shops to try
Tonight’s headliner: Carly Rae Jepsen
Pike Place lights up at night
The Space Needle peeks out from behind the sidewalk shops of Belltown.
((So are some pretty sweet craft cocktails))
Art is everywhere in this city. Different forms, different messages, but even where you don’t expect to see it, you somehow find it.
A little sunlight after a little rain
Stomping around town looking for some good Pho on a lunch break. My first taste of Vietnamese food came on my first trip to Seattle, and I’ve been hooked ever since!
We grabbed some burgers from this retro drive in after a night out in Capitol Hill. Cash only, but perfect late night grub
One last burst of caffeination
Right as I was wrapping up my last meeting, I looked up and saw a full-arch rainbow over the city out my office window. A fitting end to the trip.
