- Pike Place Market – Start the day off right and jump on the buzz wagon of visitors, vendors, street performers &, ‘when in Rome’, coffee from the original Starbucks.
- Seattle Central Libary – You might not think to visit a library on vacation, however, this one is a post-modern work of library wonder – the light, the geometry, the scale – a show stopper among many Seattle attractions.
- Chihuly Garden & the Space Needle – With one local Chihuly sculpture here in Greenville, SC, visiting the Chihuly Garden and Glass under the Space Needle was an obvious ‘must see’. Experiencing the variety of forms and details in a large, localized body of Chihuly’s work was magnificent – each glass element tells a tale in the natural setting of the gardens. On up to The Observation Deck, we found the Space Needle is undergoing a massive renovation called the Century Project. “The renovation aims to reveal the historic tower’s internal structure and harken back to the original conceptual sketches, all while expanding and improving its views” according to www.spaceneedle.com. Meanwhile, the restaurant is completely closed, undoubtedly no small feat to phase and sequence a renovation with their kind of foot traffic.
- Starbucks Roastery Reserve & Tasting Room – An impressive example of architecture & branding, this new Starbucks concept was methodically detailed from copper clad equipment and merchandise displays to reflective glass in the bathroom that overlooks the roasting room to leather wrapped handrails. Housed in a renovated historic building, Starbucks has adeptly blended old and new architecture to create an experiential showcase of coffee for their fans.
- Amazon Go – An unexpected spectacle, we stumbled upon three glowing, geodesic-like orbs that are part of Amazon’s campus. These urban botanical gardens are primarily for employees but, even from the outside, allow one to re-imagine the urban fabric of a corporate campus.
Thanks for reading and many safe travels!
Stu
Additional Recommendations:
Breakfast – Biscuit Bitch
Lunch – Pike Place Chowder
Snack – Piroshky Piroshky
Drink – Rachel’s Ginger Beer
Happy Hour – Radiator Whiskey
Dinner – The Pink Door
