Seattle & Vancouver

I traveled to Seattle from March 27-April 1, 2009, and made a 1 day road trip across the border to Vancouver. Seattle was a long anticipated trip, long-overdue, and have been in my sensibility for a long time. I had wanted to visit my cousin Sarah who is currently working on a Masters/PH.D program in Immunology (correct me if I'm wrong? sorry) at the University of Washington. And, a few years back my high school gal-friends made a trip to visit our friend Shereen, who had relocated to Seattle after her marriage to Brian. They now live in Redmond (Microsoft land), Washington.

As I discovered during this trip, there's something special about Seattle, not particularly the weather which was cold about 40F, wet and even snowy one morning, but the vibe it gave off - laid-back, artsy, ecclectic, neo-liberalistic (is there such a word?), tony and yuppish at the same time. I learned that Seattle is 2nd to San Francisco in its population of LBGT - Lesbian/Bisexual/Gay/Transexual individuals, is the birthplace of grunge rock bands like Pearl Jam, is homebase to Starbucks Coffee, Microsoft and Washington Mutual (the first bank to go down under at the start of this financial crisis), has more men than women due to its Silicon Valley professionals, has a notorious Chinatown and Red Light District, but possess a public Ivy - a beautiful gem called the University of Washington.

During my visit to Seattle I visited Pike Place Market, popular and famous in the U.S. On television, I have seen images of acrobatic fish 'flying' at the PPM fish stall complete excitement and entertainment for the crowds. And, it is well-known the birthplace of Starbucks Coffee is at Pike Place Market Street. Where it all began, with a coffee shop before the sofas and computers were even thrown in. A quaint coffee place with tons of tourist, like myself snapping pictures of everything - old photos, Starbucks classic logo of a naked mermaid that was not welcomed around the world. Amid Pike Place Market, I took in the whole moment feeling its history and how it came to be regarded in the city of Seattle. One name remains in my mind: a gentlemen called Victor Steinbrueck whom I studied in my history class in high school.

Victor Steinbrueck (1911-1985) was one of the modern architects in the 1950s & 1960s. My personal interest in architecture came from my teacher's story of this man. VS had partially designed the Space Needle situated in the Seattle skyline. VS's design and city plans focused on environment and preservation. At that time Pike Place Market was under threat to shut down due to city planning that involved urban renewal. This was something VS actively opposed. What could an architect possibly find important in saving Pike Place Market?

VS believed in saving the market to preserve a way of life, especially the presence of local farmers whom I saw along the stalls at Pike Place Market. According to the story of VS, he valued the relationship between the consumer and producer, which in modern society has been all but lost, enormously. The culture of the market, the opportunities availed through that kind of environment, and preserving a place for people with low incomes was very important. Despite VS's fame, he came from working class roots which valued hard work and the labor of people. He believed that the market was always associated with produce and services catering to these people, local and low-income. VS valued the Market's role and wanted to see that it continue to provide its historic function. VS saw to it that the social role of the market was written into regulations protecting it. That was the preservation of Pike Place Market. My visit there was brimming with action and life - crowds of people walking slowly through the stalls and the sights and smell was very intoxicating and exciting. It made me think of the symbol of a marketplace in our cities, thanks to my history teacher telling us about VS.

I also visited the University of Washington campus - gorgeous and huge! I am extremely jealous! Walking across Red Square towards the Suzzallo Library was breathtaking! The library's architecture was so striking with its collegiate gothic style. It felt like I was in Europe though I've never been there before. I was just mesmerized and stared at the whole facade in awe, and wanted to go inside but the interior was closed due to Springbreak vacation. On the other side of the campus, I was able to visit Sarah's laboratory. Her desk was near a window with a view of a bridge in the distance and the gray skies hanging above. I think scientists do need their inspirations too.

I derive a lot of meaning from Seattle and I can see how easy it is to fall in love with the city. Other highlights included:

Elliot Bay - the Seattle skyline glistened from afar
Queen Anne Hill - gorgeous mansions & a quaint park overlooking Seattle
Ivar's Happy Hour - delicious clam chowder, fish & chips, hot corn bread overlooking Puget Sound
Taiwanese Food at Bellevue

Highlights of Vancouver:
Granville Island - artsy little place with a huge food market
Stanley Park - a great place to run but too bad it was raining!
Just Cupcakes Bakery!
Shanghai Food at Richmond
Aberdeen Mall - replica of Hong Kong

Please follow the link below for more pictures of my trip: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89156&id=630215980&l=ace5a4cd24


I enjoyed the entire trip despite being sick with a flu! Looking back, being sick made it more memorable indeed! I hope to make another visit back to Seattle when more sunny days are shining! Thanks for reading!