So, just when you think you're about to read another post on architecture or libraries....
Wait! That's fashion? What?
That's right, I'm merging!
After a long year of authoring two blogs (and doing a half-ass job of it) I have decided to merge my blogs into one platform. This way, I save myself time and trouble, and I am able to combine the two loves of my life: traveling and fashion.
Actually, the two really go hand-in-hand. Think of the themes...What to wear when you travel...How to pack lightly but still have a different outfit everyday....What other people wear abroad...
Ok, I don't pretend to be an authority on the subject, but at least now I don't have to justify segregating my interests or decided what to post where.
So, back in Seattle, I was just finishing up a business trip and when I stepped out of the conference at the Renaissance hotel in downtown, I happened upon the 200-million-dollar Central Library of Seattle. I hadn't planned on stopping by, but as soon as it was light out the next morning I made my way over there.
At first glance, it reminded me of
Harpa in Reykjavik, a giant asymmetrical glass kaleidoscope.
Inside it was even more impressive. The ground floor was extremely spacious with tall ceilings and natural lighting.
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| Computers by the entrance |
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| Cafe and gift shop |
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| The fiction section |
I absolutely love love love the use of neon! The yellow escalators were unreal. I felt like I was walking through a set of Beyond the Black Rainbow, or some other trippy futuristic film.
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| That is an installation built into the wall on the left side. |
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| Enter: the spaceship |
One of my favorite places in the entire library was the Red Room. It felt like being inside a heart. In a way, this room reminded me more of Harpa, whose concert halls were that same alarming red.
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| Entering the red room |
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| Inside the beating heart |
The library is 11-stories tall, and floors 6-10 are called the "Books Spiral." Basically, you can walk from the tenth floor to the sixth floor without going down one stair. Instead each floor is tilted slightly like a ramp, so you slowly descend in a spiral until you hit the 6th floor.
The top floor does not boast the best view of the city, but it is a cathedral of lights and shapes.
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| That's someone's office. Jealous? |
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| A view of the "living room" from above |
