Postcard From Seattle: Seattle Central Library

Libraries are almost unnecessary nowadays. Other than for students where the library is almost a sanctuary from the crazy that can be dorm-life, libraries quite often become ignored and forgotten. The library in the town where I grew up was a giant, brown brick eyesore. Dark and dated, the only use I had for my local library was its monthly used book sale. The Seattle Central Library, however, is massive. It is a spectacle. I read some reviews about the downtown glass and steel structure, criticizing, mostly, its interior design. I have to admit that when I first saw the building I was turned off. Typically, I am not hugely engaged by modern design. When it comes to architecture, Seattle's Printer's Row district and Chicago's lake side Michigan Ave. area (with The Drake hotel) are more my scene.  The central library in Seattle, is drastically opposed to the general aesthetic of architecture with the personality I like to see.

That being said: photos!

 

What I have decided I enjoyed about the library design is that it does not look like a library. The library of my childhood is aesthetically depressing, comparable to an institution or worse: a shadowy, neglected structure, once intended for intellectual interaction, now devoid of potential. I'm a lifelong reader and book collector. Bookstores excite me, and a library like the Seattle Central Library excited me.

 

The interior is sprawling with eleven levels of space, most all of which are available to the public. Levels 6-9 are called "The Book Spiral". This area is where the stacks of books are located, literally a spiral of sloping ramps, easy to glide through. The book spiral is in the center of the 4 levels, enclosed by plexi-glass walls. The concept innately opposed to ordinarily dreary, windowless library stacks. As long as there is daylight in Seattle, there will be natural light in the library stacks.

 

 

Overall, the stacks were serene. Surrounded by natural light and a great view of the city, I was comfortable reading for a bit on a big purple couch and later using one of the four hundred computers to plan my next move.

  

One of the most surprising moments was exiting the elevator on the fourth floor. A long time Twin Peaks fan, I am instantly drawn to anything that reminds me of the red room scene. Creepy, brilliant: Lynchian.

The fourth floor is a giant, circular red room!

I have still yet to visit the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, but Seattle has inspired me to take a look. Seattle's library has continually been the structure I've talked about most from my trip, especially from an economical standpoint. It's free and it has a great view. Personally being one of the few people I know without a smart-phone, it was useful to have a place to go to where I could map out my next move.

Postcard From Seattle: Bainbridge Ferry

Everyone keeps insisting on how lucky I have been with the weather in Seattle so far. I took the Bainbridge Ferry from Pier 52 to Bainbridge Island on Wednesday, because the sky was particularly clear.

I really hate tourist traps. Meandering around an area clearly designed specifically for people who have no idea what is going on or what to do freaks me out. It is a fake sense of traveling. It is a fake reality. In my own little world of traveling and having to orient myself in new places amongst new streets and people, tourist trap sorts of places are meant for people who have no inclination to travel. Seriously, tourists, what are you doing inside a shop full of t-shirts and snowglobes that say Seattle in the most heinous typography imaginable? Have you yet asked yourself why? Have you realized where you are? SO Bainbridge Island, the island itself, was a bummer for me. As was the area surrounding the ferry stop. The ferry ride itself was pleasant and it was nice to sit down or wander around the ship for the 35 minute trip.

 

This video is just of the boat ride. I felt like the photos were not coming out the way I wanted them to. Everything seemed so far away in the photos and in this situation, video may have been better. Who knows. Who cares.

Sidenote... I have been having random connections to people in Seattle during my entire trip so far. One of my favorite moments was seeing this guy decked out in a Derrik Rose jersey. (Go Bulls!)

Postcard From Seattle: Comet Tavern

The second night of my Seattle adventure was perfect. All I ever want is to see the true side of a city and at Comet Tavern on Pike, I had the chance to see four amazing local Seattle bands. Comet is a dive bar in every sense of the word: dark, brick, cheap. Located on Capital Hill, hands down the most hipster of any part of any city I've been to recently, a dive bar will do nothing if not thrive and throw great noise shows. I found the show from a small snippet in The Stranger selling it to weirdos like me who probably want to listen to loud noise and thrash around a bit. I was hoping for something like Lightning Bolt or Coughs, and the show ended up being more or less what I got.

Starting out was Footwork. Heavily drum driven with shrill vocal accents, Footwork introduced me to the Seattle music scene I was hoping for.

White Coward, also a three-piece, was driven by their fast, deliberate guitar, hard-hitting, fast drumming, and noisy, wallowing vocals. It worked. I loved it.

For some reason the video on my camera screwed up, and I didn't get a video of Monogamy Party, the third band that played. Such a shame, because, visually, this was one of the most exciting bands of the night. THe lead singer stripped down to his boxers within a few minutes of starting the set and the moshing must have started just before.

Headlining was Mountainss. This band had been on tour for a while and this Wednesday show was their first in Seattle after a bit of a hiatus. They were loud, dressed in slips, and totally happy to be back home amongst friends. The saxophone reminded me immediately of Coughs, so, of course, I instantly loved their performance.

I should also say that I met really great people at this show. My second day in and going to a show by myself was totally scary, but I left unscathed and with a few new friends. Going to weird noisy music shows will continue to be my favorite way to make new friends, in addition to getting a handle on what is going on in a new city. For a midweek, Wednesday show, I could not have asked for a better time.

Postcard From Seattle: Chris Adrian

The first thing I decided to do in Seattle, like any good tourist, was to hole up in a coffee shop and read The Stranger, the free weekly Seattle newspaper. I was looking for music events, but nothing really seemed to pop out at me until I saw that Chris Adrian was doing a book signing downtown.

I first heard of Chris Adrian in 2006 when McSweeney's published his second novel, Children's Hospital. He wrote about the doctor's, nurses, and patient's of a children's hospital that becomes a Noah's Ark-like vessel during an apocalypse on Earth. The book reminded me, somehow (an perhaps inaccurately), of Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut. It was in a similar science fiction realm, and the 800 or so pages went by almost too quickly. I remember being surprised by how much I enjoyed the novel.

 I walked downtown to the Rendevous Grotto at 2nd and Bell St., where I was 15 minutes early for the 7pm reading, meaning I had 15 minutes of happy hour! Happy hour is illegal in Chicago for whatever reason, so I took advantage of the $3 draft beer specials and ordered a local Old Seattle Lager (which is one of my new favorite beers now). I bought his new book, The Great Night, and waited for it all to start.

His new novel, The Great Night, is a reworking of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I have yet to read it, but the section he read was both eloquent and funny. Along with Shakespeare, he even makes Soylent Green references! The video clip below was taken during the interview session where he was asked about Soylent Green. The video has a serious SPOILER ALERT for anyone who as not seen the film!

My favorite part of the interview/ Q&A session was when he was asked to list his top 5 favorite novels or authors. Here is his list:
1. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)
2. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)
3. the entire works of William Shakespeare
4. Ursula Le Guin (he said, as far as science fiction is concerned)
5. Marilynne Robinson (he specifically mentioned Housekeeping)
Though I have still not read  Moby Dick, I have read other Melville, and everything else on his list I have read. This is exciting to me. An author whom I admire is naming works and authors that I have read as sources of inspiration. Lovely little moments where the world feels small and I feel connected to great minds.

After the reading and interview, he signed books! I was chatty.