It is a bit startling to realize that it has already been 6 months of my journey in this program. In some ways, it kind of seems like I just arrived in San Francisco as I am still amazed by many aspects of the place. There are still many local spots I want to explore and activities I want to do. There is always something new to discover in town. At the same time, I have been constantly trying to add more cities to my list of visited places in the U.S. and have been taking some weekends to do so.
This month I took a weekend trip to Seattle. I’ve been curious about it for quite some time and finally got to visit it. One of the landmarks I got to visit during this trip was the Seattle Central Library designed by OMA. Needless to say, it was a mind-blowing experience, but I was personally more impacted than expected. The main reading room seems to deliver the intended communal space that could host a variety of events but due to the pandemic not a big range of events have been taking place. Still, being able to sit indoors in such a beautifully natural lit space and read a book for some time was pretty neat.
Another spot that was one of my favorites – and out of coincidence is also a space for books – was Elliot Bay Bookstore. This store is quite big, offering a big variety of themes, at the same time it is pretty well curated. The space is beautiful, with wood structure and natural lighting, making it easy to want to spend a few hours there. There is a special aspect of it, that the customers/readers can add little notes on the shelves as book reviews. It’s a simple feature that allows other customers to explore a more personal recommendation that definitely instigates further consideration into previously unknown works.
