24 Hours in Seattle: Hotel Andra, Pike Place Fish & Double Take

Yes, am a bit behind on my entries, but better late than never!

I flew into Seattle from Jackson. I was glad to hear announcements made in English and Japanese; not many American airports are multi-lingual. It took a while for the luggage to arrive, but getting downtown was a breeze since it was Saturday afternoon and traffic was light. I checked into Hotel Andra on 4th Avenue. It was a toss-up between Hotel Monaco Seattle (it's practically next to the Seattle Public Library), but in the end, I opted for Hotel Andra purely for interior design reasons (if it's not Jacques Garcia, then I tend to go for cleaner, simpler lines). The room I had at Hotel Andra (US$199++ for an Andra studio) was not the most spacious I've been in (in was difficult to find enough space to open up my big, Burton suitcase without obstructing paths), but it was comfortable enough. The Tivoli radio and the bottle VOSS water were nice touches.

As soon as I dumped my bags, my brother (who happened to be in town for work) and I walked down to Pike Place Market.

I, of course, wanted to make my pilgrimage to the first Starbuck. My brother wanted to take me to Pike Place Fish. At first, the thought of watching fish mongers shouting and throwing fish around didn't seem quite as appealing as my usual iced, tall, double shot, no vanilla, non-fat caramel macchiato. But, as soon as I arrived, I was not disappointed. There was a crowd in front of the counter and a huge buzz. No other stall in the entire marketplace attracted to much attention, even though there were quite a few copycats, who shouted out orders. What makes Pike Place Fish special is their passion and their ability to communicate that passion to their customers. They're not just selling fish, they're selling an idea: Success is about building comraderie and friendships, believing in a dream and collectively working towards making it happen. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you give your heart and soul, you will become a success. They've published inspirational books based on their own experiences and they give motivational talks around the world. Of course, standing there, my brother and I just wanted see fish fly. After 10 minutes or so, we finally saw it: a fish flying.

So then, it was off to Starbucks just down the street, where I ordered my drink and bought the mug. The place was packed and it was standing room only. There aren't really any seats around.

The next morning, I walked to Seattle Center, where the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project are. The Space Needle was much shorter than I imagined it to be.

Frank Gehry's building for emp reminded me of Darth Vader for some reason. But I suppose it's apt, since it does also house the Science Fiction Museum.

I had wanted to go to emp to see the Double Take show. The show was great. The premise of the show is to present unusual and thought-provoking pairings/groupings of art from Impressionist/Post-Impressionist with those from modern & contemporary periods. All the pieces are from Paul Allen's collection (who is also the founder of emp). Paul Hayes Tucker, an art historian and leading authority on the works of Claude Monet and other Impressionists, did an incredible job curating the show. This is one show where you must listen to the audio guide. The way Tucker pulls you into the paintings and prods you to think about each one from a fresh perspective is really refreshing. My favourite pairing was a Jasper Johns sulpture (made to look like a painting) and a Monet (who was trying to make his painting more three-dimensional with thick, textured applications of paint). The show runs through 24 September and is definitely worth going. It's not a big show; it took me a little over an hour to go through it all. In conjuntion with the exhibition, there are is also a lecture series. Eric Fischl talks on 24 August and Nan Goldin on 21 September.

And of course, if you have read from my previous post, you will know that I ended up spending the last 4 hours or so of my 24 hours in the truly exceptional Seattle Public Library. It's the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Seattle, and the perfect way to end my stay!