It seems like I’ve had a few things to write about, even though I haven’t.
First off; I did get to see the new Seattle central library in person. Not on the
actual opening day, but a week later over Memorial Day weekend. It was surprisingly
crowded. All the glowing reviews really drew the crowds, and it was a diverse crowd
at that. Lots of families and children; the kids section is just great – books,
toys, puppets, little m&m shaped cushions for kids to climb/sit on. No shortage
of twenty something hipsters either; just cruising the sleek interiors and basking
in the modernity of it all. There were even a few people reading.
Hey, that would have been me too except I’m well, thirty something, and I was
spending most of my time chasing my 2 year old daughter around. Her favorite
spot is the “teen” section (I know, 2!). It’s a quiet, off to the side location
on the main level with funky low, hard-looking chairs that are actually soft, computer
stations at bar stools, and (if you are a 2 year old girl) a captivating bright
orange floor to run around on. She’s still talking about it. So maybe
Herbert Muschamp isn’t
crazy (btw, isn’t Herb too old to say “bling-bling” more than 3 times in a NYT architecture review?) when he called it the best building he’s reviewed in 30 years.
I need more non-2 year old time in the building with a camera before I’ll make
my conclusions. First impression though is that it is first class fun. Fun angles,
fun materials, fun colors, fun light, fun views, fun, fun, fun. It will be interesting
to see how all of those Koolhaus saturated colors and clean edges hold up over time,
but I’m rooting for him. The bright yellow escalators are going to keep the
shoe scuff crew of the janitorial staff employed for a life time.
The second thing I wanted to write about is that a giant meteor exploded over Seattle last week and woke me up. Ok, it was really only “the size of a computer monitor”
(don’t remember where I heard that), but it did shake the house with the sonic boom
it produced when it plunged into the atmosphere. It was a regular close-encounters
experience for me; I woke up when I heard my bed side lamp shaking at 2:40am. Only
the lamp. I didn’t see the big flash of light, and I don’t remember hearing the
boom (lots of others did). In a sleepy haze I tried to convince myself it was an earth quake, but the pieces didn’t add up. Only the lamp, I kept thinking. Why didn’t the bed shake, the dishes rattle, car alarms go off (one did), like the last earth quake? It ruined a good night’s sleep. I was relieved to hear on NPR when I was leaving for work that it was just some “space junk” or maybe a meteor falling to Earth; in other words, they don’t friggin know. It probably won’t happen again.
They say it was a 50 year meteor (no I just made that up).
.:
