Seattle, more interesting than you think!

What comes to your mind when you think of Seattle? Rain, Sleepless in Seattle...

Those definitely represent Seattle, but also there are so many interesting places you can visit there!

1) Bill Gates and Microsoft - Bill Gates' home on Lake Washington

Do you know who is the wealthiest person in your state?

Well, it's pretty easy to guess for people in Washington state. He is one of the richest not only in Washington but also in the world actually.

This is Bill Gates, who is living in Mercer Island, Washington.

(Well, he drops to No. 3 on billionaire list this year from his 13 straight year’s No. 1 position as the richest man in the world.)

His house is very famous for high-tech innovation and design.

Everybody is curious about how billionaire's house look like.

For those who want to see billionaire's,

here are some pictures of Bill Gates' house!

Everything about the home is large, from its eight bedrooms and four building levels, to its 2,100 square foot library and 1,500 square foot theatre.
It has a 17 x 60 foot swimming pool with an underwater music system and a glass wall you can swim under to get to the terrace outside.
It also has a 2,500 square foot exercise room, a 1,000 square foot formal dining room, a guest house, an underground garage, a grand staircase, and offices, as well as an elevator and an estuary replete with salmon and trout. It has hidden cameras are everywhere, including the interior stone walls. Also floor sensors can track you - up to 6 inches.

And you'll see his car in garage

Anyways, interested in viewing Gates Mansion?

The Argosy Lake Washington Cruise goes by his and many other millionaires houses. It even stops in front of it for a while and lets everyone take pictures. Their "Kirkland Lake Cruise Tour" or the "Seattle Lake Cruise Tour" both ought to get you close enough for a peek at the Gates Mansion.
http://www.argosycruises.com/publiccruises/lakeseattle.cfm

2) The first Starbucks store – in Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle!

Besides Microsoft, there are many companies which started in Seattle area, Washington more than you imagine.

Starbucks coffee company, the largest coffeehouse company, started in Seattle as a local coffee bean roaster and retailer.

The first Starbucks store is located in Seattle, Washington in a pike place market.

It still keeps its first logo which is different from the one you can see in other area these days. Many tourists are visiting the first Starbucks store and buy special merchandises.

Even though they close under-performing 600 stores in U.S. this year due to a current hardship these days, only 19 stores are closed in Washington state.

This means Starbucks motherland, Washington, will still have total 635 stores including 388 company-operated stores and 247 retail fronts (basically, the crappy Starbucks inside Safeway).
Hopefully Starbucks will do better in the next few quarters.

*** Location : 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington

3) Grey’s Anatomy – Where is the Seattle Grace Hospital?

Arguably, the most popular network television show on right now is ABC's Grey's Anatomy.

You may want to look for Seattle Grace Hospital during your Seattle trip! Unfortunately, the actual hospital is not in Seattle.

Fisher Plaza, which houses Seattle's ABC affiliate KOMO-TV, is used for some exterior shots of Seattle Grace Hospital. The building looks strikingly familiar to the Seattle Grace we see on TV, featuring blue-tinted windows and even a courtyard.

A giant SGH was even painted on the helipad, which could be seen from the top of the Space Needle.
Obviously, the shots of the Space needle and other recognizable Seattle landmarks are stock footage. This Seattle Grace conveniently close to the Space Needle, the Seattle Monorail, and other local landmarks.

You can also see the various spots around Seattle including pike place public market and very beautiful Bainbridge Island where the show has filmed outdoor scenes for the series.

Picture : Ellen Pompeo who plays Meredith Grey, is interviewed by local media after shooting a scene on the ferry.

The setting for Meredith's house is actually Queen Anne Hill, a beautiful old neighborhood full of multi-million dollar homes about a mile from downtown. In some scenes, we also see Meredith Grey drive to work on I-90 or Highway 99, both picturesque highways for filming purposes but neither of them needed for what her real-life commute would be.

4) Chihuly - world premier glass artist

A pioneer of the studio glass movement, Dale Chihuly has transformed the form and function of glass, making the Pacific Northwest a vital region in the contemporary art scene. Dale Chihuly is a Seattle-based artist who works primarily in glass. He creates many of his works inspired by beautiful nature in Seattle and Washington area. He also has been selected as the 2006 Seattle-King County First Citizen for his indelible contributions to the local community and world at large through his art.

Chihuly has contributed to the evolution of public art, creating memorable installations for both architectural and natural settings beginning in the late twentieth century and continuing today.

These are pictures I took at the Chihuly Art Glass Exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Aren’t those beautiful? I also brought some pics more from siverbo.com

Here is the schedule of complete Chihuly exhibition in this year. I strongly recommend you to go and see his exhibition if you’re near!!!

*** 2008 exhibition schedule

• September 5 – November 30, 2008 Chihuly SeaformsColumbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina


• September 27 – January 4, 2009 Chihuly at RISD Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, Rhode Island


• October 3 – December 19, 2008 Wrapped in Tradition: The Chihuly Collection of American Indian Trade BlanketsThe Museum of Art at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington


• October 4 – November 1, 2008 Chihuly Black Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia


• October 16 – November 15, 2008 Chihuly exhibitionGalería Marlborough, Madrid, Spain


• November 22 – May 31, 2009 Chihuly: The Nature of GlassDesert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona


• November 29 – TBAChihuly installation Imago Studio , Palm Desert, California

5) Sleepless in Seattle

Go back to the very classic movie which actually makes Seattle very popular all around the world(even!)... ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ is in the middle of the story. Well, I’ll keep this story by next week. Expect something more fun. It is coming up soon!!!

Happy traveling !

- Crazytravelgirl from SEATTLE !