Cool Spaces: Seattle Public Library

Cool Spaces is a show on public television that spotlights "what's new and exciting in the world of architecture and design."  My mom was watching an episode when they began a segment on the Seattle Public Library.  Seattle!

After she called it my attention, I was able to record the episode and see just what went into the design, layout and use of materials for this magnificent structure.  I found it particularly interesting when they discussed the modern day challenges, with the surge of digital books, media and the internet, of deciding how a modern library should function. If this at all interests you, I highly recommend tracking down Episode 2 of Cool Spaces on public television.

In the episode, the library's key players explain how they decided how space should be used in a modern library. They divided the space into areas with specific functions and into areas where patrons can relax with their own gadgets or even snacks. Below, the host discusses the idea of modern libraries. 

I enjoyed riding the escalator and wandering throughout this large public space.  The light coming in through the diamond shaped windows was beautiful and interesting.

There is a large area called the "Mixing Bowl" where they expect patrons to gather and mix in a multipurpose space. I sat in one of the open use areas and read a few Seattle-based magazines and tried to experience the space. In total, I stayed about an hour and I will never forget it.

I'm including a link to a video (below) that plays on YouTube and is "available to the public." It seems a citizen video-taped his walk around inside the Seattle Public Library so that others could see what it was like. If you would like to see it, click below. If you want to move it along, slide the bar at the bottom occasionally to advance the video. It is about 5 minutes long.

The building is beautiful and functional. What have I been reading?  A great book, set in Seattle, called Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. Check it out (wink).

City Series:Dallas: George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

Some experiences are a little too big for a blog...do you know what I mean?  I have been mulling this over for a week now and will do my best to give you a concise and meaningful description of my visit to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.  

First of all, I loved every minute of my visit. I was invited to tour the museum and have lunch at Cafe 43 by my friend, Carol, who I met back in 2009 in the Patricia Wells' cooking class in Paris.  We have stayed in touch and I have been trying to get to Dallas to see her for ages.

We met here on the plaza, went through security and then started to make our way through the museum.  In the area called Freedom Hall, you can see beautiful gifts given to the Bushes by American citizens and Foreign Heads of State during his presidency.  A giant IMAx-style 360 video plays along the second story of Freedom Hall.  Vistas of the American Plains, citizens living out their lives in our great country moves into images of the U.S. Presidents.  It is mesmerizing.

This museum is beautiful - full of photos, artifacts, video and hand-written notes commemorating George W. Bush's Presidency. I remember watching the dedication ceremony on the news (the five living Presidents of the United States were there!) and I was so happy to be able to visit less than a year after it opened.  

We had about an hour and a half to walk through the museum before our lunch reservation and we paused to take pictures and read the signs and documentation whenever something caught our eye.

Any interested visitor could spend hours reading and reflecting on the quotes and images related to George W. Bush's presidency.  It was hard to pick and choose which exhibits I should give more attention to.  That is until I rounded the corner and saw the actual twisted steel beams from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on display.  I caught my breathe, tried to articulate how I felt and started crying.  Yes, old friend that I haven't seen in 5 years, I am crying in the middle of the day in the middle of a museum.

Thankfully, Carol understood my feelings completely and suggested that we sit and watch the video presentation for a while, Kleenex in hand.  It was just the time I needed to compose myself.  The beams are huge and ruined and the fact that they were there effected me in a way that I hadn't expected.

The museum was fairly busy, but not so crowded that we didn't have a chance to take photographs without strangers walking into the frame.  Look at my pristine photo of the Oval Office as it was decorated during the Bush Presidency.  

Carol asked if I wanted to have my photo taken behind the desk.  A line was forming for those that were interested and we both decided that it would be a fun memento from our day.

Afterwards, we went out into the beautiful Texas sunshine (did I mention that the George W. Bush Presidential Museum and Library are on the grounds of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas?) and walked around the Texas Rose Garden.

There are no roses blooming in January, of course, but we noticed some of the native grasses and plantings and were happy to spend a little time out in the fresh air. 

This was my first visit to a Presidential museum and I highly recommend that you visit this magnificent tribute.  Tomorrow I will tell you all about lunch at Cafe 43.

Reflections on the Library

When the water is like glass, the whole world is reflected perfectly. Can you see the gray building on the left? That is the library in our little northern Michigan resort town (people can arrive by boat to check out books!). I used to tutor an eight-year-old boy there on Summer afternoons and one day they closed the library and forgot we were there - we got locked in! Big news in a small town. So today I am heading to my local library to check out cookbooks, magazines and more. When was the last time you went to the library? They'll loan you books for free, you know...

Read Books for Free!

Okay, seriously, have you been to the library lately? Sure, libraries have "book club" books, but have you seen the selection of "coffee table" books? I can always find beautiful titles on roses, photography, travel, design - plus way more cookbooks than I can possibly own myself. And don't forget about my favorite medium: magazines! I just checked out a stack of back issues if the tech magazine Wired. Most big libraries allow online accounts for searching & reserving titles. The system will initiate a transfer of the book to you from another branch, then notify you by email when it arrives. No small feat and so convenient. Check it out...