vacation pics + thank you

i want to start this post by saying thank you to everyone who voted for my submission to the "this is home" contest! i didn't expect such a huge response! i'm pretty sure i made the cut for finalist, but i'll know for sure sometime soon, keep you posted.

so, remember how last week i wrote that dx and i were going to go to the beach for a few days? well, he surprised me by changing plans and getting a room at the ace hotel in seattle! the ace is a fabulous boutique hotel with a modern design theme located in the heart of downtown seattle. the design focuses on clean lines, white walls, and funky touches like the re-use of old army textiles in the guest rooms. here are a few pics ::

looking at the lobby from the entry stairs

the lobby :: they bring in a lot of natural light with the use of skylights

you can see the bright area by the door is lit by a skylight. the room is, yes, a bit sparse but that is part of the design. nice wood panelling and a strip of mirror {reflecting more light!} on the side wall. a swiss army blanket is at the foot of the bed and the "headboard" is made from some old green army fabric. {the bed was SO comfortable!} oh, and the little side table you can barely see on the right... is a big chunk of unfinished wood. very basic.

bathroom. again, sparse. nothing fancy here.

my favorite feature is the white painted brick wall. i love brick-faced interior walls. there's dx reading the seattle guide before we head out for the day.

and i had to pose for a pic too. :)

the hotel is literally a few blocks from the famous pike place market.

they don't just throw fish... this guy is catching a crab.

produce! lovely bright colors.

lots of pretty flower stands too.

we passed a little "boardwalk" area with games and rides. {interior, of course. it rains too much in seattle for an outdoor venue.}

we had to stop by the seattle central library :: i've seen lots of pictures of this architectural marvel, but it was much more impressive to see in person. designed by reknown architect rem koolhaus and completed in 2004, this building is breathtaking- from the outside and the inside.

one of the seating areas... amazing!

all of the escalators are bright yellow! it's a good way-finding technique and adds quite a splash of color to the interior.

the whole 2nd floor is painted bright red {ceilings, everything} with a few purple walls. i felt like i was inside a giant piece of candy. i appear to be glowing in this picture. interesting.

from the library, we headed to the tallest building in seattle, the bank of america tower. it has a viewing room on the top floor of the whole city! you can barely make out the space needle in the distance. {as i was walking out, i realized that the date was September 11th. that was a little creepy.}

a nice afternoon walk along puget sound.

a lovely sunset.

it was a wonderful little trip! i saw seattle in a whole new light. it's a really lively city, filled with old neighborhoods and new ones, lots of fun shops, and delicious restaurants. i've been here a few times before but it was especially fun just walking leisurely around downtown with dx and discovering new things around every corner. i love this city!