Last week, I was back in Seattle to meet up with a friend and walked around the area where I spent four years working at the smiley-box company. My favorite desk location ever was that left red arrow, the 22nd floor, in a corner, looking at the Space Needle all day long. The other red arrow was where I looked out on hotels and the courthouse, not as exciting but still a fun view.
I almost didn’t recognize the old work neighborhood (Denny Triangle, for those who know Seattle). Three years ago, there used to be a 1960s-era motel on the left and a Toyota dealership on the right where I once priced out Tacoma pickups. Now there are two new Amazon office buildings.
See the two buildings the red arrow is pointing to? They were the biggest buildings on this street in 2012, there year I showed up in Seattle. Every other structure in this photo has been built since then. The Space Needle is almost hidden now. I had to really look to find it and before, it was one of the tallest things around.
I walked around, craning my neck to see the tops of the new skyscrapers, shaking my head at the sight of them all. Seattle sure has changed a lot in the three years since I left.
And Seattle isn’t really crazy anymore. It’s a big dot-com city.
Krist Novoselic, former Nirvana guitarist
Great pictures Annie. Appreciate the red arrows and narration to the changes form when u were there. I briefly experienced Seattle this summer via a X-Country trip (NW route for Del). Must say, Seattle was quite impressive and a little intimidating trying to drive in rush hour. Hoping your visit back went well.