First Weekend Escapade to Seattle and Beyond

With a three-day weekend and a sunny forecast, I was really excited for my first weekend in Seattle. At work on Friday, it felt like half of my co-workers had already checked out for the weekend (half of my mentors had taken the day off to spend with their family), so by the afternoon, every other office was already empty.

One of the great things I've come to love about Microsoft is how open and accessible everyone is. My mentors keep encouraging me to reach out to other Microsoft employees and find out about what excites them. Another great thing is how nice everyone is and how my co-workers have worked to really include me and the other interns into their team. Every Thursday, people from the office go off-campus together to each lunch, so this past Thursday, we went to Taj Mahal for a great buffet of Indian food. Similarly, every Friday they have "beer 'o clock" at 4pm with beer and boardgames in the common room of our floor, which is decked out with couches, video games, and a dartboard. Given that I don't drink, it was quite the scene as I was sipping my Mango juice at beer 'o clock. Nevertheless, I really enjoy and appreciate their company and have been amazed by how smart and talented each of them are.

On that note, my PM mentor Kevin is quite musical and is heavily involved in Seattle theatre. When I told him that I'm also interested in theatre, I recommended a few theatre companies for the type of shows I typically enjoy and I found out that he was actually directing a musical this weekend, so my roommate, another intern, and I went to see an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast Friday night at one of the local community theaters. Though the theater seated at most 80 people, the six-person cast did a great job bringing a unique story to life (the adaptation takes place in the Jane Austen British setting).

Walking through the Financial district in downtown Seattle

This weekend the annual Northwest Folklife Festival took place in downtown Seattle and is a big part of Seattle culture, or so I've been told. So, on Saturday, after going grocery shopping (thanks to a lovely family from the local church that lives in our apartment complex and drove us there), I took the 545 bus from Redmond to Seattle (Microsoft provides each of its interns and employees ORCA cards that serve as passes on any King County public transportation minus the ferry). Then, I headed towards Seattle Center and met up with a Harvard classmate Julian.

The Space Needle @ Seattle Center (our landmark to find each other)

We saw some interesting characters and couldn't resist a photo opportunity!

Protesting for the 1%

One of the many performances

Oppa! (?)

Having fun at the various stands!

It was great catching up with him and hearing how his school year and summer have been so far. We spent a few hours at the festival, eating over-priced food, listening to and watching all sorts of folk music and performance groups, checking out many hipster/hippy tent shops selling everything from eco-friendly baby clothes to handmade tea. The festival was huge! With several stages, many food stands, and countless tent shops, it probably spanned over one square mile. If you're ever in Seattle on Memorial Day weekend, I strongly suggest checking out the folk festival - definitely a very unique and fun experience!

 @ Pike Place Market

Along the pier

The view from Capitol Hill

After the few hours at the festival, I took another bus and met up with my roommate here and her friend at Pike Place Market. Walking along the pier and through the market, we enjoyed the warm weather and good company. We then proceeded to walk a few miles eastward towards Capitol Hill - the hipster part of downtown. After wandering through Capitol Hill (and making a few wrong turns along the way), we headed up in Volunteer Park where an African festival was taking place. After enjoying the view of Seattle from there, we ate at a nearby Mexican joint and then went our separate ways, with my roommate and I heading back to Redmond by bus.

Upon arriving here, I was a bit disappointed by how far apart everything seemed. Coming from Boston, I was used to ubiquitous public transportation, convenience, and closeness, and forgot what it was like to live in suburbia without a car. However, this weekend I was pleasantly surprised with how good the King County bus system is as well as how far I can get on bike alone (more on that later).

On Sunday, I went to Evangelical Chinese Church's Eastside campus with the local family that lives in my apartment complex. Before and after the service, I was warmly greeted by various members of the congregation and felt truly welcomed by the community. Afterwards, I went out to eat lunch at a Vietnamese place in Redmond with some of the young adults from the church and enjoyed more of their good company there.

With the great weather still persisting, after hearing my roommate talk about her 30-mile biking trip during the week, I ventured out of my comfort zone and agreed to bike with her to Coal Creek Park. We ended up biking along the Sammamish Lake and passing through several other parks (including a beach park and a few hiking trails) before getting to our final destination. At one of the parks, we actually hiked up a non-trail (I was wondering why the greenery was so thick); only on the trip down did we realize we actually made a wrong turn going up and instead blazed our own trail! The views were breathtaking and - though there were a few portions of the road that we had to walk - the uphill climbs were totally worth it. At Coal Creek, we biked through a trail meant for hiking, so there were portions of the trail that we were carrying our bikes up stairs! 

My roommate Yifan and I @ a local beach park!

Some pretty wild flowers along the road

On the Coal Creek trail

Mission accomplished! ~20 miles of biking

Our final route

Starting off from our apartment around 3pm, we separated at 8pm, my roommate to bike back, while I made use of the bus system. All King county buses have bike racks mounted to the front, and - after struggling with my bike the first time I used the bike mounts - I slimmed down the process of mounting my bike to about 30 seconds! Unfortunately, after I got off my last bus and was just a few minutes away from my apartment, I took a stumble on Bel Red Road. Racing downhill, I was being careless and cut a corner onto grass while making a turn. When I tried to get back onto the sidewalk, my wheel clipped the edge of the sidewalk and spun out. Thankfully, besides a few cuts, I'm no worse for wear, and - thanks to my lovely roommates and the neighboring family - I'm happily patched up with bandages and Neosporin.

With still a full day ahead of me, I'm planning on enjoying Memorial Day leisurely, reading a bit, catching up on work, and skyping with my family. At work, this week will be crucial because we have to nail down the specific direction of our project and furnish a few presentations and written specifications. Again, I'm still a bit nervous, but I'm excited and thankful for the opportunity. This upcoming weekend, my Harvard roommate Meredith will be visiting me from Georgia, as well as another Harvard classmate Michelle. Hopefully the weather will be equally as pleasant then as it has been today.

I hope you and your family are enjoying the long three-day weekend in appreciation and memory of the men and women who faithfully serve our country. Had I been born in another country, I most likely would not have had the opportunity to be here in Seattle today or possibly even the freedom to write this blog. May you enjoy this precious time with your loved ones.

God bless; over and out!

- Ruth