i’ve never really mentioned what company i work for on this blog. even though it’s something many of you already know or could figure out and i’m not really hiding it, i believe it’s better not to advertise it out of respect for the company, since i post personal information, beliefs, opinions, etc. i try to never write about anything that’s offensive or inappropriate, but just in case, it’s better that the this blog is not associated with the company i work for.
for that same reason, i’ve chosen not to mention what company my brother is working for this summer as an intern. but then we visited him in seattle. and the problem is that his place of work and place of residence, which is funded by the company he works for, are just too cool not to post. and the pictures are a dead giveaway to who his employer is. but i can’t NOT show them to you…so…
yes. i’m going to post them. but not without some sort of limiting criteria that will for some irrational reason make me feel better about doing it:
1. i still refuse to name the company he works for, even if that’s ridiculous, because it’s completely obvious.
2. The Company That Will Not Be Named is pretty particular about their privacy [crap, just gave away another hint], and my brother made it very clear what i was and was not allowed to take pictures of. for the record, i did not take any pictures of any private or classified information; nor did i post it here.
3. all pics and comments about The Company That Will Not Be Named are meant to be 100% positive, and are posted only to show what a fun company it is to work for and make people want to apply for a job there. at this company that i won’t tell you the name of.
anyway.
as soon as dad arrived on monday, the first thing we did was go visit mike at work. here are just a few of the cool things we encountered:
{awesome views – the office is located on the 17th and 18th floors of the building and has a 360-degree view of downtown seattle}
{interesting decor and atmosphere. i loved the laid-back, no-fuss vibe.}
{a hot tub filled with plastic balls – an official conference room at the office that can actually be booked, and in the background, the famous college couch of a certain co-founder and CEO of the company!}
{a lego wall!}
{the food there is ridic – a menu that changes every day, plus a salad bar and a sandwich bar – all for FREE. the day we visited, they were serving argentinian food. it was amazing, and we didn’t pay a penny!}
{…and there is a dessert table too! plus a coffee station, all different kinds of bottled and canned drinks, and around the corner, every kind of snack food you could think of. just go grab whatever you want, yo.}
{my argentinian dessert – pineapple with cinnamon and some kind of tasty sandwich cookie thingy}
{besides all the deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. that were free for the taking in the women’s restroom, we found the above bottle of grey goose, five glasses, and a note that said, “keep it classy – wash and then return your glass. :)” haha}
{and then this handsome fella who gave us the tour!}
not pictured: hilarious conference room names, like “katy perry,” “lady gaga,” and “taylor swift,” and “rock,” “paper,” and “scissors.” my favorite was “starbucks” and then right next door, “another starbucks” – perfect for seattle! gotta love a sense of humor! also, breakfast and dinner which are equally as appealing and dynamic as lunch; vending machines with tech-y stuff like headphones and flash drives – free to the employees, of course; and lots and lots of really nice computers everywhere.
and naturally, the interns get company iphones and macbook airs, public transportation tickets for the summer, a generous bicycle stipend [mike went ahead and bought a new one], and then they have intern activities during the work day like chocolate tours and go-cart racing and stuff. so yeah, mike’s got a tough life over there in seattle, i’d say.
{proud parents}
and gosh, the housing. the company puts the interns up in a new high-rise apartment complex called via6 that’s right downtown – a 10-15 minute walk from the office. it’s in belltown – a trendy area packed with restaurants, boutiques, bars, and residential towers. the space needle and pike place market are a short walk away. and the area is surrounded by tons of tom douglas restaurants, most certainly a bonus.
despite the poor quality of some of the photos, you’ll be able to tell that it’s a pretty cool place to live. mike’s employer hired another company to furnish it, so he hardly had to bring anything up there. he has a roommate, but they each have their own bedrooms and bathrooms. also, mom and i arrived late on saturday night [or rather, extremely early on sunday morning], but the maid service, also hired by mike’s company, wasn’t coming until monday. poor, poor mike. we felt so sorry for him. ;)
{the kitchen area}
{living room}
{bedroom}
{living room}
{view from the living room}
the two best parts about via6 are:
1. the 7th floor pavilion, an indoor/outdoor hangout place with great views and a fun atmosphere, which you’ll see pictures of in a later post,
and
2. the lobby, which is really a multipurpose marketplace by tom douglas called assembly hall. it is made up of an asian restaurant, a coffee and juice bar, a market and deli, a bread bakery, a garden store, and a shopping gallery with some cool little knick-knacks. there’s extra seating and some shuffleboards up in a loft area, and everything is open and modern. pretty much, i was insanely jealous of my brother for getting to live there.
and that’s about it. mike’s up there living like a king, and meanwhile i’m going all grandpa on him like, “when i was your age, college students were POOR.” and we didn’t have free food or maid service either.
anywho, we quite enjoyed living your lavish and luxurious lifestyle for a week, michael mouse! you make us proud. <3