It's departure day! We were very excited to get started. Most of our group chose to meet on campus at the Quad Commons Building to go to the airport together via the bus system, which is a great way to start a trip that's built around studying sustainable cities and communities! We walked all our luggage up Pullen Road, past the Memorial Bell Tower, and across Hillsborough Street to wait for the GoTriangle Transit 100 bus to take us to the airport... and we waited... and we waited. Once we arrived at our bus stop we very quickly realized, by planning our route via Google Maps, that the bus schedule had been modified (read: delayed) due to the City of Raleigh's St. Patrick's Day parade. The members of our group were good sports about waiting for almost an hour at the bus stop on Hillsborough Street! We loaded on the bus and made all of our fellow passengers very uncomfortable with all of our luggage and bodies joining them in the seats and standing in the aisles, but there were some that smiled and understood we were on our way to start a grand adventure somewhere. The bus driver was a lovely woman who told us she was so glad that people were getting to use the 100 line again direct to RDU - due to bus driver shortages there had been a time when we would have had to connect on our trip through the depot, which would have added significant time to our ride. Thankfully they recently brought back the direct route to the airport again, and our driver said people were responding gratefully and supportively - we agree! We finally arrived at RDU in Terminal 2 and met the rest of our group at the Alaska Airlines desk. Check-in and the trip through security went as smoothly as it can go for a group our size - 18 in all - and everyone dispersed to grab some food or wait at the gate. Our flight was about 6 hours, and we were all very glad to get off once we landed in Seattle at 7:40PM Pacific time (10:40PM Eastern). We then continued our use of public transit as everyone hopped on Seattle's light rail option (Sound Transit) to ride for about 30 minutes to our hostel, Hosteling International at the American Hotel, in the International District. The hostel is thankfully only about a 4 minute walk from the light rail station. We got checked in, received some final instruction to prepare for our big first full day in Seattle on Sunday, and were sent off to our rooms for some well-deserved shut eye. 

Today was our first full day in Seattle! Our group had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful city. We started off the day with a light breakfast at the hostel, somewhat fueling ourselves for the adventures ahead. Our first stop was the iconic Space Needle, which we reached by taking the convenient and retro Monorail. While waiting for our turn to visit the Needle, Slate gave us an in-depth history behind the origin of the Space Needle! We learned that it was built for the World's Fair in 1962. Afterward, we enjoyed taking the stunning views from the observation deck and visiting the gift shop.

After working up an appetite, we stopped for some food near the Needle at the armory. We we were treated to an impromptu Irish jig performance while eating, due to Saint Patrick's day being just around the corner. Once we finished up our meals, we spent our time waiting for our city bus tour to arrive by listening to Dani's expert topic presentation. She gave us a glimpse of the array of art installations funded through the 1% for Art program in Seattle.

Next up was the 3-hour bus tour that took us all around the city. We saw many fascinating sights, including Pike Place Market, Discovery Park, the Fish Ladder, floating homes, and even the house used as Meredith Grey's residence in the hit TV show Grey's Anatomy! We also visited the Starbucks Reserve and Headquarters (and ordered yummy drinks of course) and briefly saw the Amazon Spheres.

Our day wasn't over yet though. We finished the evening by grabbing some groceries at a store called Uwajimaya in Seattle's International District before settling down for a group dinner a bit later at the same location. We brought back our food to the hostel and ate while Gabriela gave her expert topic presentation on the temperate rainforest. She informed us why it had been raining the entire time we have been in Seattle! We learned that Seattle gets around 37 inches in a year.

After dinner, we (Dani, Gabriela, Slate, and Byron) all visited a bookstore that was also located within the grocery store (this place literally had everything...it was awesome). We found many promising items that were sadly overpriced, so we all left with a deep yearning feeling.

Overall, it was a wonderful first day in Seattle. We experienced good food, amazing sights, and lots of laughs. We are super excited to see what else is in store for us on this trip!

Day 2 in Seattle was a blast! Today some of us got up early to grab a doughnut from Top Pot Doughnuts. It was pouring down rain but definitely worth the trip because they were AMAZING. Others decided to get a last few minutes of shut eye before our 8am departure to Gas Works Park. 

We took the city bus to Gas Works Park where Mollie gave her expert topic presentation. She told us about how the park used to be a coal gasification plant, but was turned into a park in the 1970s. Rather than getting rid of the machinery relics, they were left and now are a remnant of Seattle's industrial history. We explored the park for a bit and then headed to the Data 1 building. At the Data 1 building, we discussed swales and Natalie gave her expert topic presentation on salmon and the Ballard Locks fish ladder. Swales are an urban landscape design technique used to filter pollutants from and slow the runoff before going into the lake. In the case of the Data 1 building, the swales filtered the water before going into Lake Union. 

Natalie told us about the salmon populations and the Ballard Locks, which we would be going through later during the day. The Ballard Locks was built in 1917 and contains a 21-step fish ladder that allows three important species of salmon (Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye) to pass through from June through September. Salmon is very important economically and ecologically to the PNW. 

After our discussion, we grabbed lunch on our own and met up to ride the bus to Pier, where we boarded our Argosy Cruise that took us from Elliott Bay in the Puget Sound north to Shilshole Bay, through the Ballard Locks, and ending at the southern end of Lake Union. Our first big landmark sight was the Edgewater hotel, where the Beatles famously stayed and were photographed fishing out of their hotel window. We saw many commercial barges throughout the sound and one of the exciting wildlife sights of the day: California Sea Lions! They are an endangered species of eared seals native to the sound. We passed many fascinating boats including house boats, famous Deadliest Catch vessels, and tugboats. 

After the cruise, we took the bus back to Pier 54, where Lauren educated us about the eco-engineered sea wall. Kerry and Bob, researchers from the University of Washington, met us at the Pier and elaborated on their research specific to the sea wall, its importance to the region, and how it impacts salmon migration patterns. After the sea wall was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, it had to be rehabilitated, so the city decided to use this as an opportunity to upgrade the wall to be more friendly for the organisms that inhabit the area. Some of these organisms include the very important salmon we spent much of today discussing. Hundreds of thousands of juvenile salmon migrate through these piers each year, and need access to shallow, food-rich waters to survive the journey to the Pacific Ocean. The development and existing sea wall did not provide welcoming environments, so the upgrades to the sea wall included texturized concrete, a "bench" to create a shallow pathway, and light-penetrating sidewalks to increase the visibility in the water for the salmon. 

After meeting with the WET researchers, Kara gave her expert topic presentation about the whale populations in Seattle. She discussed the different kinds of whales including orcas, gray whales, humpback whales, fin whales, and minke whales. After the presentation, everyone went their own separate ways and explored the city. Some went to the University of Washington, others explored local restaurants and shops. We are so excited for the rest of the trip!

The day kicked off in the usual fashion of people trickling in and the buzzing of the morning chatters in the kitchen. We all prepared to leave for the bus only steps away and were delighted with warmer than yesterday's weather. The sun was out a little bit more which helped the process of loading into the bus for a little under an hour drive to The Indian Culture Center and a hike through Discovery park. As the bus seemingly winded up the city the towers and buildings were slowly replaced with smaller houses and larger trees, until the trees dominated our surroundings entirely. Up above the city was a beautiful view, one we had seen the day before on a boat. It felt like just yesterday (because it was) we were seeing the sea lions from the water, and then to look at them from a different view really helped to orient us spatially. 

The view was sunny and relatively clear as Brooke talked, educating us about the two original groups who occupied Seattle previously. After Brooke's talk, and enough pictures, the group headed inside The Indian Culture Center to see the aspects of history, art and culture the museum had to offer us. It was enlightening to see so many aspects of the groups in Seattle as an entity with many faucets and dimensions to be showcased and talked about. Slowly, a few participants trickled out and snacked before the hike to the lighthouse. The walk began with an incline so ungodly as to allure you to not walk the trail at all. This was deceiving as the rest of the walk was scenic beauty as it winded us intricately to the coast where the waves crashed onto the rocks and shells and the dogs outnumbered the babies by one. Along the lighthouse were joggers, dogs and their owners, babies and their owners and families alike, and the NCSU honors program eating on fallen trees. The view was scenic, tranquil and worth any hike, especially one so rich in greenery. 

Later, we all sat down to talk with Erin Fried, the EcoDistrict Deputy Director, and Thea Munchel, the vice president of real estate development and tax credit housing, for Community Roots Housing. This program works to provide affordable housing for low-income families and individuals in the Seattle area. They have helped to curb the serious problem of unhoused people here. They also work to create opportunities for individuals in underrepresented communities. We got to ask them many questions about sustainable communities and housing and create an open discussion.

We finished the day at the Bill Spiedel's Underground tour in which we were given a tour of the underground streets and sidewalks of Seattle before the city was rebuilt on top from the Great Fire of 1889. Kiahn Larry gave us a humorous tour that we won't forget about the Seattle Underground tour with jokes and humor while explaining the history behind the underground tunnels. 

After that, some of us went to eat out for dinner while some went to the Uwajimaya market to buy enough ingredients and make Taco Tuesday back at the hostel, and called it yet another successful night!

Welcome to Day 4!

It's 9 AM. After a quick bite of breakfast, Julia gave us a synopsis of the Living Buildings Challenge and a preview on the Bullitt Center, which was our first stop of the day, and it fit perfectly within our theme of the day: "Sustainable Design."

We were graciously given a tour of the building by Deborah Sigler, the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the UW Center for Integrated Design. She went into additional detail on the 7 petals of the Living Buildings Challenge: place, water, energy, health + happiness, beauty, materials, and equity and described how the Bullitt Foundation had implemented each into the building. We then went outside to learn about how the building was powered by its solar canopy, heated geothermally, and cooled through automated shades and windows that could extend out laterally by 8 inches. Next, we wandered on down to the basement to learn about the building's water management systems, which collected rainwater, filtered it to make it potable, reclaimed the gray water to flush toilets, before sending it out to the sewage system. The toilets undergo vacuum flushing, where the water forcefully flushes straight down, rather than doing the usual spinning motion. This is actually a lot better in terms of reducing spreading germs when flushing. Lastly we trekked up the Bullitt Center's "Irresistible Stairs" (which encourage exercise) up to the top floor, where Sigler taught us about how the office spaces were used and the building financed. The cool thing is that the windows in the conference center can open like sliding doors to get fresh air! Another fun fact is that there were two bird nests underneath the solar canopy, despite the bird spikes.

One exhibit highlights the work of Victor Kai Wang, Chinese American painter. His work features traditional Chinese patterns, with a twist of abstraction. While land features, like mountains and waterfalls, are featured prominently, some forms are much more vague. These shapes had an almost enigmatic property, we weren't able to come to a total consensus of what they were or what they represented. Further in, Suchitra Mattai's work is displayed. As an artist of Indo-Caribbean descent, Mattai's work explores historical narratives in through a mixed-media context. Next, we see the work of Jean Isamu Nagai, Japanese American artist. He incorporates unconventional materials into his paintings. In one, we observe the interesting texture that originates from the pumice granules, mixed into the paint. On our way out of the art exhibit, we saw the work of Tuan Nguyen, Vietnamese American. In Skins, she explores themes of assimilation and experience of being an immigrant.

After the art exhibit, we took a short reprieve in the Kids' Place. Here, we were introduced to artifacts of Chinese New Year, including red envelopes (very much desired) and the head of a dragon dancer costume. We got the chance to play around like kids again.

From there, we took the turn around to the permanent exhibit, which brings awareness to the struggles of the Asian American experience. It goes beyond Japanese Internment during World War II, to historical events like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the like.

Toward the end of the afternoon, we met Aaron Swain - a senior associate architect at the firm Weber Thompson. We began at the REI flagship store, which included a small urban forest full of the sweet smell from evergreen trees and the sound of water from two waterfalls. He then led us through the South Lake Union neighborhood, highlighting numerous urban revitalization projects. We observed numerous bioswales that help slow and filter rainwater runoff from Interstate 5. Aaron spoke to us about the importance of open spaces within the urban fabric for the community to relax, gather, and play. We came across a local community garden where residents can tend to an 8'x8' planting bed and grow their own fruits and vegetables. Even more inspiring was learning that their excess harvest is donated to local food banks! Finally, we walked through the Amazon and Google campuses and said goodbye to Aaron at Lake Union Park.

At the end of the tour, the group split into three. One group headed back to the hostel to recuperate, another went to further explore the inside of the REI Flagship, and the last walked around the city, and ended up getting delicious Whole Foods pastries, as well as piroshky and pear cider near Pike Place, and then headed home. We all came together in the hostel kitchen at 7 PM with the Caldwell Fellows to have a delicious pizza dinner from a local restaurant.

One small group explored Pike Place Farmers Market on the morning of our free day. We saw the original Starbucks, vendors, the Gum Wall, and views of Mount Olympia! After lunch, Lauren and Dani headed to the Seattle Aquarium where they saw seals, sea otters, anemones, and local salmon species. Others took a bus back up the peninsula to boulder at America's first climbing gym. Later that evening, a few of us took our last bus ride up to Fremont to go to a vintage shopping mall. This was a bittersweet experience when we realized we would not be riding the bus again this trip! 

Around half of the group took a Puget Sound whale tour. We woke up really early and took a fun hour bus ride to Edmonds WA. We saw Stellar sea lions, gray whales, and even orca whales. We saw a pod of 5 orcas, including orca T87, a transient or Bigg's orca who is the oldest bull male orca in the west. These orcas feed on mammals such as sea lions, dolphins, and even gray whales! We saw a gray whale called Earhart, who is actually a survivor of an orca attack by a lone bull male nicknamed Loki! We saw a total of 7 gray whales, which is very unusual because they are known to be solitary animals. The naturalist believed they were gathering to socialize and rub on each other to help remove parasitic barnacles. On the way out of port, we enjoyed the views while indulging in blueberry buckle cake. It was very chilly standing outside the cabin of the boat, but it was worth the experience!

After the whale tour, Mollie, Natalie, Brooke, and Julia went to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum near the Space Needle. Dale Chihuly is a world-renowned glass blower and has had exhibitions all over the world, including in Finland, Ireland, Mexico and more. This permanent exhibit in Seattle has an indoor museum with some of his pieces and an outdoor part with glass pieces interspersed within a garden. We saw many beautiful glass sculptures and even a glass blowing demonstration where they made a vase! 

Meanwhile, after the Whale tour Slate, Jose, and Kara took a nice stroll around Pike Place, indulging in Turkish delights, baklava, and souvenir shopping. Afterwards, Slate and Jose had a nice dinner just outside of Pike Place and then met up with Ashwin to witness the views at the Sky View Observatory atop the tallest office building in Seattle. 

Ashwin and Dillon walked over to the Seattle Ferry Terminal and boated over to Bainbridge Island. The ferry system is Washington state's third largest transit system only behind the King County metro and Sound Transit light rail! We got beautiful views of Seattle's skyline, mountains, and even some orcas far in the distance. It was quite windy and cold but nevertheless a 30 minutes spent well outside! After the ferry, we headed to Westlake Mall to grab lunch at the Asian street food hall.

A few of us also visited the Seattle Public Library. A feat of architecture and engineering, SPL not only serves the standard library roles of book lending and access to technology, but also as a hub of resources for the unhoused. There was an abundance of space for them to do work or just get out of the cold, and flyers posted around the library listed ways to access cheap phone plans and locations of food banks.

Kara and Taylor took a wild bus ride to the Olympic Sculpture park, but not just for the sculptures! They visited the shore at low tide and looked around the tide pools to find marine snails, giant ochre starfish, neon orange anemones, clams, and many cool species of crabs! 

Our return travel day was a long one, where we were up before sunrise to get on the Link at 5:30am. We traveled to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport for our flight at 9:45am. At the airport, we waited in a long line for security but then settled into our gate before boarding! From the plane, we saw beautiful views of Mount Rainier. Our flight was only 4.5 hours on the way back to the Raleigh-Durham Airport. Once we landed, we retrieved our luggage from baggage claim. Some of us got picked up from the airport and others rode the city bus back to campus. Until we meet again for our post-trip meeting on April 1st!

What are our main take-aways from this trip, overall?

Evie: I found the information most applicable and pertinent from this trip for me surrounded the Bullitt building. I often referenced information about the infrastructure of the building and its optimization and intersection with sustainability in conversation upon return as its relevance can be interwoven in my disciplines. 

Taylor: I really enjoyed the impact of the 1% for Art program. A lot of the art was seamlessly embedded into the cityscape, so that they don't draw attention on the first glance. However, it's quite fun to spot things, whether unexpected or anticipated.

Dillon: I loved meeting with Erin Fried, the EcoDistrict Deputy Director, and Thea Munchel, the vice president of real estate development and tax credit housing, for Community Roots Housing. It was inspiring to hear about the creative, inclusive work they are doing to provide affordable housing for the city of Seattle.

Ashwin: During a trip as unforgettable as this one, it's hard to pinpoint one activity that stood out. I enjoyed talking to Aaron Swain about Seattle architecture but also enjoyed listening him talk about the tech industry and how it impacts the city living, buildings and all. That's just one bubble of what I loved, because I was able to learn more about the sustainability, tourism, housing and ethnic communities to name a few. This trip helped me appreciate the little things about a city more and I look forward to putting this knowledge to good use soon.

Slate: I think what struck me the most while in Seattle is learning how different people rise to the occasion when they see a problem that they care about. The two that stood out to me the most were the community roots housing meeting and the Wing Luke Museum. Seeing individuals care about the unhoused which is such a monumental issue in Seattle, and doing what they can in order to help alleviate the issue through their own organization was incredibly inspiring. 

Jose: The Wing Luke Museum was my favorite part of the trip getting to learn about the different exhibits. They detailed the experiences, perspectives, and culture of Asian-American and Pacific Islanders.

Belle: One thing that has stuck with me since our trip was our meeting with Community Roots Housing. In this meeting, we had the opportunity to talk with individuals whose focus was affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. It was amazing to hear about how they built their buildings around ensuring their residents were able to afford housing as well as have job opportunities and communal aspects all within their residential area. 

Brooke: I enjoyed seeing the different scenery, architecture, and art. It was amazing to be able to see snow-capped mountains, especially from the top of the Space Needle.

Natalie: I really enjoyed the convenience of public transportation and visiting the different districts in Seattle. The hike to Discovery Park Lighthouse and visiting the Indian Culture Center was the highlight of the trip for me. Seattle is a beautiful city with views of beautiful snow-capped mountains everywhere you turn. I cannot wait to visit again!

Mollie: It was really cool to me to learn about how Seattle has been intentional in development to make the city more sustainable. They are not just fixing problems that have come up, but are creating and developing new parts of Seattle with economic, environmental, and social sustainability for the future in mind. I also loved seeing how nature existed within and around the city and how they are developing the city to provide access to nature and protect it.

Byron: My favourite part of the trip was taking a tour of the original first floor of Seattle, since sewage management concerns led to the streets of most of downtown being raised by a floor when it all burned down near the turn of the 20th century, which better allowed for gravity-assisted drainage. After that incident, city-management has been making more informed, environmentally-conscious decisions.

Lauren: This trip really opened my eyes to how far we have to go in our sustainability journey but gave me hope that the ideas we saw will expand outside of the Pacific Northwest and spread into other parts of the country and the world. It also gave me inspiration to take what I learned and apply it to my community. My favorite part of the trip by far was looking out across Elliott Bay and being able to smell the saltwater while also seeing the mountains in the distance. 

Dani: In a time where it feels like so many events are pushing us back historically, this trip helped me regain hope in our future. Listening to the multitude of organizations who are diligently and passionately working to resolve our current challenges inspires me to explore where I belong in these efforts. Additionally, being able to see the woods, the sound, and the mountains all at once is still so surreal to me.