Atelier Drome: Trips

architecture day trips

We love going on day trips (some closer than others) to see fantastic and inspiring architecture. Here are some of our favorites:

Wing Luke Museum

Architect: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects; Built: 2009: Address: 719 S King St, Seattle 98104

The Chapel of St. Ignatius

Architect: Steven Holl; Built: 1997; Address: Seattle University, 901 12th Ave, Seattle 98122

Mount Angel Library

Architect: Alvar Aalto; Built: 1970; Address: 1 Abbey Drive, St. Benedict, Oregon

Olympic Sculpture Park

Architect: Weiss / Manfredi; Built: 2009; Address: 2901 Western Ave, Seattle 98121

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, by miriam_atelierdrome

Favorite Buildings

The Peabody Essex Museum is a fantastic museum located not far from my parents in Salem, MA. We all ( me, C, and the rents) spent some time there while we were visiting. The collection itself is really interesting and diverse - a wide range of nautical art, as well as egyptian, indian, and native american (among others). But, the jewel of the collection is the Yin Yu Tang house (a chinese merchant's house that was re-erected at the heart of the museum. Visitors are able to walk through the home, and learn a bit about life as part of the Huang family, who lived there for 200 years. The two story house is a courtyard plan, with no external fenestration... the only openings are in towards the courtyard. It really encourages socializing between the different family members and renters. Its absolutely worth a visit to see the home, checking out the plan, koi pond, and clever (and ancient) detailing.

In addition to the collection, the museum itself is worth checking out. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the light filled center of the museum acts as a gathering space and a connector between the different wings. There are also a series of new bright (but indirectly lit) gallery spaces, that make the museum a really relaxing place to spend some time.

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, by Michelle Linden

Italy

Rome

We spent a week in Rome, so these photos only scratch the surface of what we saw. We had a great time with great weather and food... but to be honest, Rome was probably my least favorite stop of the trip. I'm so glad we went, but I felt like the constant barrage of needy tourists (ourselves included) put a damper on an otherwise lovely city. And I had real trouble trying to rectify in my mind the 'disney-fication' with such ancient and important history. The men dressed up as gladiators outside the Colosseum really irked me...

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, by Michelle Linden

Italy

Lovely Lucca

C & I had an extra day while we were in Cinque Terre, so we decided to make a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. I really didn't care for Pisa... but Lucca was absolutely lovely. The city is surrounded by a medieval wall that was later reinforced with a second renaissance era wall. The space between the two walls was filled with earth to further protect the city from canons. Years later Napoleon gave the city to his sister who planted trees on top of the wall, making it into one of the loveliest parks I've ever been to...

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, by Michelle Linden

Italy

Cinque Terre

Cornelia

Cornelia
.

Vernazza

Vernazza
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Monterrosso
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View from our room in Manarola
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Riomaggiore
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Hike to Cornelia

Hike from Cornelia

We took a bit of a break from all of the art and architecture and just spent 3 days in Cinque Terre hiking and relaxing... And if you're looking for some good food... By far the best food we ate in all of Italy was in Cinque Terre.

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, by Michelle Linden

Architectural History

3 Days in Venice

After Florence, we took the train up to Venice, with a stop to see the Ferrari Factory. Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit any of the new buildings... but C was pretty excited to check out the museum.

Venice was awesome. It was pretty much my favorite place... and to be honest, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I've heard that Venice is a bit like Disney World... and well, I suppose it can be. Sure, there were tons of crowds around the top sites, but once we ventured off the beaten path, we really felt like we were visiting a place where actually people live... Which is probably a bit strange, since hardly anyone lives in Venice.... but still.

I think that our perspective of Venice was probably a bit different since we were lucky enough to visit the Biennale while we were there (more on that tomorrow). In addition to being a welcome relief from all of the ancient buildings and statues, the Biennale is located in a great part of Venice that we probably would not have visited otherwise. Add to that some great weather, and it was a perfect 3 days. Other than the Biennale, the only real 'touristy' thing that we did was visit St. Mark's and the Calatrava bridge (which was just ok).... we spent the rest of the time just wandering the city. Now that the rain is starting here in Seattle, I'm already looking back fondly on all of the sunshine and warm weather!

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, by Michelle Linden

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architecture day trips

Peabody Essex Museum

Rome

Lovely Lucca

Cinque Terre

3 Days in Venice

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Rome

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