Going up?

"Is that a barista drink?" 

I had just sat down and was waiting for my fellow tour guide to arrive and join me for coffee, as we always do before giving our tour, Design Details (http://seattlearchitecture.org/,) as a man in a plaid shirt, jeans and aviator style eye-glasses, shoulders raised giving him almost a hunch-like appearance, and holding the day's newspaper approached me and asked, "Is that a barista drink? Can I have your free drink?" The man didn't appear down-and-out, and though he was dressed like a hipster, my feeling was he had been dressing as such for the last twenty to thirty years or so and not a follower of any particular fleeting fashion fad.

It wasn't that early, but it was Saturday morning, at 8:30, and my soy latte hadn't quite kicked in. "Uh, I suppose...," I replied.

"This weekend, if you buy a barista drink, you get one free," he explained.

"Can I have your free drink?" he continued.

"Sure," I responded, still not fully comprehending what was going on. The gentleman went up to the cashier and asked if he could have my free drink and was informed the free drink had to be ordered while the original order was placed. The man started to get a bit upset so I tried to soothe things over, "It's okay, my friend is on her way. How about you can have her free drink?" I suggested. This seemed to work; he calmed down, took a seat and started to read his paper.

"Is your friend single? Does she have a fiancé, a boyfriend?" he asked.

"Uh... I'm not certain. We've never really discussed such things before," I tried to deflect.

"Of course you wouldn't think to ask," he quipped, implying he was aware of my sexuality. "How old is she?" he continued.

"I'm not sure, really, late-twenties, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders. "She's getting ready to start grad school, soon." I added. The gentleman smiled, chuckled to himself and got a gleam in his eye.

My friend showed up and I swiftly facilitated the procurement of the gentleman's complimentary beverage. While he left to use the restroom, I muttered under my breath to my friend, who is indeed single, "If he asks, say you're a lesbian, and we're leaving as soon as your drink is ready."

"What?" She was so confused Before we could sneak out of the coffee shop he returned from the restroom.

"Do you ever watch bull fights?" he asked.

My friend and I looked at each other, "Uh, no, not really," we mumbled.

"There's a matador and a bull, and the matador fights the bull and he has a red cape and raises is up and down and says, 'Olé. Olé!'" With his stiff arms he demonstrated just how he would flash a cape in front of a charging bull then turned, took his seat, resumed reading his paper and enjoying his free latte.

Barely controlling our giggles, we swiftly left the premises and took a detour to the Seattle Architecture Foundation (SAF) office in case he might decide to pursue us.

"Olé, olé!" We laughed to ourselves and I relayed to her my encounter with the gentleman prior to her arrival.

At the office, while catching up on the latest happenings of the foundation and each other's lives my friend received an incoming phone call. "Who is T. M.?"

I got so excited, I almost lost my breath. "That's the attorney who has the office at the top of the N.L. Tower and took us up there on our last tour!"

"Hello?" she answered. "Hi, yes, we do have a tour today. That'd be wonderful. We'll see you around 10:15, 10:20. Thanks. Bye." Apparently we were going up to the top yet again. My spirits were lifted as the N.L. Tower has always been one of my favorite buildings in the Emerald City and it had taken me almost 31 years to get to the top and here I was, four weeks later, about to go up again.

Completed in 1929, the N.L. Tower is the Emerald City's quintessential Art Deco skyscraper. Sleek, tall, and self-assured, with seemingly endless vertical lines, it speaks of an optimism prevalent in our country during the Age of Jazz, as our nation asserted itself at the forefront of the international stage after the outcome of the First World War. Created to resemble a mountain (built of granite, marble and over 30 different colors of flecked bricks, all of which gradually become lighter the higher in elevation,) adorned with snow-capped peaks (of terracotta,) and evergreen trees (metal spandrels,) this "mountain," even has a "cavern" (the rather dark and narrow main lobby, sometimes referred to as having the appearance of the domain of a "civilized caveman.") Intricate, hand-carved brass window frames, mullions, doors, and on the interior, ceilings, elevator frames and plaques adorn this modern temple to commerce and industry. Everywhere your eye rests exquisite detail can be drunken in and enjoyed, and the same patterns, motifs and level of craftsmanship can even be found on the top of the building, both on the interior as well as the exterior.

When our tour began my excitement and enthusiasm got the better of me, and my often prevalent shy, demure side (at least in the presence of strangers) faded into the background of my subconsciousness. Knowing that my friend and I were invited back to the N.L. Tower, filled me with such solid confidence at the impression we left with our last tour a month prior, I immediately jumped right into the swing of things as our current group departed the office. Never once looking at my note cards, I shared with our small audience my comprehensive knowledge of the area's local lore, the history of various buildings, the people involved with shaping our skyline and also pointed out often overlooked details that make a building or a space that much more special.

The N.L. Tower wasn't the only skyscraper we ascended that day. Our tour terminated at the L.C. Smith Tower in Pioneer Square, where we, once again, were invited up to the observation deck near the top of the historic building. The Architecture Foundation has a on-going partnership with the Smith Tower, and the Tower's Historian is also a dear friend of mine, as well as an inspirational mentor. All-in-all, it was a bright finish to what appeared to might have possibly been another gray day. The old adage: "It's always good to have friends in high places," certainly proved true on this day.