Heart of Amazon

Photo & Text © 2011 Kim- Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved; no use, alteration, reproduction or republishing in any media.

Amazon.com's new campus in the Cascade neighborhood is not all cubes and office towers. I found this deserted outdoor gathering area on a weekend, but imagine this former alleyway will attract many workers to come out from behind the glass into the outdoors on fine days. I understand that this spring another phase of the multi-block project will be completed and more Amazon.com employees will move into their new offices. Another giant, Microsoft, has leased four floors of the nearby newly completed Terry/Westlake building. Along with people moving into new work space, businesses catering to them and the neighborhood are moving in as well. In the brick Terry Building left in place among the bright new office blocks as an historic homage to the neighborhood's light industry roots, Seattle's much loved restaurateur, Chef Tom Douglas, has now built Brave Horse Tavern and Ting Momo Tibetan dumpling house in the Terry Building. Still to come this spring will be a fine Italian pasta restaurant, Cuoco. Last month Douglas opened his Westlake edition of Serious Pie in the neighborhood, as well, along with a commercial pastry kitchen that will prepare treats for several locations.