The College Inn

The College Inn stands on the corner of University Way NE and NE 40^th St. Built and opened in 1909 during the Alaska Pacific Yukon Exposition the Inn captures the excitement and internationalism of the Expo through its rustic aura and architecture. Constructed in a Tudorbethan style, the Inn is characterized by its use of half-timbering, dormer windows and high pitched roofs resembling a cozy European cottage.

Currently the College Inn building houses the Café Allegro, Easy Shoppe, College Inn Pub and the Bean and Bagel coffee shop.

The majority and more apparent of its socio-cultural uses tend to surround the variety of components to the building. The Inn itself, however, plays its role as a hotel quite strictly. This is due to its detachment from public accessibility, the Inn occupies the upper three floors of the building and is accessible only to its residents and employees.

Patronage at the Inn includes three types of individuals. They include prospective college students who are attracted by the Inn’s cheap rates. Older individuals are drawn by its separation from the urban environment, creating a haven of quiet and serenity. Finally, those who are looking for a unique hotel experience, something that is atypical from standardized hotel chains.

The Wayward Cafe is a collectively run vegan restaurant located on the corner of 9th and 55th street, near Roosevelt. Open six days a week from 9am to 4pm, their main dishes are breakfast and lunch. There is no hassle of waiting on someone to bring your food or check, you pay up front at the cash register and grab your meal once it is prepared.
Bookshelves, posters, zines, xeroxed flyers, and other artifacts line the walls that create a very artsy environment, which also coincide with the occasional art galleries held at the Cafe. Since it is not located directly on the ave, it can be overlooked completely, blending into its residential background.
Positioned in the UDistrict, there are a variety of people to come and go in the cafe, some university of Washington students, but mostly not.
The Wayward Cafe is part of a larger organization called the Seattle DIY movement which is focused on creating a more diverse, close community rather than the consumer culture. This community and other similar individually run projects stand for and support environmental justice, animal rights, egalitarianism, and human rights as well as fighting against institutionalized oppression (racism, sexism, ageism/adultism, and homophobia). Even though you may not be vegan or politically influenced toward any means, the wayward cafe is still a good place to just hang out and have a bite to eat.

The University Branch Library

After watching the library users for a few hours, it became clear that a certain trend was occurring. The men, ranging from 19-60 would enter the library, and surf the internet for the given hour and then read the newspaper, or do homework. Younger women also did this, perhaps 19-23, but the older the women got the less time they spent inside. They would peruse the new fiction, perhaps pick up a hold, and then leave. Their average time spent could be no longer than half an hour. This positive correlation dwindled as the age of the women entered the 60’s range, and then their attributes mimicked the men, spending more time sitting and reading. This idea of the library as a place of extended time holds some problems though.
When I first entered the library I desperately had to pee. I searched out the washroom and quickly found it. My hands found the knob and turned, but to no avail. In my hurry, I completely missed the sign reading “Ask for key at circulation desk”. I returned to the desk and grabbed the oversized key chain and made a mental note to investigate the matter. While talking with the children’s librarian, I brought up the locked bathroom issue. I work at the North East Branch, and our bathrooms are only locked during the final closing minutes. She explained that because of the location of the branch, they were frequented by transients and vagrants. Being a public institution, and a haven from the elements, it came as no surprise. The bathrooms were constantly locked to prevent misuse that had happened before. She also noted that they were constantly occupied, and sometimes had to be cleared of over users.

Bus route 880: Mukilteo to University District and back.

The 880 is a blue-and-white-colored commuter bus that belongs to the Community Transit bus system, which travels to areas in King County from Snohomish County. Route 880 in particular, serves as a connection between Mukilteo and the U-District. Commuter buses are roughly twice as long as their local counterparts, and has accordion-like material insert in the middle to make the bus more flexible in turning around corners.

The trip to University District and back approximately takes 45-minutes to one hour. The long duration of the trip affects the activities conducted on the bus, and the most popular activity by far for passengers to do on the bus is to simply sleep. Commuter buses boast features such as cushiony seats, overhead compartments, reading lights, leg rests to make the long ride to the U-District more tolerable. People will generally avoid sitting next to each other, if possible. Each bus passenger like to occupy his/her own pair of seats.

The 880 is serves an important role to those who must commute to U-District frequently by providing an accessible, inexpensive form of transportation, without having to experience the inconvenience of paying for parking fees, gas, car maintenance, and insurance. For students commuting to UW, the 880 helps cut down the cost of college by living at home. For people who commute to the U-District for their jobs, the 880 expands their employment options beyond areas close to home in Snohomish County, changing the landscape by enabling people freedom to live and work where they want.

College Inn Pub

College Inn Pub is part of a historic building tied with the University of Washington's Origins as part of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon Exposition Worlds Fair. The Pub is hidden along down in the basement of the inn and features lots of various table space for many uses, it features antiques, historical artifacts, paintings, photographs, art, pool, darts, pinball machines, etc.


It's a friendly, relaxed, bar and great place to socialize with friends and colleagues, and even your TA's and professors too! It's also a great place to read the paper, eat food, watch the game, and even study. This is unique pub because you wont find many "people watching people", but it's know to be a place that catalyzes profound conversations, intellectual discourse, heated political debate with people you know and people you don't.

As a geographic landscape, there is not much to say about a pretty good pub underneath an inn, but the social role among the University community is quite significant. While most undergraduate students find their place to imbibe alcohol on The Ave or at large parties, The College Inn Pub provides a service to upperclassmen, and professors to relax, hangout, converse and unwind. Lots of ties with UW community through sponsorships, clientèle are mainy UW attendies/alumni, relies heavily by word of mouth.

The U-District Farmers' Market

The University District Farmers’ Market was first established in in June of 1993 and is often described as “Seattle’s oldest and largest farmers’ market” (uhcca.org). It is currently held year-round on every Saturday from 9am to 2pm at the corner of University Way and NE 50th in the University Heights Center parking lot. This year marks its 15th anniversary, and has always been what’s called a “farmers only” market, meaning that only produce and agricultural goods are sold here. On its opening day in 1993, the U District Farmers’ Market included 17 farmers and brought in 800 shoppers. Currently, it includes 60 farmers and attracts between 4,000 and 5,000 shoppers each Saturday (Baker 28). The U-District market is one of 7 in the Seattle area, all of which are a part of the Seattle Neighborhood Farmers’ Market Alliance (NFMA), a 501 © 3 non-profit organization. This area market provides U District residents a place to meet, exchange, and share a weekly ritual that is more of an experience than a shopping venture.

The phenomenon of farmers’ markets can be witnessed within the familiar neighborhood of the U District, in the rather ordinary parking lot of the University Heights Community Center. Farmers’ markets exist in an interesting sphere, both in the literal environment and in the consciousness of the consumer. First, the temporary modification of ordinary space shows a creative and collective effort by a community. Because of this, the farmers’ market is a place where these bonds can only be strengthened, extending them past the immediate community and as far as urban-rural resident, buyer-seller, and friend-stranger. The farmers’ market simply brings people together, and can help characterize a region. This is also in part due to the larger social context; history has shown that markets such as ours occur at times of social change and reconsideration. The seemingly simple and nostalgic farmers’ market is actually a product of larger and very complex social and economic processes. This end product is therefore imbued with numerous cultural meanings, and can provide am experience that cannot be replicated.

21st Avenue N.E.

North campus of the U of Washington resides some of the finest mansions that have become antiques to the streets of Seattle.  On 21st Avenue, alone, holds more than eight fraternity or sorority houses and other living areas for college students; including, but not limited to, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Gamma, Pi Kappa Alpha and Husky Court Apartments.  This means that there are approximately 800 people who live on and are temporary residents of 21st Avenue.

Three story buildings, French doors, outside pillars -- all of which create a dazzling impression.  Even though there are basically parties every weekend, the fraternities and sororities concern for their houses appearance is perceived extremely well through the beautiful exterior of their houses.  Similar to the fraternities and sororities on 21st Avenue, Husky Court Apartments is also located on this street but mainly house those who are not affiliated or a member of the fraternity or sorority.  These apartments have maintenance people who keep the general area of the apartments clean; entailing groomed garden work, nicely painted building, no trash, unmarked sidewalks, and no graffiti. The road is dirty from the seasonal changes, leaving wet and dirty leaves along side of the street where the cars are parked.  The sidewalk is exceptionally clean due to the vast amount of partying that takes place on the street and the role nature takes on the street.  

On any given weekday, the traffic flow through the road is very consistent from the morning time to the night.  Thursday nights especially bring people out on the road because Thursday nights have been declared to be the most popular and regular party night for the Greek system.  Social-culturally, 21st Avenue supplies over eight different fraternity or sorority houses to intermingle with each other.  Each of these homes carries different traditions, which adds to the social-cultural mixture that occurs within the block.  The street has a shared appreciation for each student because their goals are relatively similar to each other.

21st Avenue, in its entirety, stands as a home to the students of the U of Washington.  Its place and role within the U-District allows people from various backgrounds, ideals and morals to meet and acknowledge something other than their own particular background.  Aside from the partying, the socializing, the different fraternity and sorority houses, the scarce parking, dirty roads, beautiful and impressing buildings; 21st Avenue has generated a home away from home for students to live, enjoy, and learn for four years.  The role of the Avenue is truly vital within the area for the simple reason that it can create such an environment with the little space provided.