Observations about Downtown Workers

I had the occasion to be in the financial/business district of Seattle early this morning. I got a latte and watched people go by on their way to work. My assumption is that most of the people walking by worked in one of the tall office buildings. Here are some observations:

Seattle is 90% casual. Only 10% of the folks wore ties and/or hose. This is Thursday, so this is not a casual Friday thing. Half the people with ties wore no suit jacket. Seattle is a dress down place.

iPods are MAINSTREAM. Grandmothers, old engineer types, tie wearing bankers, and everyone under 30. iPods everywhere. One interesting juxtaposition, a few iPod carriers walked by in one direction at the same time a double bus plastered with the neon colored iPod advertisement went in the other direction. You know the ads, the black silhouettes in exuberant positions surrounded by color. Funny, the actual iPod users didn't seem exuberant. Perhaps exuberance begins after noon.

I don't get the sense that seattlites are very fashion conscious. Unless you consider a fondness for REI, North Face, and Columbia sports wear fashionable.

We have gone from briefcases to backpacks to messenger bags to now wheels. A lot of people are pulling small wheeled cases and saving their backs.

Seattlites don't jay walk. We are law abiding walkers. That said, when we have the walking light, we take our time getting across the street and don't care if cars are waiting to turn.

The baristas that work in the large office buildings are much faster than those in the outlying areas. The lines are long but they move very quickly. I wonder if Starbucks starts people in the burbs and then transfers the fastest to the downtown locations. If would be hard to be a trainee during the morning coffee rush.

Last observation - I saw more knitted stocking caps than I would have expected this time of year. I guess that's another fashion statement.

What does your city look like at 7am?

Comments

[Gary Petersen]

7:00 am? UGH! Who would want to know that!?!

[Gary Petersen]

The grin that I typed didn't show up at the end of that comment. :-)

[Lisa Haneberg]

Maybe that's why I saw so few suits, all the big wigs were still asleep.