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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Review — This is not a paid post. Views are my own. I was offered a discounted media rate. Overnight parking was $33 (valet only, which I covered) and there was a $9 for WIFI access (our was taken care of). Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The highly-recommended Hotel Max in Seattle was my home for one night last week when I went down to cover We Day with my niece. This landmark hotel, originally opened in 1926, has been transformed into a rockin’ boutique hotel.
The building is a classic example of Beaux Arts Classical Eclecticism, with the distinctive characteristics of this architectural style. In 2005, Provenance transformed the Vance Hotel into the Hotel Max. Inspired by its artistic and architectural roots, the Hotel Max has become a magnet for musicians, art lovers and the creatively inclined.
I loved the location of the Hotel Max. It was about a 2 minute walk from Westlake Center where we hopped on the Seattle Monorail to get to Key Arena, the Space Needle, the EMP and the Seattle Center area. It’s also located in between two Starbucks, which was handy in the morning before we checked out and headed off to We Day.
I’ve stayed in several Seattle hotels and each usually has its own unique touches. At the Hotel Max those included a mobile number where guests could text front desk, and a funky rock and roll theme throughout the hotel, hallways, and room decor. The Get It Now menu was nice, although we didn’t use it. It featured custom pillow selections, iPod lending, pet room service, and a spiritual book menu.
As it turns out, we were staying on the Sub Pop Floor so there was also a record player and choice Sub Pop vinyl in our room.
They had a complimentary gumball machine near check-in, so that you could leave your mark at the infamous Gum Wall near Pike Place Market, and the lobby also smelled like someone was burning candles that were scented to mimic fresh-baked cupcakes, which was warm and welcoming.
Arriving in the room, there was a set of earplugs on the night stand which made me wonder what noises and disruptions would keep us up at night. Aside from the regular sounds of downtown traffic, I really wasn’t phased at all and we didn’t need the earplugs.
I could have done without the strange bathroom layout (in room 520 at least). I wouldn’t have minded having a window directly in front of the toilet but when we entered the room the blinds were up and the apartment right across the other side of the roof could have really had an eyeful if I had noticed this too late. It seemed like an odd placement, sitting with a window about 1 foot from your face and dozens of apartment windows on the other side.
I also didn’t care for the bowl sink, which was exposed and had no counter at all around it. There was only a small ledge above it for soap and a toothbrush so I didn’t keep my toiletries in the bathroom.
What the Hotel Max lacked in convenient room layout, it made up for with amenities and its great location. My niece and I ended up walking back from Seattle Center, taking a long detour to make a purchase at Glazer’s Camera, and we found a Whole Foods along the way. We bought some snacks and enjoyed them in our room although the in-room dining menu looked very tempting.
The hotel is very well connected on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and the staff was friendly and helpful. I would consider staying here again if I had events to attend in the Seattle Center and South Lake Union areas. Next time I would also try out Miller’s Guild located adjacent to the lobby and get my free beer.
Sometimes when we think we’re just getting to know the ins and outs of our 128-year old city we learn something new. From the funny and fascinating to historical fact, here is a random group of 11 Vancouver History Tidbits:
Although she’s often mistaken for one, the Girl in Wetsuit statue in the water along the Stanley Park Seawall is not a mermaid. However, she was inspired by one. Sculptor Elek Imredy was commissioned to create her based on Copenhagen’s “Little Mermaid”, fashioned after the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen.
In 1898, on October 15, the Nine O’Clock Gun was fired for the first time in Stanley Park… at noon. [Source]
Choklit Park in Fairview was a creation of Purdy’s Chocolates to help with factory access. City Council approved the park (completed in 1970) but told owner Charles Flavelle: “Purdy’s shall be responsible for the creation of a children’s play area.” It’s still around today and provides some of the best city views of any park in the area. [Source]
1910’s – Projection for Vancouver in the 1950s. Archives# LGN 558.
Point Grey and South Vancouver have only been a part of the City of Vancouver since 1929.
Everett Crowley Park is the city’s 5th largest park but was Vancouver’s main landfill (the Kerr Road dump) from 1944 to 1967. [Source]
In 1931, on July 3, Canada’s first baseball game played under lights took place at Athletic Park (Hemlock and West 6th) in Vancouver. [Source]
On February 15, 1965 the new Canadian flag was hoisted at 6:00am at Vancouver city hall. Because of the time differential, this was the first appearance of the flag in Canada after its official proclamation. [Source]
If you enjoyed this quick post then feel free to take a look at the Miss604 archives for historic photos, facts, information, and other oddities in the news. Look for more Vancouver Tidbits next week.
There are many reasons to love Camilo Dominguez, aka Camilo The Magician. He’s an incredibly talented magician who calls Vancouver home, he’s hosting Magic Summer Camp, his shows often support local causes, and he’s also the inspiration for Said The Whale’s popular song.
Born and raised in Colombia, Camilo Dominguez first discovered his passion for the art of magic at the age of four. Today, he is known for his unique approach; blending humor, and a charismatic and heartwarming personality with masterful agility. Using only his hands and a deck of cards, he aims to provide audiences with a truly original and intimate experience.
Camilo has studied at the New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts and has attended the Theatre History exchange program in London, England. He has been proud to present four headlining shows, including Unshuffled 2009, Fifty-Two 2010, Continuum 2011, and Continuum-Victoria 2011.
Camilo The Magician 2014 Tour
I was actually on stage for one of Camilo’s shows at The Cultch a few years ago and I was completely and genuinely amazed at his charm and talent. He is heading out on his SOMNIUM Tour this April, starting with two shows in Vancouver then heading to Whitehorse, Victoria, and Bogota, Colombia. Camilo’s shows on this 2014 tour will also support the Canadian World Education Society.
On stage at Granville Island in Vancouver April 4th and 5th, I have 4 pairs of tickets to give away to his SOMNIUM show on Friday, April 4th. If you would like to catch Camilo before he sets out on tour, here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tix to see @CamiloTMagician from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/uUAWZ
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Sunday, March 30, 2014. Find Camilo The Magician on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Update The winners are @copperlights, David, Jennifer, and @ryanexley Lana!
Governor Jay Inslee declared Friday, March 21, 2014 “We Day in Washington” while he stood on a stage at Key Arena in front of 15,000 students who were exclusively invited to this incredible celebration called We Day Seattle.
We Day is a production of Free The Children, and it inspires, engages, and empowers youth to lead through service in their schools and communities. By committing to take action on at least one local and one global initiative of their choice, as a part of a year-long educational program called We Act, youth can earn their way into We Day events in Alberta, Atlantic Canada, California, Manitoba, Minnesota, Montreal, National We Day (Canada), Saskatchewan, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo Region, and We Day UK.
130,000 students across Washington State, in a half of all school districts in the state, took part in We Acts over the last year.
Since 2007, youth involved in We Act have: Raised over $37 million for 1,000 causes, volunteered 9.6 million hours, collected 4 million pounds of food for local food banks, and logged 7.5 million hours of silence to take a stand for children in developing communities who are denied their rights.
I have been attending We Day in Vancouver since 2009 and in 2012 I started bringing my niece. What I truly believe is that everyone, no matter who you are, can help make a difference in their community — and that’s the We Day message. At We Day you hear of amazing fundraising and volunteer acts but nothing is too small. From helping to educate others, to hosting a food drive at your hockey game or donating used clothing, to taking part in campaigns like We Are Silent, We Stand Together, We Create Change coin drive, We Scare Hunger at Halloween, or We Are Love Valentine’s.
Each We Day is special, not only because the celebrity guests and speakers on the stage vary from city to city, but the students in the audience have each achieved something different to receive their invitation. Coach Pete Carroll of the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks said in a pre-event press conference that while his team is world champs, they will be on that stage looking out at the students in Key Arena thinking that all those kids are in fact champions — champions of each of the causes they took part in to earn their way to We Day.
We Day Seattle Photos
Pete Carroll is Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks and the Co-Chair of We Day Seattle. He brought We Day to Seattle after seeing Co-Founder Craig Kielburger give a talk in Tacoma a few years ago.
The theme of We Day this year is education what better way to kick off the event than to have Martin Luther King III come out to talk to the students about his father’s legacy. He talked about visiting Antioch College, his mother’s alma mater, where there stood a statue of Horace Mann along with a quote: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” He further explained that we can win victories in our schools, in our communities, and our world. Find your calling, do your job well, and do what you can to make the world in which you live a better place.
Coach Carroll gets the crowd, in the Home of the 12th Man, to attempt to become the world’s loudest We Day. He told the students that “the dream of the Super Bowl doesn’t get you anywhere, it’s understanding the method that does.” I took that as meaning you need to know what actions to take, and then carry them out.
Australian pop singer and Dancing with the Stars contestant Cody Simpson performs Pretty Brown Eyes for the crowd (which all called it “PBE” on Twitter).
Now, I’m no Seattle Sounders FC fan, since I bleed Whitecaps FC blue and white, but I have to say that alum Roger Levesque was absolutely charming. He played in Seattle from 2003-2012 and when he retired he enrolled in the University of Washington for a master’s degree in business administration.
Spencer West is a We Day rockstar. He continues to push boundaries and do amazing feats just to help out others. He’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and he’s even walked from Calgary to Edmonton for the causes in which he believes. “Getting involved because it’s the right thing to do isn’t enough. You have to have the ‘why’.”
Joe Jonas led a local youth discussion panel, where stories of fundraising and outreach were shared by Daniel Franco, Adora Svitak, and Nandie Oosthuizen.
Of course We Day events can’t happen without generous sponsors and Microsoft had a big presence at the Seattle event. Lisa Brummel, Executive VP of Human Resources spoke to the crowd about the YouthSpark youth empowerment program.
I was personally pretty excited to hear Ed Norton speak, especially in his capacity as a founder of CrowdRise, which he called the “Facebook of Philanthropy”. The movie star (Fight Club, American History X) walked onto the stage and gave a great analogy based on his love of physics when he was a student. He talked about the concept of the lever and how using that same thinking can help you pull off amazing feats. A lever is a way to increase your power, with the angle, the fulcrum, and how it increases your ability to move heavy things.
“Everybody, especially young people, feels powerless sometimes… …yet every day we are reading about or hearing about people who do incredible, inspiring things in this world.”
Norton told the students to find their lever. Go out there and find a place to stand so they can move the world.
Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks Jermaine Kearse and Derrick Coleman with Ed Norton in the red carpet room at We Day.
Cody Simpson, Roger Levesque, Ed Norton at We Day Seattle (above) and Seahawks Jermaine Kearse, Bobby Wagner, and Derrick Coleman making the We Day hand sign (below).
Other speakers included Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, Hannah Alper, Madison Dibari Davis, Jape Sidsu, YouthSpark reporters Tim Clingan and Delannah Collins-Wright, Tom Wilson of Allstate, Nicole Bagby and Diana Antoci, Julie Sandler of Venture Group, Caleb and Joshua Dawson, and the entire day ended with a performance from Flo Rida.
Get Involved
It’s pretty easy to get involved as there are so many resources for students, families, schools, and businesses available online. You can sign up for one campaign or commit to a full year of We Act. Pick a fundraiser, adopt-a-village, host a third-party event, and more. You can find everything you need on the Free the Children website.
We Day returns to Seattle for the second time on Friday, March 21, 2014, complimenting its hugely successful live events in major Canadian cities over the years. We Day is all about empowering and encouraging today’s youth, sending out the positive message that they can be the change they wish to see in the world as they live “Me to We” everyday.
You can’t buy a ticket to We Day — you earn it through service. Through the year-long We Act program, schools and groups take on one local and one global action and report back to Free The Children to earn their way to We Day. Since 2007, youth involved in We Act have raised more than $37 million for 1,000 local and global causes and have volunteered 9.6 million hours.
“We no longer fight our fight with our fists, we fight our fight with education.” – National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, We Day Vancouver 2013
Tens of thousands of youth from hundreds of schools pack an arena for We Day and their enthusiasm and spirit gives you chills from the start of the show right through to the end. Students enjoy a remarkable lineup of speakers and entertainers, while learning more about Free The Children and We Day’s campaigns throughout the year.
In Vancouver we’ve hosted internationally known celebrities and everyday heroes, people who are passionate, creative, and willing to use their voice — or whatever they can — to make an impact. From the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King III, Mia Farrow, Sarah McLachlan, Al Gore, Demi Lovato, Dr Jane Goodall, to Hannah Alper, Spencer West, Molly Burke and more, many have shared their message with We Day audiences.
At today’s media event (left) Lori Forte Harnick, general manager of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Mi & (right) YouthSpark students Natasha Babayan and Cynthia Tran with We Day co-founder Marc Kielburger.
We Day Seattle
This morning We Day’s co-founder Marc Kielburger spoke to local Seattle media about what We Day is bringing to their city. “Any young person can change the world,” he told reporters as he explained a formula her learned at a young age: “Give + Issue = Change”. Every young person is gifted, every young person has an issue they care about. We Day is about encouraging young people to get inspired, get engaged, and simply get involved.
“We never thought in a million years that we would reach the scope and scale that we have now,” Marc added, thinking back almost 20 years to when he and his brother founded this entire movement. “As exciting as all that is, it’s really about the educational opportunity and the educational experience what goes on the other 364 days now in the schools, that’s what we dreamt of.”
We Day Seattle Facts
15,000 students and teachers from 450 schools across Washington State
We Day Seattle Co-Chairs are Seahawks’ Coach Pete Carroll, and Connie Ballmer of Ballmer Family Group
Guests include (but are not limited to) Ed Norton, Joe Jonas, Russell Wilson and several Seattle Seahawks, Martin Luther King III, Flo Rida, Cody Simpson
More than 400 schools are currently active in the year-long educational program, We Act
We Day Seattle will be streamed live on March 21, 2014 at 9:15am via Q13 Fox.
Get Involved with We Acts
We Day is an initiative of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner co-founded by Craig and Marc Kielburger, with a 19-year history of youth engagement. It currently hosts events in Canada, the UK, and the United States. Once they wrap up in Seattle they will be taking We Day on the road to California.
The We Act program supports students and teachers with free educational resources, student-led campaigns, and support materials to help turn the inspiration from We Day into sustained activation. Follow We Day on Facebook and Twitter to learn more and check out the We Day app for students.
I’ve been attending We Day since it first came to Vancouver in 2009 and I’ve even followed up to do a talk with local elementary school students about how their class blog can help make a difference at their school. Free The Children invited me down to Seattle to cover We Day here and I was able to bring my niece along, as she’s covered the last few We Days with me in Vancouver at Rogers Arena. I will have additional coverage, quotes, tweets, and photos posted tomorrow as We Day Seattle goes live.
They had a complimentary gumball machine near check-in, so that you could leave your mark at the infamous Gum Wall near Pike Place Market, and the lobby also smelled like someone was burning candles that were scented to mimic fresh-baked cupcakes, which was warm and welcoming.
