August 29th, 2013 Rainy Days

So today was a blast! I have been wanting to get a rain photo for a long time for the "25 Reasons" poster I'm making. When I first got there I didn't think I would get a rain shot. It was raining on and off, so when it was sunny by the time I got to the waterfront I was sad as you can see here:

Obviously love the sun, but I had a feeling that today would be the ideal day to get some rain pictures. The picture on the heading is the final one I'm going to use for the poster. It was so super wet and it was really fun to be out there in it! It's really not often that I take the time out and feel the rain on my face. That was a genuine smile on my face in the picture above. Here are some other pictures from today:

the "after" shot haha

 

So, I haven't wanted to jinx winning the contest by seeing the apartments in person and getting my hopes up, but since we were there I just couldn't resist. We met some nice ladies in the leasing office and spoke about different floor plans that are available right now and pricing. Apparently there are different prices for each floor plan. I'm mostly only interested in floors 6-8 because once the condos are built it will obstruct the view of the water. The building is locked at night so it will only be accessed through a key. However, during the day the building is open for all of the public. The gym is accessed through the lobby and there are two fantastic resident lounges. One can be used reserved events and one has a pool table, ping pong, huge TV and lots of places to hang out. 

Coming up the elevator I didn't know what to expect. The walkway is hard to explain, but it's an indoor/outdoor walkway. So fresh air and rain (today) flows through the middle of the walkway, but you stay totally dry. There's a garbage shoot so you don't have to lug it downstairs to a dumpster. We toured the Clark floorplan. The first thing I noticed, of course, was the magnificent water view. The rest of the apartment was pretty nice. Plenty of room and everything seems classy. 

Tony got his wildlife photos for the contest so that's cool. And I got a few more photos for the 25 reasons poster. I also am working out some kinks in the check-ins with a person on the back-end. He has been very helpful. This contest has been very fun and I'm almost sad it's coming to an end. However, I want the 16th to come so I can see if I am the winner! I only have 2 more things to do and I worked on the 25 reasons poster for around 5 hours today. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so it takes a while. I made it poster board size on the publisher file, but I'll likely submit a smaller version I suppose. In case they wanted to use it I wanted to make sure it was able to be made larger. Well, I'm done for the day. I'll leave you with a rad photo I got of the Copperline Apartments and the sky:

August 21st, 2013 The Waterwalk Interview & 25 Reasons

I'm working on wrapping up the contest. I only have the "25 Reasons Why I love the Waterfront" and the ":30 second commercial". I have been elaborately planning both of those since I knew it was going to be a challenge. I plan to do a collage-type poster for the 25 reasons. One of the reasons why I love the Waterfront is for the creativity it evokes. I'm not gonna lie, this particular time was "staged" but I really have come to the waterfront to write, play music, do homework, etc because it helps me think and be more open-minded. And that is my pink acoustic guitar that I jam out on at campfires and friends houses. :)

I was reminded that I never posted the transcript of the interview I held with my three friends. It was a fun time. I spoke with several of my friends that day and played tour guide. I was helped with the insider information from the conversation I had with one of the residents a while back. I really enjoyed being the knowledgeable one. The looks of excitement and intrigue as I was talking made me think about bringing more friends down. By the time all of the shops open I will probably have brought 40 friends down there! I chose the answers from three of my friends to submit for the contest, but I have an audio transcript of more. So without further ado here it is:

Point Ruston: Now and in the Future

Interviewees: Tyler Pederson, Ciara Swan, Joseph Franco

Q. What did you like most about the Waterwalk?

A. (Tyler) I heard they were going to extend the walkway for a while now. I like that they have extended it as far as they have and you just told me that it’s going to go all of the way to Point Defiance. I like the run the waterfront when I’m training for my 5Ks and marathons. When I run the waterfront I like to lollygag, but I needed more distance. This last stretch looks really well kept and I’m looking forward to running.

A. (Ciara) I actually think it’s really pretty. It looks like this area is going to be really nice when they finished it. We just got done looking at the distance from UW Tacoma, so I might try to run from school to here also. I actually like how quiet it is down here. I’ll probably come back to read a book on a nice sunny day.

A. (Joseph) I didn’t know about this new area at all. We just walked the whole area and it looks like I’m going to have to bring Ciara back for romantic walk. It’s coming upon sunset and the sky is looking great. I agree with Ciara; it’s really quiet.


Q. OK, that’s good. How about the trellis we just posed at and the new attractions around here.

A. (Joseph) Yeah, I really didn’t know these views were down here.

A. (Ciara) I saw quite a few spots that I’m going to have to read at. The trellis has an awesome view of Mt. Rainier, so it’ll be nice to look up from my book and see that.

A. (Tyler) It makes it much better when I’m running to have good scenery. I mean usually I don’t have much to look at when I’m running so I like down here specifically because everything down here is so nice looking.


Q. I just got done telling you about all of the new things coming in; out of everything I listed what do you think you’ll come down here to see?

A. (Joseph) The movie theater! That’s so cool.

A. (Tyler) The 24 hour gym in the Winter. But you have a good point about getting in now because they have “founder’s” rates.

A. (Ciara) It all sounds pretty good. I can come down here and shop, or watch a movie, or enjoy the outdoor stuff.


Q. Do you think you’ll come down here more often now that you know about everything?

A. (All 3) Yes!

A. (Tyler) I’m probably going to make this my new running route when I get off of work.

A. (Ciara) I can’t wait for everything to be done.

A. (Joseph) I was serious. I’m going to take Ciara down here this weekend. And if you win the apartment we’re going to be down here all of the time!

A. (Tyler) Haha, yeah you can count on that.


Q. Speaking of that, if you were to live down here how do you think it would change your everyday life?

A. (Tyler) It’s going to be hard to really come up with my own answer because you’ve been talking about this for a few weeks now. What you said makes sense. But if I lived down here I would probably run even more. I wouldn’t have an excuse not to go out.

A. (Joseph) I like what you said and chilling on the back porch reading the newspaper in the morning. I guess that kind of routine would give me more perspective on my day so I could be happier every day.

A. (Ciara) I think I would be more physically active and mentally grounded. Just the view would keep me in a calm place.

August 12th, 2013 A Beautiful Night

I went out to visit the waterfront tonight and got some amazingly beautiful shots! I think with the clouds and recent rain it leaves the sky ready for awesome sunsets. I finished the "photo" challenge section, but I will still be filming and taking photos for the "dream" category. I also wrote the review on Google+ to finish up another category. This contest is coming to a close for me because I will have completed everything very soon, but I have been having such a good time going down there I will probably continue to go 4-5 times a week like I have been. The Waterwalk is especially pleasant after the sun goes down. It's like a whole other world. Here are some shots from tonight:

I'll be back tomorrow for the very last official "check-in" on Facebook. Then I will only have a few more challenges to complete! It's hard to imagine not living down at the Waterfront at this point. Good night. :)