pacific northwest

Escala, Seattle's Latest High Rise Condo

Filed under: Estates

Another luxury high-rise has broken ground in Seattle. Escala will be Seattle's largest residential tower, a 30-story building with 270 condos located in Seattle's Midtown neighborhood. The new high-rise will be near another project in progress that we have already covered, 1521 Second Avenue. Escala will also be home to a 25,000-square-foot private club with a gym and spa; bar and lounge; a theater; a wine cave with storage and other amenities. At Escala units will cost from $500,000 to $4 million. According to an article in the Seattle Times, it's boom time for condos in the area. As the demand for office space increases in the area the hope is that the suburbanites will be lured toward city living. The proof will probably be seen later this year and in 2008 when several of these projects should reach completion.

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Tags: condominium, development, escala, pacific northwest, real estate, seattle

Alchemy Goods messenger bag

by Anne Metz (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags

In the spirit of Marcel Duchamp -- who turned a urinal into one of the twentieth century's most famous works of art simply by signing his name on it -- Seattle's Alchemy Goods is turning junk into bling.

Alchemy, as all fashionistas who paid attention in Western Civ know, was the Middle Ages' primary fascination: the quest to turn something worthless (lead) into something precious (gold).

Alchemy Goods designer Eli Reich takes this basic theme and runs with it. He scavenges the bike shops and junkyards of the Pacific Northwest and produces some very cool bags. From the bike shops, he gets old inner tubes and builds tough, waterproof sacks that are guaranteed for life. From the junkyards, he gets old seatbelts that become the straps for his bags.

The best part? He keeps all the writing, patches, stains and logos that were orginially on the tubes and seatbelts. That way, you know you've got a one-of-a-kind.

It's $148 for a messenger bag, by the way. Can medieval alchemists compete with that?

Tags: Alchemy, Alchemy Goods, AlchemyGoods, Eli Reich, EliReich, inner tube, InnerTube, Marcel Duchamp, MarcelDuchamp, messenger bag, MessengerBag, Pacific Northwest, PacificNorthwest, seatbelt, Seattle, Western Civ, WesternCiv

Co-Motion's Foldable Bikes: Stylish and Pragmatic

by Anne Metz (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

With Deidre's recent post about Bike Friday in mind, I thought I'd give some props to Oregon's other manufacturer of foldable bikes, Co-Motion. In both single and tandem varieties, travel-friendly foldable bikes are hand-crafted at Co-Motion's Eugene factory.

What gives Co-Motion so much commotion in the folding bike industry? The proprietary S+S coupling system developed for its travel bikes. In just a few moments, you can transform your suitcase into a smooth racing or touring bike while saving the $80 the airlines charge (each way!) for bringing a bike on board.

In other words, you get a collapsible bike that doesn't collapse your street cred.

The foldable version of Co-Motion's steel racer, the Espresso Co-Pilot (as if they couldn't get any more Oregonian, Co-Motion names its bike models after the Pacific Northwest's favorite caffeinated beverages), starts at $1925 for a hand-crafted frame and fork.

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Tags: airline, bike, Co-Motion, espresso, Eugene, foldable bike, FoldableBike, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, PacificNorthwest, S S coupling, S sCoupling, steel, tandem, travel, travel bike, TravelBike