Well, it was the first time I was visiting Washington state.
The reason for the visit was an for an interview at the Starbucks Headquarters, which, sadly, I didn’t crack, but that’s okay. Through this, I got to visit the beautiful city of Seattle and had a good time roaming around the Downtown Seattle area.
Thanks to Starbucks, my visit to this lovely city was sponsored by them. I had a rental vehicle from the airport to the city, which, I didn’t really need. The flight from Detroit to Seattle was a breeze. I had these small butterflies through my stomach during the entire journey, as I was too nervous to face a series of interviews.
From the airport, it was a drive through the busy traffic and streets of Seattle. The drive from the airport to the hotel was filled with so many things to notice. The most amazing thing for me was seeing the Siren (The Starbucks Lady) at the top of the Starbucks headquarters. It was something that I hadn’t expected and thought it was so cool to show off as the headquarters of a coffee giant.
After experiencing the morning rush, it was time for me to get ready for the series of interviews. I got to my hotel, got freshen up and dressed for the big occasion. I had the file with me with all my documents and felt a little nervousness before heading out for the interview. I parked the car in the Amazon Fresh parking lot, which was right next to the Starbucks HQ.
I was instructed to head to the reception and asked to wait until someone comes and receives me. I waited anxiously for a few minutes and in the meantime I was paying attention to some of quotes that were printed on the walls of the HQ. From the look of it, it came across like a place with a buzzling energy and so many activities. My wait was cut short when the person who was supposed to interview me came and requested me to come along.
What followed after that was the meet and greet and series of interviews with the future teammates and bosses. I will not reveal how the interview process was and what questions were asked, but I would leave with one sentence – everyone with whom I interacted were very kind and respectful of the questions and comments and made me feel comfortable before we got down to the formal interview. I still remember everyone with their smiling faces.
I spent almost 5 hours in the Starbucks HQ, facing one interviewer at a time, with a grand total of 5 interviewers. I was tired and exhausted (mentally) at the end of the day and really needed some leisure time around the Downtown Seattle campus. I went back to my hotel, changed into my informal clothes and set forth for a long stroll around the Downtown campus.
Good that my hotel was at the heart of the Downtown, so I didn’t have to do a lot of walking. I came across so many cool things. I did almost all touristy things that anyone would do in a lovely city of Seattle, but the most surprising thing for me was the Starbucks at every block wherever I went. There were so many Starbucks cafes that I didn’t know we needed these many to have coffees. Anyway, I visited the world’s first Starbucks cafe, which was a good experience and paid a visit to the Seattle Great Wheel. I was in awe of the tall and grand buildings around me wherever I went.
After exploring the area for more than an hour, it was time for me to relax a little bit more at the hotel bar. I ordered food and some drinks with it and had a book with myself to spend the evening. I sat at the bar for more than a couple hours, before I started feeling a little dizzy. I romanticized about working and living in this beautiful city, before heading off to bed.
Next stop: Bloomington, IN, USA.
stochasticity 
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