Seattle: University of Washington

University of Washington is just north of downtown Seattle, on Lake Washington. It is the most beautiful university we've seen on this trip, and perhaps the most beautiful I have ever seen. It is full of coordinated pink granite buildings, all in pristine condition. Below are the Art and Music buildings, sitting across from one another at one end of the quad:


The campus is oriented to frame views of Mount Ranier over the Drumheller fountain:

The Suzzallo graduate library is one of many of the pink granite buildings, and one of the most spectacular:

There is a statue of the university's namesake, George Washington, in the Central Plaza:

Miller Hall, built in 1922, has 44 'gargoyles' that are very contemporary in their look. Here are closeups of two of them:

We were very impressed with the campus, and think having this university in our 'neighborhood' would be a real plus for living in Seattle.

Austin Highlights

We really enjoyed our visit to Austin! As capitol of Texas, it has some truly impressive government buildings, the most beautiful being the Capitol Building. Built of pink granite, it is taller than the U.S. Capitol, and overall it is the largest state capitol building in the United States.

I have many nice pictures of the inside and outside of the building, but my favorite is this inside shot of the dome:

Several blocks from the capitol lies the University of Texas. At 48,000 students, it is almost as large as Ohio State, where our son goes to school. Its main building and this statue of George Washington are perfectly aligned with the Capitol Dome:

The grounds of the university are very nice, and include this impressive fountain. I've seen this motif of horses rising out of the water somewhere else - Versailles? Yes! (I just googled it...)

Our accommodations in Austin are really fantastic! We are staying in the heart of downtown at the historic Driskill hotel. Normally we couldn't afford to stay here, but on our way into town I was able to negotiate a really great rate. One of the benefits of traveling right now is that the travel industry is really hurting, and if you deal with independent organizations instead of large chains, you can get some pretty good deals. The Driskill is really a wonderful place, and the people are even more wonderful. Best service we've received on the trip. This is what the lobby looks like:

This is one shot of the lounge; notice the ceiling! The hotel is full of impressive stained glass, leaded glass, marble and real oil paintings. Each floor has bookcases and tables with books and collectibles that are actually NOT glued down (are you listening, Disney?), and every guest room is a work of art and a step back in time.

All and all, we've been impressed with how nice Texans are. Also, our drive into hill country around Austin showed us scenery we never expected in the heart of Texas: rolling hills, lots of greenery and trees, and lakes. Austin is officially on our list of potential new homes.

Oxford: Home of Ole Miss

Oxford Mississippi is a wonderful small town. It has a picturesque town square with good shopping and lots of good restaurants. The Courthouse is in the center of the town square:



Within walking distance of downtown is the University of Mississippi. What a beautiful campus! There are many lovely and distinctive buildings in a garden-like setting. The fountain below is in one of several wonderful common areas:



There is a chapel close to the clocktower:



The grounds are filled with incredible trees. Yesterday we saw champion horses; the tree below is a champion tree (literally!). It is the largest specimen of its type in the state of Mississippi:



This would be a wonderful school to attend, and if you could get a job working here, Oxford would be a great place to live.