The men's department has its own restaurant, and it feels like Nordstrom even tried to make it have a masculine theme, calling it the "Grill" and going for a steakhouse sort of aesthetic here (though not in a particularly elaborate way). This place didn't seem as popular as the one upstairs, but even at a strange time on a weekday, I can see at least one table had people at it.
Time for a random tangent! I went to a Bastille concert yesterday (hence why my posts were so early), and despite them being perhaps my favorite band that's still active, I was honestly less than impressed with the concert. It's possible that my expectations were just too high, since my dad (much less of a Bastille fan) liked it more than I did, but we both felt like its was perhaps too polished and overproduced -- in my mind, more of a pop concert than the alternative/indie rock concerts I'm used to. Anyway, that was all an excuse to talk about Bastille's opening act, Alice Merton (who I also like, but only recently picked up on), who put together a way better concert than Bastille -- it probably helped that despite them being a primarily European band, their guitarist is from Seattle. I was particularly taken by Vertigo, which she introduced as being about her struggles with anxiety and how it's harmed her ability to do what she likes to do (performing music), which really hit home for me since it came while I was doing this part of this set -- as I've mentioned in passing before, I had my worst employee encounter yet here, and it really shook my confidence and it's been hard for me to recover my desire to do what I like, visiting and photographing stores. (That's the one good thing about having an unmanageable backlog -- I can just take a break from photographing places for a while and no one will ever know!) Anyway, I know that was a long tangent that has very little to do with the focus of this blog, but it feels good to talk about these things sometimes.
I believe I remember you mentioning a bad run-in with security at Nordstrom. That's a bummer. I've never really gotten much into retail photography for a few reasons and I suppose not wanting to have run-ins with security is one of them! Oh well, department stores and malls are usually pretty tricky places to photograph. I know you've had some issues at Safeway before as well, but it seems it's probably easier to photograph supermarkets.
ReplyDeleteI did listen to the link and while I've certainly heard far worse modern things, it's not really my thing. I suppose if I had to see a concert in Seattle, it would probably be for something like this. I have no idea where they filmed this at, but it seems like it could be a place of retail significance! Perhaps this is a Herfy's competitor? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjWBHaQI4GI
Ha, I really don't know anyone apart from my dad who shares my taste in music! (In real life, at least... Retail Retell and some others on here have somewhat similar taste, at least.)
DeleteI know exactly where that was filmed! It's in my neighborhood, even. 🙂 I suppose they were technically a Herfy's competitor in that they are in the same line of business and existed at the same time, but while Herfy's tried to grow big and then failed, Dick's never expanded beyond Seattle and a couple suburban locations but is still a well-loved Seattle institution today. Honestly, the Lower Queen Anne location is probably the most generic and least significant Dick's location, being the only one that's not a real drive-in, but it's still pretty cool.
Interesting, I suppose they felt like performing classical music at a hamburger stand in your neighborhood! Yep, it does look close to the Safeway and all of that. I was going to say that it seems Dick's has paraline, but it looks like that is just a pattern in the ceiling that looks like paraline and it isn't actual paraline. Anyway, it looks like a pretty neat burger stand and it looks quite busy as well. It's too bad Herfy's got distracted or else perhaps they would have been filming classical music at Herfy's instead!
DeleteLooking through their youtube channel, it looks like Dick's has a history of music performances at that place, strangely enough! I'm pretty sure it is actually a Paraline ceiling, but I'm not completely sure -- it's been a while since I've been there.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear the concert didn't live up to expectations. I do like Bastille, but have to admit I haven't really liked their newer stuff as much. I haven't seen them in concert before and that's part of the reason why. I also like Alice Merton although I only know a few songs; glad you liked their act, at least.
ReplyDeleteSorry also to hear about the bad encounter at this store. I know you haven't elaborated on it much but I definitely understand the anxiety and agree that it's good to talk about it sometimes. Feel free to shoot me an email anytime if you'd like to discuss it and don't want to put it on the blog.
Honestly, I really like Bastille's newest album, which is why I was so excited for the concert... unfortunately, it turns out I like their music better recorded than live (which is how I used to feel in general, but I've been to several good concerts over the past few years, including an amazing July Talk show a few weeks back). I should have known that you would know Alice Merton too -- I really need to go back through your music recommendations sometime to see what else I've been missing out on!
DeleteThanks for the support! I'm doing better at this point, but it really struck a chord to hear someone talking about something I had already been thinking about while working on this set. (Especially since I've been kind of dreading even posting this part of the set for that same reason.)
I've generally been a recorded over live music person too, but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying some concerts, haha! And lol -- the main reason I know Alice Merton is because the radio would play "No Roots," then my mom bought the full album.
DeleteYou're welcome! That's definitely understandable.
For whatever reason, I had a bad streak of luck with getting caught taking photos in late 2020 (starting with the Viera Earth Fare closing, then the Royal Palm Beach Winn-Dixie encounter, and lastly my lovely talk with the security guard at the Florida Mall Sears). The guy appearing in the window at the abandoned Venice Albertsons was also in that same timeframe, but that was a totally different kind of scare! All that happening in rapid succession bogged down my spirits with taking photos for a little bit, but I kept going at it, thinking about how there were still lots of interesting places to explore and all the new places I could share with everyone. After a while I got back into the swing of things, so even when a bad experience happens, you just have to put it behind you and keep going. It sucks when security or a bored grumpy manager gets on your case for taking photos, but remember, we've all had our fair share of run-ins from participating in this hobby, so you're not alone!
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what the security guard at Sears would have said. What did they do, threaten to permanently ban you from Sears? Lol.
DeleteOuch, that's no good. Yep, I'm definitely getting back into it (including a whole retail-themed vacation back in March... I can't believe it's already been two months since then), but it can still feel weird from time to time, especially as someone who struggles with anxiety in general.
DeleteAnonymous: Ha! I always feel more comfortable with closing stores for that exact reason! 😃
I'm 99% sure a lady working in one of the clothing departments ratted me out to the security guard, as by the time I made it to hardware Mr. Security Guard came up to me and asked "What are you doing taking pictures of everything!" I played dumb and told him I wasn't from the area, was shocked to see a Sears still in business, and that I had to take pictures to prove to everyone that I wasn't lying! The security guard got a bit offended by that, told me his store wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but he went along with the story and let me go (and never told me to stop taking pictures). After he let me go the employee that I'm 99% sure ratted me out to him came up to me and tried to ask me a lot of questions about what I was doing, but I was so annoyed at that point I just brushed her off by saying "Merry Christmas" (it was Christmastime) and walked away!
DeleteThat's some quick thinking on your feet, AFB! I think you handled that as well as you possibly could have. I suppose dealing with a retailer that is not your local store and one that is bound to close soon might give the photographer more leverage. The guard probably knew what you were implying about the store being short-lived was obviously true, but he probably didn't want to admit to it. Perhaps that allowed you to escape his grasp. I wonder if they feared you might be a spy for a liquidation company or a real estate company. I can see how the employees might have feared that possibility.
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