I caught up with my Seattle-based DocuSign engineering colleagues last week, many of whom I’d never met in the flesh before. We had great discussions at the whiteboard and laid the groundwork for productive remote collaboration over the coming months.

With similar meetings this week in San Francisco I got to spend the weekend exploring Seattle and the surrounding area. Despite almost 30 years in the technology industry this is a part of the USA that I don’t know, perhaps all those years at Big Blue are showing!

Thank you to my Seattle colleagues for your hospitality and all your suggestions!

A highlight was my visit to the Wing Luke museum in Chinatown-International District. Not only can you learn about the inspiring Wing Luke, as well as their most famous resident, Bruce Lee, but the exhibits were very moving, showing the struggles experienced by the different waves of Asian immigration into the Seattle area, as well as the racist zoning and immigration policies they had (and have) to endure. The museum has lovingly preserved and restored the original freeman’s hotel used by immigrants on their arrival 100+ years ago. The tour was excellent and sharpened the appetite for food at one of the historic restaurants in the area.

I also got out of the city to hike the Ira Spring trail in the beautiful Snoqualmie mountains, catching views of the imposing Mount Rainer on what was a perfect day for walking.

Pike Place market was hustle and bustle and full of beautiful flowers, with the peonies in season. Great place for a coffee or a tangy West Coast IPA.

Seeing the city from the water was a great way to get geographical and historical context, and we even spotted an Osprey gliding effortlessly while hunting in Puget Sound. On a completely different note, I also got to see the infamous Edgewater Inn!

Thank you Seattle, I will be back!