Taking a Tribe Trip: The View From Bellevue
The Tribe has been entrusted with the monumental task of branding the rising global City of Bellevue, Washington. We are currently developing and designing Bellevue’s brand standards guide to help create a consistent brand voice, tone and look for the city. Naturally, part of the team – Sara, Jason, Twon and I (Melanie, Content Writer Extraordinaire) – took a trip up to the Puget Sound region to check out the digs and behold the picturesque beauty, dynamic energy and technology-centric cityscape. Here’s what transpired…
May 6, Leaving San Antonio
We arrived at the San Antonio airport at about 4 a.m. – yes I said 4 a.m. The flight was horrendously early, but the adrenalin of visiting a new city and the excitement of finally meeting our Bellevue Tribe was keeping us all alive and alert. After some on-flight naps, screaming babies and a layover somewhere in middle America, we were there!
There is picturesque natural beauty on all sides of Bellevue – waterfront views of Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, the rugged Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains. As we Ubered into the city, we noticed the seamless transition from nature to a more urban environment. In Downtown Bellevue, there are trees everywhere and public art pieces galore, right alongside some of the tech industry’s biggest names.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, which was gorgeous, and I promptly jumped on the beds.
After a bit more jumping, the Tribe ventured downtown to eat with the Economic Development Manager for the City of Bellevue, Jesse. One of the fabulous things about Bellevue is the centralized downtown sector, which makes it easy to walk everywhere. The weather couldn’t have been better – mid 80’s, not a cloud in sight. Jesse showed us a popular foodie area with an array of gourmet food trucks. Napkin Friends was our cuisine of choice with signature paninis served between two golden-brown potato pancakes. We were in hash brown heaven. The tech workers in the area gathered around these trucks and enjoyed their lunch outdoors. Everyone was incredibly approachable and accessible, and we were able to witness the bustling economic climate of the city first hand.
Once our tummies were satisfied, we walked a few blocks over to the city building where we met the rest of our Bellevue Tribe. After weeks and months of emailing back and fourth, it was lovely to see everyone’s smiling faces. We presented our first round of brand standards and received incredibly beneficial feedback. The meeting was a success, and our next stop was Meydenbauer Beach Park. Jesse was nice enough to serve as our tour guide for the evening, driving us around and showing us the sights of Bellevue.
The business is done… So the relaxation begins #weekendvibes #bellevue #tranquility A photo posted by The Tribe | Tribu (@wearetribu) on
For dinner, Jesse suggested authentic Chinese cuisine. Because of the city’s international population, we knew Chinese food couldn’t get better than this, and we were right. The gang filled up on everything from fried rice to exotic meats and left barely able to walk. We topped off the night with a few drinks and proceeded to quickly pass out.
May 7, Leaving Bellevue
Following our ridiculously eventful day, the Tribe was up bright and early to make a quick stop in Seattle to visit the Pike Place Market before our afternoon flight. A short, eventful Uber ride later, we were amongst the fresh fish and flowers of the market. We did a bit of walking before the long flight home.
Our flight home placed us back in good ol’ San Antone late Saturday night. We were happy to be home, but would miss the invigorating and authentic atmosphere of Bellevue. We can’t wait to roll out the finished product and show you guys what our team has been working so hard on. Keep up with us on social media – the unveiling is coming soon.