LIBRARY #2 - BELLEVUE

One of my earliest memories was the Bellevue library in a dark, old, church-y looking building on Main st (kind of where the Toys R Us parking lot is now.) I was TERRIFIED of the stairs there and the kids books were at the top of the stairs!
Then the Bellevue library moved to a new, modern building. It was still on Main but on the East side of I-405. The Bellevue & Newport Way libraries were the ones I went to when I was a kid. Most specifically Bellevue because I could hop on the 240 Metro bus and go by myself! My Mom worked for a periodontist nearby and in the summer I'd meet her for lunch and then spend most of the afternoon at the Bellevue library.
I'd never seen the NEWEST iteration of the Bellevue library until I took the kids on 8-5-11. It is ENORMOUS! The biggest ever! 3 stories of books, videos, music & reference materials PLUS a parking garage! Wowie!
We looked at all the amazing ART in the main hallway and then went into the main library! The kids were flabbergasted! I know it is the biggest library they've ever seen!
We have snack machines at the Fairwood library but not a nifty little area, like they have in Bellevue. I don't believe I've seen anyone eating at our library, but I saw a couple noshing on Blue Diamond almonds at this one. Very homey to be able to hang out and read and snack.
The kids loved the "castle" seat and had to vamp it up for a photo. Next it was on to some SERIOUS book-lookin'. I like to pick up books on collage and creating altered books. LaDiva likes non-fiction dog books and dog stories. Little G likes just about anything that catches his eye. He's a slow reader still but he will look at pictures and read captions to the best of his ability and will read out loud to us while we're in the car.
Up on the 3rd floor, I left the kids in chairs with their books while I was in an aisle, looking. The librarian couldn't see me, watching them but she saw Little G get out of his chair and look over the rail. I heard a loud "NO" and went over to find a red-faced little guy and a librarian who apologized. She thought he'd been planning to throw something over the rail! (That must happen a LOT there, I'm guessing!) No harm done but he was READY to move out the darker stacks and get back down to the light n' airy kids department!! While they played on the computers, I read and then ran into a former co-worker, his wife, kids and two DAY old baby! Amazing. They were out and about with that brand-new person! I'm working on editing some video that I took of the kids talking about our adventures! That'll probably be what I post next . . .