Now you see me, now you don’t
One of the things I love about my job is that I get to go into all these neat buildings in Chicago. It’s great to see all the different architectural styles… but what I really love are the amazing views.
Can you imagine this being the view from your office?
It’s really fun to think about what people will see from their workspace. I think it really affects the way you work. I know I really enjoy working in an open office, with full height windows on two complete sides. We don’t have a cool view of the lake or anything though. You can see the Sears Tower… but only when you go stand in one corner!
What’s your workspace like (whether at work, or your office at home)? Do you think it’s important to have sunlight and a view? Or do you not care either way?
Side Note I: I saw this parked in front of the Board of Trade yesterday. I want.
Side Note II: I’m having a really hard time staying caught up with blogs, leaving comments, responding to comments, writing anything worthwhile here, and responding to emails lately. My apologies. Please don’t take it personally. I am trying to catch up, but can’t find the time (it’s all that GD bowling!).
Themocracy
I don’t know what kind of car that is, but do you have to pull it backwards and then let it go? 😉
I have mountain views 360 where I live, and no buildings (you’ve seen the pics of my yard right?) and my studio is in my house looking out on the Adirondack mountains. Good light, good view. 🙂 But if I were (and will be soon) back in the corporate world, I cannot be somewhere without windows. I get freaked out. I always think of Joe vs The Volcano and his office… UGH!!!!
I don’t have a view at work. I don’t mind, the only views anyone here has are of the parking lot or a street. Before our building was remodeled people had great views of beautiful trees and flowers, but now we have no windows and they ripped the trees out. I do have an office, though, with a real locking door and that’s all that matters to me.
I have a view, but it’s not fantastic – just the back lawn/parking lot.
I had two jobs in a row where my office was stuck in the back of the building on the bottom floor (not basement, mind you, I wasn’t asking who took my stapler) with no windows. Coincidentally they were the most miserable jobs I had.
I moved in part so that I could feel like I had more space–my last apartment I worked out of the living room and the window looked right into a brick wall. Now I get to see trees and people and life happening around me and it’s wonderful!
Also, the kitties like the view of the birdies. 🙂
My office is awful. A 4-pack of cubes in the middle of the office (with private offices surrounding us). Since I have the most seniority, I picked the cube spot where no one can walk up and surprise the hell out of me. I still hate cubes. I’d rather have big tables with filing underneath. I mean, if we’re gonna be all exposed, we might as well be cool about it. Sigh.
You’re in Chicago too?!?! That is SO AWESOME!
I’m coming to visit in A WEEK from tomorrow with Maxie from ihatesomuch.com!
We’re having a big blogger meet up @ a beer garden on Friday the 27th!!
email me if you’re interested in joining us!
I stay at home with my kids (although we are out of the house most of the time) and my view is awesome. Our house backs up to a forest and I always get to see deer, raccoons, squirrels, etc. We had a turtle lay eggs under our swingset, a beaver walked through our yard to get to the lake behind our house and it is just wonderful. I don’t think I would do well if I felt confined. Both houses I have lived at as an adult have backed up to forest, and I don’t think that is coincidence. I must seek that out because it calms me or something.
My view consists of an Asian pharmacy, a parking lot and a busy street. At least I have a window though!
My view is nothing like that. I can see my car (or scooter) in the parking lot, the new IHC hospital building, ShopKo’s roof and a parking lot being used as a construction staging area for the new Nordstrom store being built at the mall across the street.
Kyra – I think the only version I’ll ever get is the back up and go! It’s a Lamborghini! 🙂 I do remember your GORGEOUS view! I thought of you when I wrote this 😉 Hmm, now I need to go look up Joe vs. the Volcano…
Jenn – I might trade my view for an actual office! 🙂
suze – The suburban sprawl view?
diane – I would have hated those work spaces! Did you feel like you were stuck in corporate blah land? Everyone morning, I open a shade so Data can get on the desk and look at the window. This morning he was doing the “ack ack ack” noise because some birdies were outside 🙂
Nilsa – Does anyone like cubes?! I’ve never met a person who does! Surely, someone must!
deutlich – Can you email me the details? I will see if I can make it or not. 🙂
tori – The home I grew up in is in area like that! I loved seeing deer in the backyard, and watching the squirrels jump around. These city people don’t know what they’re missing. Wink wink… I probably shouldn’t go there…. 😉
sizzle – And at least there is probably some entertaining action to watch out there!
martymakins – At least there’s some sort of view, right 😉
i have a cube where i get sunlight from a big nearby window, but not a VIEW out of it, per se, unless i stand up. that view is pretty nice, though – out over the wee lake our building is next to.
My view is another black skyscraper. I like having a window so I won’t complain. I like being able to check out the weather; and its pretty cool to peak out and see when a storm is blowing in. A lot of the attorneys in my firm have amazing views that practically distract me during meetings. Ooopsy.
I don’t have a view. Because I’m a lowly waitress who works at a ground-floor restaurant. And also because the tallest building in my hometown is an 11-story apartment complex….
And views are nice, as long as the day is nice outside. But wet, windy, rainy, and blustery? Eh, not such a nice view.
Alice – A lot of times we design “open office areas” where all of the cubes are near windows, as well as the private offices. I think it’s kind of sucky when only the people with offices get a view! Maybe you need shorter cube walls? ha ha. j/k!
Gina (Mannyed) – I was getting distracted during this meeting yesterday for the same reason. I kept watching the trains come in and out! I would never get anything done if I had a SUPER nice view.
Angela – It’s nice to have windows so you can at least see what the weather is. My husband doesn’t have any, so he gets outside at the end of the day to find out it’s pouring rain, too hot, freezing, etc.
ZOMG!!!! YOU LIVE IN CHICAGO?!?!!? I am sooooo totally coming to visit. I’m not really big on cities, but I was absolutely fascinated by Chicago. I could see me living there. Totally. I love that city!
Freak Magnet – I WORK in Chicago, but live in the suburbs 🙂 Someday, someday… we may live in the city! Come visit 🙂
I work in a factory. I’m a Liquid Penetrant Inspector. The only outside view I have
is at break. At least there are windows there.
I work in a damn dungeon. In the basement of a luxurious monstrosity of a building, in a crappy little cubicle with NO windows, NO sunlight, NO awareness of what is going on out there. I love it when the ladies come in the morning and say, “Oooh! It’s raining out there, lightening, and thunder…” and I would never know. I can hear or see a thing. But, I LOVE MY JOB, so go figure! I just wish the cubicle was bigger, and totally encompassed me so I didn’t have to look at anyone or hear what they are saying, it’s very loud in my office! Seriously, how could I love it? My job is the berries ;0)
*oops, I can NOT hear or see a thing* my bad 😉
Denise – I suppose they kept factories closed in to protect the product, etc. Does it bother you? Or is that really the only way it could be?
javaqueen14 – So I guess there is a factor of this equation that I was missing – if you really love your job, it almost doesn’t matter what the work environment is like? 😉 (Is your company so big that you spill out into the basement?)
That is a beautiful view. I had a similar one when I worked in the IBM building downtown. Great view of the River North area.
How come your pics never show up in your feeds?
No view when I’m I actually go into the office. The windows are too high. But here at home I have a lovely view of my kitchen and backyard.
kapgar – Do you miss the old view? I am not sure about my pics 🙁 I need to start doing “descriptive” text for them, so that at least in the feeders, people will see that there SHOULD be an image. In my google reader, my images show up half the time (as in sometimes they’re there, then they go away and come back…). Maybe the upgrade will fix that? And I didn’t even get an email of this comment! WTF? 🙁
Lisa – You have clerestories at work? Do they at least let some sun in? 🙂
My previous job’s first office was a poorly-lit, poorly-heated, windowless cave; no sunlight at all! I had to go to the bathroom to get a view of anything at all, and that was another building… It was depressing! The 2nd office let me see out the manager’s windows more easily, and I could see the top of Ogilvie and other buildings to the west – that was much better.
My new job has me on the top (22nd) floor of a building on Jackson Blvd. There are no assigned seats, so I’ve been taking a seat looking out the window to the north. Very nice. 🙂 The office itself is well-architected too — airy, open-feeling, well-lit…
I never realized until I started working downtown how much architecture affects my mood…
E – Another bldg.? For el bano? WTF? Is that why you quit? It sounds like the new place is A LOT better! I never thought about how much it affected me either. It can really be uplifting and also… crappy, as you discovered!
I’m answering with a link:
http://placesneverplanned.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/the-one-with-the-view/
Cheryl – Hey, is that one of the federal buildings? *sniff* I’m so jealous!