Inside Pike13

Pike13 hot seat: A Washingtonian with Wanderlust

The brains, brawn (and beauty) behind Front Desk— We want to share a little bit about ourselves & the flair that each of us brings to the team. Meet Ashley!

Pike13 hot seat

Oct 8, 2014

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Name? Ashley….
Where do you live? Seattle
Where’s your hometown? Issaquah, WA
What’s your favorite app (other than Pike13)? I’m an Instagram fiend. Mostly I just use it to troll for cute cat pictures and tattoo ideas, but occasionally I post pictures of my dogs.
How did you come to work atPike13? It was a complete stroke of luck that I was introduced to Pike13. My dad’s friend, who already worked here, mentioned they were hiring, I applied, and the rest is history.
What do you do for Pike13? Basically, if you write into sales, create a site, call our main line, or generally request more information, you’ll talk to me. The long and short of it is that I support the sales team in any way I can.
How did you get to be the embodiment of customer love? Years of working in the service industry have made me come to love customers. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but honestly, I’ve grown more and learned more about how to handle myself on the floor of a restaurant than I ever did in school. You meet the best and the worst people on their best and their worst days. It reminds you to be kind and patient with everyone and they usually respond in kind...usually.
If you could perform one song on American Idol, what would it be? If I had my dream voice and an amazing full-length gown, I would definitely sing “Try a Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding. Otherwise, “Jolene” by Dolly Parton...maybe? That’s my go-to karaoke song, which you would know if you ever went to Bush Garden on a Friday night.
If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us? It depends on how adventurous I was feeling. Either my go-to stir fry with veggies and chicken, or I would try to get fancy and horribly overcook some salmon and veggies—I’m not much of a cook.
What is one misconception people have about you? A lot of people think I’m still in high school, including the cashier at the gas station across the street from my house who I have been buying beer from for months. He still scrutinizes my ID every time I go in.
What is one of your favorite quotes? There are so many…. “I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive.” —Henry Miller and “The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware”. —Henry Miller
What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? Rock climbing!
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? I hate doing the dishes. You would think after a year and a half in the restaurant industry, having to dump people’s leftovers into giant buckets and scrape the weird condiment designs they made off the tables, I would be over it, but I just hate it.
If you were a kitchen appliance what would you be? A waffle maker
What’s your spirit animal? Pudu
What time did you get up this morning? 10 minutes before I had to leave for work.
Coolest thing you've ever been for Halloween? I was once a Pollock painting. No one knew what I was, but I mostly just wanted to be covered in paint.
What is your favorite T.V. show? I would never claim that it is the best show out there, but I love Bob’s Burgers and any documentary by National Geographic.
What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod? Radiohead because I fall asleep to “In Rainbows.”
What foods do you dislike? Tomatoes, mushrooms, mayo, cold meats, and scallops.
What is your favorite chip flavor? Sea salt and vinegar!
What was one of the best parties you’ve ever been to? Any one of Love City Love’s parties. They are an amazing artist collective in Seattle, who not only put on amazing art shows but also throw the most epic parties. Think: loft space, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a VW van made into a photobooth that then projects the pictures on the wall. I’ve never felt more cool than when I am at one of their parties.
What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry or tear up? The documentary Serving Life. It was extremely moving.
What kind of car do you drive? The Green Hornet, aka my two-door manual Toyota Tercel.
What would you name your pet gorilla (lizard, ferret, kangaroo, clown fish, etc.)? I really want to name my next dog “Bacon.” But a gorilla I would name “Candy.”
Have you been pulled over by a cop? Yes, twice. But both times they let me off with a warning, even though the first time I was pulled over for “running a red” (I still don’t believe them) I had six people in my car and couldn’t find my insurance information. The universe was definitely smiling on me that day.
Favorite museum? Louvre
Favorite item of clothing? I love my calf-length, long, stretchy grey dress. It looks fancy but is basically a big t-shirt.
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? There are so many places that I want to go, but I think my next dream place would be the Patagonias. I would love to go on a backpacking trip there.
Proudest moment? When my senior thesis was published in the Jackson School Journal at UW. I never imagined my piece would be considered, let alone selected, but seeing my labor of love in print made my heart swell.
What is something you learned in the last week? I just started a drawing class so I learned that I have a lot to learn about drawing.
What story does your family always tell about you? My family loves to talk about the time my band won Sound Off!. My dad once talked about it so much and so emphatically that he convinced a visiting Japanese family, who we were sharing a table with at Beni Hana, that I was a rockstar. Poor kid must have been so disappointed when he got home and realized that the squiggle that passes as my signature is not worth anything.
At what age did you become an adult? I will let you know when I get there. I recently began enjoying gardening and antiquing. Does that make me an adult?
Goal you have for yourself? I never want to stop traveling. That is more a lifestyle choice than a specific goal, but I feel that as long as I’m still traveling I will always be curious about the world and learning, which is my ultimate goal: learn as much as I can about the world and the people in it.
What you have faked being sick so you wouldn't have to go to? In high school my boyfriend at the time really wanted to go to one of my indoor soccer games. I wasn’t very confident in my athletic abilities to begin with and then the week before he was planning on coming to see me, I scored TWICE on my own team with my best friend in goal. So I faked the stomach flu almost every Wednesday for six months straight until the season ended.
What is a date on the calendar you are looking forward to? Halloween! It’s my birthday, and I love getting dressed up.
What is the last book you read? I’m in the middle of a ton of books. I can’t seem to finish anything right now, but the last one that I finished is The Savage Detectives.
What always makes you laugh? My housemate’s dog Obiwan. He trained him to jump in the air and do a 360 whenever you say “Michael Jackson!” excitedly. Plus, his face is just adorable, so it’s hard not to smile when he’s near.
If you had to move to another country, where would you move? I would love to live in Berlin. I don’t exactly know why but there is something about its art scene, nightlife, and the beauty of the city itself that draws me to it. Plus everyone I know who has ever visited or lived there has raved about it.
Describe your ideal pizza. Arugula and prosciutto, maybe with some fig balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top.