Today Price, a Seattle painter, speaks of special dances at the WAC, holiday dinners and the toast she received from her board members after announcing her engagement to a Spokane man. But Price may be in the minority. It's not swimming pools and personal trainers that attract most members to private clubs these days, but business connections and facilities. The Columbia Tower Club is bustling during any lunch session. Buffet tables are set.
Vested waiters glide about the tables, serving salmon and salad and rolls.
Up on the 76th floor of a building more than 1,000 feet above ground, thoughts perhaps naturally turn to elevated ones like big business. Or more accurately, money. Some cost several thousand dollars simply to join, although corporations sometimes pay the initiation fee for their employees. Others come with more modest initiation fees, particularly for those in their 20s and 30s. But elsewhere, the membership is more old guard.