MAKING MEMORIES: SENSATIONAL SEATTLE CENTER
What a difference a day makes. Look at those smiles! Bill had been ready to head home, but this day made him glad he stayed. Come along, we’re going to have a great day today.
Getting Ready for Fun
The day before we’d dragged back from Seattle Center sorry to have wasted a day of our vacation. We’d grabbed the nearest light rail and spent the evening watching TV. Not good vacation form.
On Monday, I was in the gym by 6:30 and had my breakfast at the same sad GF-less buffet. We got ready for the day and headed out to the light rail. This time I had us get off so we could ride the monorail again. We hopped off and headed toward MOPOP.
Museum of Pop Culture – MOPOP
This is MOPOP from above, a deconstructed architectural oddity. It used to be called the Experience Music Project and music is a lot of what it’s about, but these days you also experience video games, anime and other forms of entertainment, so they expanded the name.
We went there first because it opened first and wandered around for awhile. Figuring out the building from the interior takes a little doing. Bill likes to touch things, so he had a great time in some of the exhibits, like the one with sound booths. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he was having fun.
Various galleries highlight a variety musical artists and you get to see lots of costumes, instruments and other memorabilia related to the artists. Their selection of artists to highlight did not interest me in the way I hoped they would. Had I seen similar exhibits related to artists I care more about, I would have had a better time of it.
We didn’t take a lot of photos, but Bill did grab this one of me enjoying this sculpture made of guitars donated by some of the top names in music. I’d say the museum is worth a morning and the price of admission. I’m glad I went, but it certainly wasn’t my favorite attraction of the day.
Chihuly Garden & Glass
Now this is what I showed up for. If you haven’t figured it out, I love all things Chihuly and Tacoma had not delivered up enough of him to satisfy me. Not sure anyone could, but Chihuly Garden & Glass was pretty wonderful, perhaps because it had been designed and curated by Chihuly himself. Enjoy the slideshow below to get a taste of why we loved it!
If I were actually in charge of our traveling as Bill pretends I am, then I would have enjoyed lunch at Chihuly Garden & Glass, because there’s a restaurant and wine bar there. I must have mentioned it a dozen times, but Bill never even acknowledged that it registered with him. So, I can’t tell you if the restaurant was worth it or not – but I’d vote YES!
The exhibit itself is beyond wonderful. It just seems to end to soon. You go through several galleries which highlight various forms that Chihuly repeats over and over in his work. Think of all the positive superlatives you know. Yep, that’s almost enough to describe the amazing and beautiful works that inhabit the attraction.
But wait there’s more! It is Chihuly GARDEN & Glass, so once you’ve made your way through the galleries, then you go outside to the gardens. Luckily, the sun came out to play and we got a bright and beautiful look at the displays Chihuly chose to represent himself.
And here are my pages:
The Space Needle
We took a break for lunch, because it wasn’t quite time for us to use our timed ticket for the Needle. We went to the Armory, which was where we’d been the day before. Bill wandered around to find something new, but I enjoyed the Middle Eastern food we’d eaten the day before. I think Bill wished he’d done the same thing.
Then we got in line and rode the elevator to the top of the Space Needle. Left to his own devices, I think Bill would have skipped what he assumed was a tourist trap, but once he was aloft, he was awestruck.
Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating. We’d appreciated the bright sun which made our visit to the Chihuly Garden so gorgeous and gave us such awesome photos, but as we’d eaten lunch, the Seattle Gloom has descended once again. That’s why the photos of the exterior are so gorgeous, but the photos from inside the Needle are so gray. See what I mean:
Still, regardless of the weather, you’ve got to go to the Space Needle when you’re in Seattle. We loved it.
Back at the Artic Club Hotel
We took the monorail and light rail back to the hotel, where Bill decided to take a nap. I went down to the lobby bar for a glass of wine and suffered the poor service that came with any food and drink we had while there. Such a blight on an otherwise wonderful accommodation.
When I returned to the room, Bill was all napped up and it was time for dinner. A few blocks away, the Marriott Courtyard had a restaurant called The Bistro, so we strolled over there. Nothing to write home about, I assure you. I’d heard Seattle was a foodie paradise, but we didn’t find heaven while we were there.
This was a great day of sightseeing. Coming next week is our last day in Seattle. Come see what we find!
jane sadek 