To The Fun Museums

'IF VI WAS IX',
designed by Neal Potter,
developed by
sound sculptor Trimpin.

Beyond the Museums, Seattle's bustling with art galleries and creative energies. Handicrafts, blown glass, pottery, paintings, installations, etc. There were so many dotted around town that we had to pop into a few for a look.

We had time for a bit of a stroll around the city's famous sights too. Easily done in a day. Went to the area around the 184m-high observation tower, The Space Needle, recognized as a symbol of Seattle, built in 1962 for the World Fair held in the city. But we didn't bother to go up the tower. No affinity for towers.

EMP Museum - Music + Sci Fi + Pop Culture

Had to go to the EMP Museum (Experience Music Project). We live in them! High chance that we're familiar with all of them, but it would be interesting to see how the present is curated. The Frank Gehry-designed building and its interactive exhibits were founded only in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen,

Had great fun walking around the portion of music which focused a lot of Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and all the bands from the 90s. Also on display were guitars created by innovators of Orville Gibson, Les Paul, and Leo Fender. Music, guitars, memorabilia, videos, etc. Current Exhibits of horror, sci-fi and fantasy were curated along the lines of Hollywood films and how the movies appeal to the audience. There was a handwritten draft of Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' manuscript that I spent some time poring over. I like the volume fine; not sure if I'd like the film adaptation which has been stretched into a three-part Hollywood epic.

Welcoming you to the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Since we were heading out to the EMP, a visit has to be paid to Chihuly Garden and Glass, a space dedicated to showcasing the works of Dale Chihuly, whose giant works of blown glass are hanging off ceilings and walls of buildings and museums around the world. It was opened recently in November 2012. Most people would have seen his pieces that have been placed in public areas or acquired by collectors and displayed prominently across so many cities.

It was literally an indoor glass garden of varying shapes, sizes and colors. The art pieces could be anything you imagine them to be. Look up to the ceiling as you stroll through. Loads of hidden gems. While beautiful and breathtaking, I was a little creeped out by this much glass. Watched too many horror films about being pierced by sharp shards. Heh.

Seattle Art Museum

At the other end of town away from The Space Needle, was the Seattle Art Museum. There was also the Seattle Asian Art Museum, of which we passed. It was a bright sunny day. Warmed up by the sun, it wasn't so bad to take a slow 40-minute stroll down in the gathering dusk, in time to catch the last 1.5 hours that the Museum was still open for the day. It was a small and compact venue with pretty well curated permanent exhibits.

Didn't particularly care for the exhibits from the rest of the world, although that gave an overall idea of the Museum's personal preferences. I wanted to see the gallery representative of the ancient Northwest Coast culture, and the headliner 'Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon'.

Most intrigued by the section on death, funerals and uhh sacrifices.