Seattle

Today was my "wander around Seattle" day, after completing my stint at the hospital. I managed to get into the Pike Place Market parking garage in time for the early bird rate (the upside of having risen at 4:50 a.m. for the past three days is that 7:00 feels like majorly sleeping in) and walked around downtown until evening. Last time I was in Seattle I had paid only the most fleeting of late afternoon visits to the market, so I spent a lot of time there today. After sampling some perfect fresh peach, chocolate covered cherries, and sweet mustard (not all in a row) I bought some Rainier cherries - which I devoured about fifteen minutes ago. I also saw the fish mongers tossing fish at one another.

In the afternoon I walked over to Seattle Center, which brought back fond Bumbershoot memories. I had a specific goal in mind - to visit the EMP for the second time. When I was planning this trip, there were about five seconds where I thought, "But shouldn't I do something else I've never done in Seattle before?" But I loved the EMP so much last time I was there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for another visit. It was time well spent - I've decided my dream home would contain a sound lab. (Basement remodeling idea!) I played some smokin' lead guitar, had fun at a guitar pedal station, got to level 14 on drum fills, didn't fare nearly as well playing famous hooks on keyboard, and generally frolicked like a kid in a candy shop. The sound lab was only part of the fun, though. The 1964 Beatles concert from Washington D.C. playing in the theater was great (especially the audience shots), I loved the hall of guitars (I wanted so much to touch the 1834 Martin they had on display), I listened to Mike Watt compare touring to vaudeville and identified strongly with Mike McCready's description of "rainbow meat." The Disney music exhibit was really interesting. They actually had some sound effect implements - glass jars, wooden sticks, surgical tubing - that provided specific sounds in old Disney films (Mickey's car, crackling fire in Bambi, etc.) The other featured exhibit was all about the origins of hip hop. So cool.

I also visited the Science Fiction Museum, feeling obligated because my EMP ticket included free admission. It's not exactly my cup of tea, but the exhibits were pretty neat - hey, there was an animatronic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! After the museums I walked through the mostly deserted Fun Forest amusement park. I photographed one of the creepiest kids' rides I've ever seen - I can't decide if it would have been less creepy if it had been up and running, or creepier, since the demonic eyes would have been lit up.

When I arrived in Washington I proclaimed that I would eat no meat that did not come from the sea until I left the Pacific Northwest. So far, so good - well, mostly. I think Thursday night's salmon-accompanying veggies might have had a maple bacon accent thing going on, and I was forced to try a bite of a coworker's chicken tikka on Sunday after I made him eat a piece of my tandoori fish. But it's pretty much been all veggies, fruit, and seafood all the time. Mmmm. Until next time, Seattle.