Time sure does disappear when you are having fun. I arrived in Seattle three days ago, and now tomorrow I will be moving on to the next destination. Two great tours filled in most of the time and a future visit still leaves plenty to explore. There were a few places I looked at today, so let’s get into it.
Northwest Chocolate Festival
If there is one weakness that I have it is Chocolate. So when I saw that the Northwest Chocolate Festival was on today, I found it hard to say no.
Unfortunately, I found that for the $15 entry price the value was not there. Essentially it was a market with numerous companies selling their chocolate. There were some small samples around, but not what I was expecting at all.
In some ways, I think it was more focused on people that may be buying wholesale. Mostly the vendors were small boutique chocolate makers. As I was leaving, I did discover some bowls with a lot of chocolate buttons for trying. So at least the visit was not an entire waste of time.
Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum
The second place that I visited today is two places, joined together. The Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum. The entry price of $15 here is a much better value than my last stop, with such an extensive and diverse range of exhibitions. **Update – November 2016, a change of name to Museum of Pop Culture and ticket price to $25 **
For anyone, who has an interest in Music or Sci-Fi, this museum is an absolute must visit. There is an extensive collection of movie memorabilia, historical pieces and historic musical instruments. In addition to what is inside the building that houses all of this is itself a piece of art. One of the most unique buildings that I have seen.
While photography is allowed in the museum, it is not entirely practical. The flash may not be used, and the lighting in many areas is quite dim, which does not give great images. However, there was one feature that I like, and that is their Tower of Guitars. The tower consists of over 500 individual guitars and the occasional other instruments. See if you can spot the accordion.
Through the Science Fiction Museum, there is extensive memorabilia. The exhibits include pieces from many familiar movies over the 40 to 50 years. Movies like ET, Star Wars, Star Trek and many other Sci-Fi films. Although I have not seen the film, I did enjoy the new exhibit that opened today around Battlestar Galactica
Although I have not seen the movie, I did enjoy the new exhibit that opened today around Battlestar Galactica. They had various full-size props along with costumes and other pieces from the film. I am not sure entirely if the people dressed as characters from the film were part of the exhibit or just dedicated fans.
Seattle Centre
Seattle Centre is the home of The Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum. However, there is also a lot of other things here as well, including The Space Needle and some other facilities like stadiums and sports fields. While walking around the area I also discovered this water fountain; the also plays to music.
Seattle Space Needle
The last stop of the day was the Seattle Space Needle. I had also visited here earlier in the day and purchased a ticket for two visits, so I could return this evening. Today was not the ideal time to visit, due to overcast and rainy conditions. However, the view is still quite breathtaking, even considering this.
The view of Seattle are all around and from a height of 520 feet above the ground, can extend some distance. With a clear day, I have no doubt there would be some stunning views. But of course, it is hard to ensure good conditions when you have such a small window of time to visit.
Over the past three days, I have been lucky to see a large number of things in Seattle. However, there is just so much more on offer around Seattle for a future trip. Tomorrow I will be leaving Seattle and travelling onwards to Las Vegas.
