Seattle Center and Armory

Seattle Center is a lot.

Of course Seattle is a bigger city than Portland, and it has some bigger attractions. There is a level where that should be expected.

I'm just saying, if you were to try and find the Portland equivalent, it would involve combining the Rose Quarter, Waterfront, and Saturday Market.

Then, even though there are street performers, you don't really have the convenience of being on the transit mall.

That's part of the problem; there are a lot of different things mashed together and it can create flow issues.

We were there for the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, plus we were going to eat at the Armory and ride the Monorail. 

There was a Duwamish Village set up with displays and vendors on one side; that was the part most like Saturday Market. (It was a Saturday, but I think that was set up specifically for the Memorial Day holiday.)

There was also the Northwest FolkLife Festival, with an outdoor concert, but also other vendors. They may have been related to the musical performances and clothing stalls inside the Armory, but I am not sure.

I am also not sure if they had anything to do with the marching band out back.

Regardless, I am sure that the FolkLife Festival made getting back and forth between the places we were going more crowded and difficult and we kept passing by booths recommending a donation of $20.

When events like this happen in Portland Waterfront Park, they are cordoned off, so not interrupting the flow of other activity. I have a greater appreciation for that now.

There are cool things to do, and for the most part we liked the things we did. (The next three posts will get into that.)

Overall, it felt big and messy, which I did not love.

In addition to the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle Center is also home to the Museum of Pop Culture, the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Children's Musuem, and the Gates Discovery Center, as well multiple performance venues and art galleries and installations. 

It has reasons for feeling big and messy; I don't deny that.

The Armory is like the food court of it all.

 There are other food options, but I thought this would be convenient because there is a variety close together.

That is true, but the prices were high and I did not feel like the value was there.

Of course, this is a very touristy place, so that should be expected.

I could very happily never go back, but I am glad for the things we did. 

COVID: The holiday weekend may have made it more crowded, but there may always be lots of people. I still generally only masked indoors, but that was a lot of the time.

Accessibility: Any stairs that I saw had ramp or elevator alternatives, so good in that respect. It could be a nightmare for sensory issues. 

 https://www.seattlecenter.com/