Rainy day in Seattle? Ok, pretty common this time of year. Not necessarily the worst though. There are many things you can still do, like visiting one of the museums. The EMP museum kept me entertained for over 3 hour and I pretty much left because they were going to close. What’s so great about it? It’s super interactive and hands-on.
The EMP focuses on pop culture and has some permanent and some changing exhibitions. They’d just opened a Hello Kitty exhibition, but I sort of raced through this. It was full of items with Hello Kitty’s face plastered on it. It seemed to be extremely popular but I never got into that. The girls dressed up like Japanese anime figures definitely did.
There are rooms dedicated to film, more specifically fantasy, science fiction and horror. There are costumes and props and explanations about imagined worlds. These spaces are exciting for everyone who’s into the genre and any film buff. Grab the controls like you’re in a space ship. Build your own magical land on a map. Stand in front of a screen that makes your shadow look like an ever changing alien. It’s interactive.
If this isn’t enough action for you, you can go into the indie game room, where several independent game developers show off their games and you can play with your friends or random strangers. In the sky church play music videos and other short clips. Music has not been forgotten. Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix each have their own exhibition, where you can listen to the region’s bands and artists. And then there is the hall of guitars, showing the development of the instrument.
If you feel more of a musician yourself, or at least an aspiring one, you can head upstairs and give it a go. It’s up to you what to try; bass, guitar, drums, keyboard or vocals. An easy tutorial will have you play along to some famous band in no time. Got no talent? Maybe you’re more of a recording artist. And if you’ve brought your group of friends you can form a temporary band and record yourself.
I love that this museum has so many rooms to explore and so many things to try. They’ve decorated the spaces as if they were filmsets. The details go as far as pine needles on the floor. Also, there is always something to do, alone or with others. When you are learning to play the bass, you can invite the guitarist and the drummer in the other cubicles to join you for a jam session. If you feel brave anyway.
I at least came out very inspired to work on some art again. It doesn’t matter what. I want to write, take photos and create things. It even made me think I should try picking up a guitar again. I was reminded of why I did what I did. Why I had a radio program once, why I studied media and like making little movies and working with music. I’m not sure how this will fit in my life of travel and my future, but it reminded me not to forget about my past.
