SEATTLE: TOURING THE EMERALD CITY WITH TWEEN-AGERS
Seattle has many “awesome” things, according to the author’s two “tweenage” boys, including the hands-on Pacific Science Center.
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BY ANN CAMPBELL
Meridian Writers’ Group
SEATTLE—The X-pilot flight simulator capsule dives and barrel rolls and jerks violently from side to side in the Great Gallery at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.
The muffled yelps of excitement that emanated from the capsule when my 11- and 13-year-old sons first took the controls have been replaced with less joyful sounds. “I hate you,” yells Shane as the capsule—obviously piloted by his kamikaze brother Spence—does loop after loop after nauseating loop.
When the simulator settles on its base and the capsule door opens, I expect to see at least one seething son. Instead I’m greeted with huge grins.
“That was the coolest thing ever,” Shane says. “We only crashed once!”
“Please, can we do it again?” Spence begs.
There prove to be many things we’d do again in Seattle. This family-friendly city serves up an abundance of diversions perfect for tween-agers: kids between the ages of nine and 14 who’ve outgrown princesses and Pokeman but who aren’t yet full-fledged teenagers.
Home base for our family adventure is the recommended Mayflower Park Hotel, a historic downtown property surrounded by shopping (think Macys, Nordstroms and more), and connected to the Westlake Center (more shopping) as well as the Monorail Terminal.
We ride the monorail to the Experience Music Project, an engaging shrine to popular music. There are thousands of unique artifacts—costumes worn by Elton John, Notorious B.I.G. and the bad-boy band Kiss particularly impress—and innumerable opportunities to fool around with music-making. After three hours of gawking and grooving Spence declares, “This is the coolest place ever.”
The coolest place ever shares its fantastical building with the most alien-filled place ever, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. When I first spy the museum’s displays of science-fiction books and memorabilia, I worry this might be a snore-fest. In fact, we discover more than a little Hollywood—including Captain Kirk’s original chair from Star Trek, an armoury of interstellar ray guns and phasers, and clips from seminal sci-fi shows—that entertains us all.
I learned long ago that views do not entertain children. And so I sell our visit to the Space Needle, that Seattle icon built for the 1962 World’s Fair, as a chance to eat in the 150-metre-high [500-foot-high] revolving restaurant, SkyCity. We spend the evening savouring west coast–inspired cuisine, reading umpteen notes (“Where are you from? What are you eating?”) left by other young diners on the passing window sills and, yes, enjoying stunning views. It’s a pricey night, but I take solace in the fact that entrance to the observation deck is included. If only I could convince someone to go.
There’s no problem convincing everyone to visit the exceptional Woodland Park Zoo or the Pacific Science Center, an appealing hodge-podge of exhibits, hands-on activities and two Imax theatres. In fact, we run out of time in Seattle before we run out of activities and enthusiasm.
“Seattle is so awesome,” Shane says. “You should tell people about it.” Out of the mouths of babes.
ACCESS
For more information on Seattle, go to the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.visitseattle.org/visitors/.
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