While I was in Seattle for the Open Source Summit, I also took a long lunch on day zero of the conference to take the monorail over to the Space Needle. I’ve been on the monorail several times, but I love it and I kind of feel like a trip to Seattle is incomplete without a ride or two.
When I was in Seattle in 2018 I went up to the top of the Space Needle with my friend Walt, which I wrote about in MST3K and the Space Needle. With that done, I didn’t feel the need to do it again, especially on a cloudy day, so instead I went over to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit.
I knew of Chihuly from his glass flowers in The Bellagio, so it was lovely to see an entire exhibit devoted to his work, and it was breathtaking.
As you walk through the galleries you’re presented with a series of themes, and I admit being quite impressed by the sea creatures, from octopuses to eels.
But the big scenes he created were also quite stunning, including this one, and others with boats, fans, and chandeliers.
The glass house was also quite stunning, and as I was taking photos I realized I was standing under the Space Needle. Neat!
When I stepped outside I saw a vintage style Airstream which had been turned into a glass blowing studio. The crew was warming up when I arrived, but the glass blowing demonstration began swiftly and it was a lot of fun to watch. That’s where I also learned that the Space Needle gift shop was the recipient of the glass they blow in these demonstrations, and sales go to benefit local artists.
Halfway through the demonstration it started raining, so I was grateful to be under a tent outdoors and that it calmed down to a drizzle by the time the demonstration concluded and it was time for me to explore the outdoor gardens. The gardens are a literal garden with trees, flowers, and shrubs, accented with glass structures, which was quite lovely.
I was able to grab a quick lunch, and while I was walking around to find a place to eat I realized how much our boys would love a visit to Seattle. There’s the light rail to bring us in from the airport, the monorail, and then several spots around the Space Needle that the kids would love, including a science center, a children’s museum, and a really fun looking playground. It’s now high on my list of places to visit some summer with them.
With that thought tucked away I headed back to the convention center on the monorail.
And I did end up stopping by the Space Needle gift shop to take a piece of this journey home with me. Thankfully, they do shipping and it’s quite reasonable, so my new glass vase followed me home after a week or so in transit.
The rest of the week was spent at the conference, but I decided to take it easy in the evenings. I did a couple solo dinners at local sushi bars, one of which featured a “sushi donut” and the other that had “sushi burritos” both of which were fun and delicious. The big social for the conference was held at a bar and a bowling alley and I decided to skip it because I was feeling a little tired and was worried that an event in that environment would be a bit too loud and boisterous than what I was hoping for. I really prefer conference parties that are at interesting places that give you an option of things to do, ones at museums or aquariums have topped my lists. We can socialize like we would at a bar, but also find quiet spaces, or mingle and bond over exhibits if I’m feeling shy and don’t have a designated conference buddy to hang out with. And if I strike out at socializing, hey, I saw some cool exhibits at a new museum and it was a lovely night!
I’m glad I got to do a little bit of tourist stuff on this trip, but I’m also grateful to be home. Work trips are energizing for my soul and professionally inspiring, but as a parent now I do miss my family a lot and wished I had MJ with me when I was at the Chihuly exhibit. I also have a lot more house chaos to manage, so it’s good to be home to get back on top of things.