Experience Music Project designed by Frank O. Gehry
One of the things I look forward to the most during my summer break is having the opportunity to meet my husband in downtown Seattle for lunch or dinner. We always add some special event to the lunch or dinner date, and yesterday afternoon we added a visit to the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum.
Seattle's Science Fiction Museum
I enjoyed exploring this amazing building that houses both museums (designed by architect Frank O. Gehry). And I was surprised and delighted by the Science Fiction Museum — it really was a homage to books and the big ideas in them that spark our imaginations and help shape our culture. Each exhibit included books and information about the authors and their ideas. If you are a science fiction fan who loves books and movies, then I recommend a visit to this museum.
R2D2
The SF museum is divided into three sections: 1) Homeworld which “explores the foundations of science fiction–its big ideas, its relationship to culture and science and the qualities that make it unique.” I loved looking at the costumes and scripts and memorabilia for some of my favorite Sci Fi movies and TVseries. And I was so impressed with the books that were displayed — many of them signed first editions!
Flying saucer from The Day the Earth Stood Still
2) Fantastic Voyages “with exhibitions and activities devoted to technologies that have been imagined, such as spaceships that travel faster than the speed of light;”
Costume for Sebastian in Blade Runner
and 3) Brave New Worlds where you can learn more about the “strangely disquieting societies” for which science fiction is known.
Michael Jackson's glove - Experience Music Project
When we arrived at the museum yesterday afternoon, we found numerous news reporters outside the building interviewing people. We didn’t know what was going on until we got inside and were told the breaking news– that Michael Jackson had just died. It was an interesting day to visit the museum, but today would be even more interesting! Today the place is crowded with people who need a place to listen to his music and remember his talent, and the curators even put his black sequined jacket and one of his sequined gloves on display for all those who have come to remember him.
A Fondness For Reading 
That’s pretty cool! I want to go there now…
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We went to the EMP during Bumbershoot a few years back before the SF museum was there. It was a fun place and now Z wants to go for the Jim Henson exhibit. I need to get my act together and get us over there this summer!
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I’ve never been to Seattle, but I’ll have to add the SF Museum to the list of places to see. The Seattle Underground is another place I want to visit. Check out my first and recently released novel, Long Journey to Rneadal. This exciting tale is a romantic action adventure in space and is more about the characters than the technology.
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I haven’t been yet, need to go. The weather is so beautiful now it’s hard to think about being inside!
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Kailana, it’s a fun place to spend an afternoon. Lots to see and do in both museums.
Kristen, my husband visited it a number of years ago, and he said that they’ve added a lot since he was there before. The Henson exhibit is nice, but smaller than I thought it would be. It focuses onf Henson’s creative process and features many of his sketches. There’s a muppet theater, where visitors can manipulate the puppets or be the audience. Burt and Ernie were there in a glass display case. And there’s some interesting Dark Crystal memorabilia — including a beautiful drawing and costume by Brian Froud. Very interesting, but I thought not as much for kids as for grown-ups.
Sharon, definitely put Seattle (and the EMP/SFM) on your list!
Gavin, it would be a nice place to spend one of those too-hot afternoons that will come before too long!
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I have never been there but I find it interesting how when tragedy hits, how people find comfort. I bet it was quite a day to be there as people gathered in memory of Michael.
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sdechantal, we arrived just after the announcement was made, and it was interesting to see the news media arriving and starting to interview people. The real crowd of mourners came the next day, and that would have been fascinating. The Seattle Center area, where this museum is located, is the same place that thousands of mourners came when Kurt Cobain died.
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