Weekend of 8/16

Alright, trying to get back on track after our travels and everything. After we got back from Chicago, we took the next weekend to relax and run errands. Because of the weather, we did some museums in Seattle, specifically EMP (Experience Music Project) and the science fiction museum, both located in the same building and both financed by Paul Allen. The science fiction museum was relatively entertaining...I am not a huge science fiction buff by any means, and did not recognize a lot of the Star Wars/Star Trek figures that were exhibited throughout the museum, but it was interesting to see. Highlight for me was seeing a real life size animatronic Donatello Ninja turtle. Sorry, no pictures on the inside as they do not allow photographs in the museum exhibits. Next we walked across the hall to EMP.  The huge metallic colored building whose architecture is incredibly different. They say the shape of the EMP museum is so, that if you view it from above, it looks like a broken guitar. We've seen the EMP museum from above, and it does not resemble a

broken guitar. Then again, I guess you could build anything ugly and bulbous and say that it looks like a broken something.  Anyway, as you walk in, you are greeted by an enormous collage of guitars that spiral up to the top floor. They even have some of the guitars hooked up to electronic pics run by computers, and the different guitars collectively play a song.

They also have the largest Jimmy Hendrix collection of guitars/memorabilia than anywhere in the world. It is a true music experience in that museum, as they go through all the different genres of music both in and out of the Seattle area. To the Seattle grunge era, to even modern day music, to the first models of electric guitars, they had some great exhibits. What I did find funny though, is that Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, was using Apple Macintosh computers and software for a lot of the interactive music exhibits! They also had a room where you can experience playing drums, guitar, keyboard, mixing, and singing. Here is me on the Mixing board.

You can call me DJ Lum.  It is very more accurately named an experience than a music museum. Afterwards we ventured into Seattle center to partake in BrazilFest, where again, vendors lined up the corridors with authentic brazilian cuisine and trinkets for sale. We watched some entertainers demonstrate Capoeira martial arts, and enjoyed the music on the stage. Then, we went to see Batman on the big IMAX screen, something I have been looking forward to for a while after all the rave reviews and huge ticket sales. It didn't disappoint at all, I really enjoyed the movie and experience at the IMAX.