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During your Seattle vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (SFM)
Located inside the Experience Music Project, this little exhibit is another project of Seattle's own billionaire nerd Paul Allen. Just as in EMP, this museum is packed with pop-culture icons, this time from the world of science fiction. With displays of actual props and costumes from such historic sci-fi films and TV shows as Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Dr. Who, and Terminator, this place is an absolute must for devoted fans of one of literature's least-respected yet best-loved genres. The museum spends a lot of time chronicling the history of science fiction, including displays of 1930s and 1940s pulp fiction magazines. Other displays focus on the fans themselves (and the conventions they stage), as well as the connections to science. But, for most visitors, it's the movie props that are the real draw. From robots to jet packs to space suits and ray guns, it's all here.
Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center
Perhaps you're an accomplished musician but have always longed to conduct an orchestra, or perhaps you've never had much musical talent at all but dream of playing the cello like Yo-Yo Ma. At this fascinating little music exploration center, you can at least see what it feels like to be first chair in the string section of the symphony. Not only is there a listening bar with more than 500 classical recordings, but there are also interactive exhibits that let you play a cello, tickle the ivories, or conduct a virtual orchestra. There's an exhibit on the science of music as well.
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market, originally a farmers market, was founded in 1907 when housewives complained that middlemen were raising the prices of produce. The market allowed shoppers to buy directly from producers and thus save on grocery bills. By the 1960s, however, the market was no longer the popular spot it had been. World War II had deprived it of nearly half its farmers when Japanese Americans were moved to internment camps. The postwar flight to the suburbs almost spelled the end of the market, and the site was being eyed for a major redevelopment project. Fortunately, a grass-roots movement to save the 9-acre market culminated in its being declared a National Historic District.Today the market is once again bustling, but the 100 or so farmers and fishmongers who set up shop on the premises are only a small part of the attraction. More than 150 local craftspeople and artists can be found here, selling their creations as street performers serenade milling crowds. There are also hundreds of small specialty shops throughout the market, plus dozens of restaurants, including some of the city's best. At the information booth almost directly below the large PIKE PLACE MARKET sign, you can pick up a free map and guide to the market. Keep an eye out for low-flying fish at the Pike Place Fish stall, and be sure to save some change for Rachel, the market's giant piggy bank, which has raised more than $100,000 over the years.Victor Steinbrueck Park, at the north end of the market at the intersection of Pike Place, Virginia Street, and Western Avenue, is a popular lounging area for both the homeless and those just looking for a grassy spot in the sun. In the park, you'll see two 50-foot-tall totem poles.To get a glimpse behind the scenes at the market and learn all about its history, you can take a 1-hour guided Market Heritage Tour (tel. 206/774-5249 for information and reservations). Tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday at 11am and 2pm; the cost is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children under 18. They depart from the market's Heritage Center, 1531 Western Ave., an open-air building filled with historical exhibits (take the Skybridge to the Market Garage and then take the elevator to the Western Ave. level).
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites SEATTLE-CITY CENTER
Welcome to the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites! Our comfortable downtown Seattle hotel is only minutes away from the Seattle City Center, the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Experience Music Project, the Pacific Science Center, the Science Fiction Museum and much, much more. Whether you®re in town to take a cruise or attend a Mariners' baseball game, our convenient location will be sure to please. Free high speed Internet, free deluxe continental breakfast, and free local telephone ...
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