As a part of my 2011 trip to the USofA, I decided that a visit to Seattle was in order. I’d never been to Seattle before, so this was in keeping with my goal of exploring some new territory on this trip.

My hotel was just a couple of blocks away from the Space Needle, and as that is where many of the related tourist attractions are located, it was a good starting point from which to visit many of the tourist offerings available .

So yesterday, I went to the EMP/SFM. That’s the Experience Music Project and The Science Fiction Museum. It’s where the Experience Hendrix exhibition is on and it’s really very good.

Experience Hendrix is a museum exhibit dedicated to the music of Jimi Hendrix, plus quite a bit more. They have a music lab, and a rock star on stage experience that’s supposed to let you experience what it’s like to be on the stage during a performance. But when the nice lady at the museum described it as being like karaoke, I decided that this was not for me.

But this museum also demonstrates to me just how far modern music has come: who’d have thought (in maybe the ’60s or ’70s) that there would be museums to pop culture, rock icons like Jimi or Nirvana, tv shows like Battlestar Gallactica, or just documenting the development of the electric guitar?

I think it says something about our society, and the maturity of the Seattle people, that they have been able to develop such a wonderful museum with these excellent facilities.

I also took the monorail to downtown, then walked to the Pike’s Place Market. Lots of tulips for sale; very colourful. Otherwise, pretty much a typical market, but sort of like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Frabcisco a little.

I Grabbed some lunch at a seafood restaurant with a beat view overlooking the water, then walked a little more, and grabbed a coffee. As one does, here in Seattle, before monorailing it back to the part of town where my hotel was situated.

Overall, Seattle reminded me of a few other places. It’s a little hilly, and so San Francisco immediately springs to mind. This is further borne out through the streets’ general layout and look and feel. But there were other areas too, that reminded me of Paris in France. All the while, the weather while I was there – early May, late Spring – was very reminiscent of Melbourne, Australia.

General impressions a that it’s a very livable city. Very pleasant, pretty, and wth what seems to be a great quality of life