When Steve and I arrived back in Seattle for the final leg of our trip after a week in the Islands, we were exhausted and pretty grimy.  After checking into our hotel and taking the longest showers ever, we felt like new people, and a night in a cushy hotel bed felt almost too luxurious.  (I didn’t actually sleep very well!  I guess it doesn’t take long to get used to a sleeping bag on the ground, and then a floofy {<–technical term} bed is almost too much.)  Anyway!  We woke up on Saturday morning relatively fresh and ready to reintegrate ourselves into society after a week of remote island camping.

And what’s better for re-integration into civilization than a crowded city attraction?  I wasn’t really in the mood for museums, but I had it in my head to visit the Chihuly Garden and Glasshouse, so that’s what we did.  Turned out, it was located at Seattle Center – home to the famous Space Needle and so many other Seattle attractions – so we headed down there for what we jokingly called our “civilization immersion therapy.”

I was vaguely aware of Dale Chihuly, and he’s such an iconic artist in the PNW, that taking in his work over the course of a morning seemed like just the thing to do.  But I didn’t know what to expect at all – I really wasn’t familiar with his art, although I had the idea I might have seen some of it in Boston once? – and I was blown away by the fanciful glass creations and stunning large-scale installations.

Like the Venetian ceiling – I mean, WOW.  Just… WOW.

I don’t know how much of this splendor really registered with Steve – he is colorblind.  But he was a good sport and let me take all the time I wanted, and I know he appreciated the artistry of the shapes and the fine detail work, even if he couldn’t take in all of the spectacular color.

This wooden canoe, heaped with blown glass balls of all sizes and colors, was my favorite piece in the museum.

A close second was the glasshouse, with its stunning orange and yellow flower installation and views of the Space Needle.

We took our time wandering amid a crowd of what felt like forty million people and gazed in total awe at all of Chihuly’s incredible creations.

I couldn’t stop snapping pictures.  I couldn’t help myself!

After we’d seen everything there was to see inside the art museum and glasshouse, we ventured outside into the gardens.  I remarked to Steve that my mom’s best friend, Denise, would love this place – she has a great love for modern art and has an incredible eye for shape and color.  I was sending her pictures in real time as I clicked and snapped my way through the museum and garden.

Modern art isn’t my thing, at least not quite as much, but one contemporary trend I love is the juxtaposition between bright colors and natural elements.  The Chihuly Garden had that in spades.

After we’d gotten our fill of modern art, we wandered out into the rest of the Seattle Center.  Obviously, we spent plenty of time goggling at the Space Needle.

As we approached International Fountain, grunge music was blasting from an industrial-sized speaker somewhere on the square.  As Steve remarked, it was the most Seattle thing ever.

So were the street murals.  An orca and a cup of coffee.  Y’all, it literally does not get more Seattle than that.  Especially if you are taking it all in to the sounds of Nirvana.

Seattle, I am sort of in love.

Next week: one final vacation recap, in which I attempt to cram all the iconic sights of Seattle into one monster post.