Seattle Center and Lower Queen Anne

Yesterday, my husband and I were going to an IMAX show at the Pacific Science Center so we took a walk 6.4 mile through Seattle Center and lower Queen Anne.

The Seattle Marathon was winding down and the finish line was inside Memorial Stadium so we got to cheer on the runners.

In addition to the Science Center and the stadium, Seattle Center is home to McCaw Hall (the opera house),

the Pacific Northwest Ballet,

the Playhouse (currently home to the Intiman Theater),

The Bagley Wright Theater (home of the Seattle Rep),

Key Arena (home of the Seattle Storm, the Rat City Roller Girls and Seattle U Men's Basketball),

Seattle Children's Theater,

Center House (home of Seattle Children's Museum) and the Mural Amphitheatre,

the International Fountain (not in action in this photo),

KCTS 9, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It, SIFF Film Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Exhibition Hall, the Experience Music Project (which is the terminus of the Monorail) and the Space Needle.

While Lower Queen Anne is dominated by Seattle Center, it has many personalities. The area near Belltown has lots of restaurants, new condos and apartments,

while the area near Aurora Avenue has parking lots, motels, holes in the ground (a few streets were closed because of construction) and a power station.

South and east of 5th and Mercer, we passed the expansive grounds of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with sculptures and text reflecting the foundation's beliefs. There is a Visitor Center which I will return to visit.

The streets surrounding the Center are home to Teatro ZinZanni,

the Marketplace (Metropolitan Market, Bartells, Fed Ex, etc.), Pottery Northwest, Champion Party Supply, First United Methodist Church,

Sacred Heart Catholic Church,

Monorail tracks

and Seattle Waldorf School High School (which may be sharing space with or adjacent to the Sacred Heart Women's Shelter).

This is not a complete list of what this area has to offer and doesn't even touch on the many events that are held at the Center every year.