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Yesterday Shobhit and I went to what was called a "PacSci Practice Day" at the Pacific Science Center at Seattle Center. The email Shobhit forwarded me about a week ago said it was an invitation to "kick the tires," "so to speak," on the renovations and updates they've been doing since their temporary closure since Labor Day. I didn't even know they had closed. After all, after checking my Flickr archives, it appears I haven't gone to the Pacific Science Center for anything besides an IMAX movie since 2016. (At that time they had an awesome LEGO exhibit.)
They gave us QR codes to scan and then fill out a survey offering feedback. I still need to do that. I think the paper might still be in the pocket of the pea coat I wore yesterday, and I wore a different jacket today.
Anyway, many of the exhibits were unfinished. I know the Pacific Science Center "courtyard" is set to reopen October 23, but I could not find definitive information about the updated science exhibits. I guess there used to be a whole dinosaur exhibit, which for some reason I can't remember even though it's been there for decades, being retired. The two dinosaurs I took
a photo of Shobhit standing next to are presumably on their way out.
A lot of the new exhibits were functional, though. I should be fair and say that the Pacific Science Center is still very much its own thing, but the broader experience was almost identical to when NCG hosted a catered social event at the Science Museum of Minnesota in Saint Paul at the Co+nvergence conference in August. To be honest, a lot of their exhibits were cooler. The Pacific Science Center seems to be kind of aimed at a younger audience. It's also not quite as big, mostly because it's one of several elements of the main attraction that is Seattle Center, of which there is no equivalent in the Twin Cities.
We had a good time, I should still stress. My favorite thing about it was the "Friends and Family" aspect of it, because very few people were there for this event. Even Shobhit only got the invite because he works for Theater Puget Sound (TPS), which is based at Seattle Center, where they run a small theater in the Armory building. This event was scheduled 4 to 7 p.m., and there seemed to be only a handful of attendees when we arrived at about a quarter after 5:00.
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— पांच हजार आठ सौ पंचानवे —
Shobhit had texted me to ask what my plans were for the evening, evidently having forgotten all about this event. I was like: aren't we going to the Pacific Science Center? So then he walked downtown and met met at the office at 4:30, as I had suggested a week ago. We took our time walking up there to Seattle Center, taking a detour through Pike Place Market. Actually first we went into the Fran's Chocolate store, knowing they would give us a sample confection—and in the end we got two: one individually wrapped dark chocolate bite; and one salted caramel confection, which was of course delicious. Then Shobhit bought himself a latte there, and bought me an 8oz hot chocolate that was one of the richest I have ever had. I guess that's why they call it "Drinking Chocolate" instead. I was really glad I got the 8oz and not the 12oz. It was delicious, but also a little much.
Anyway, we walked everywhere we went: from my office to Seattle Center, and then home from there afterward. We thought about catching a bus but none was coming by soon so we just walked. Shobhit got way more steps in than I did yesterday, and even I was just 22 shy of 13,000 steps at the end of the day.
On the walk home, Shobhit said, "That was a fun event," and I agreed. I'm really glad we went. I kind of loved the chance to explore a place like that with almost no one else there. Even the one time PCC rented it out for a company Christmas party, ages ago (
2006, to be exact), had a larger crowd than we saw yesterday.
That reminds me. I have a
29-shot photo album for yesterday's visit, and when I processed photos after we got home, I created a
Pacific Science Center collection for all my ticketed visits there that I have photos from—which includes the 2006 Holiday Party, which I only thought to add this morning. We did have access to the exhibits then as well, so it seemed appropriate to include. That makes six such visits since 2006, and I totally forgot that I went there one time each year between 2009 and 2011: Auntie Rose bought tickets for us when we hung out at Seattle Center for my Birth Week in 2009; Shobhit and I went there on his birthday in 2010 for the Harry Potter Exhibition; and then Shobhit and I went there all of six months later for
my birthday in 2011 for a Star Wars exhibit. The next time I went was with Danielle, in August 2016 for a LEGO exhibit, but so far as I can tell I had not gone since then when I returned yesterday—a nine-year break for me; a 14-year break for Shobhit.
Shobhit made himself an omelet for dinner while I processed photos; I wasn't hungry because a woman had brought a bunch of sample vegan banh mi sandwiches to the office right before I left, and they were fucking delicious. Even the "meat" ones were actully vegan and made with tofu, and apparently came from
ChuMinh Tofu Veggie Deli—a place that evidently
really wants our business. They're located at 12th off Jackson, so not super convenient to the office for me: that's a 1.3-mile walk, or even a 15-minute ride on public transit. If they were located closer I would consider them as an occasional lunch spot. The food was really, really good.
Shobhit and I watched this week's episode of
Abbott Elementary, which used the Philadelphia Phillies as guest stars and was actually really fun. And that about did it for our evening.
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[posted 12:48pm]
