Day 2, Seattle

Monorail ride in downtown Seattle.

Space Needle, the city's proud product of the World Fair in 1962.

The comfy lounge area in the Experience Music Project, with queen-size sofas, non-stop, cool music, and a gigantic, flashy screen.

The awe-inspiring, three-story high, music sculpture, "If VI Was IX", in the center of EMP. Live music of different styles -- folk, rock, jazz, blues -- are composed to tell the essence of each American popular music genre.

The maze outside the EMP, another outrageously original architecture, designed by Frank Gehry.

Our 2nd day in Seattle started very leisurely, with a breakfast and a swim in the hotel. The small pool fits us perfectly. While Maya perfected her strokes, Julian helped me complete my first handstand in the water. When we finally ventured outside to see the city at noon, the cold weather drove us back in the hotel to pick up fleeces and jackets, so to dress more properly for the Seattle weather. The highest temp. was 68 F today!

It was a packed day, though we only stayed in a very small area. Space Needle and the Experience Music Project, Sci-Fi Museum took us most of the afternoon and evening. We found ourselves soak in all the yet-to-learn masters' names and their stories in American popular music. The Sound Lab on the 2nd floor of the EMP was really cool, with any possible interactive modules for a band possible. Julian locked himself in a keyboard room for 10 min., practicing his songs. Maya had so much fun working on a mixing station on a pop song. Even Yifang tried his hand on playing an electric guitar. I sang the lead singer with Maya. We couldn't have enough of it!

The Sci-Fi Museum in the same building was also really interesting. All the most famous sci-fi novels and movies had a place there. The interactive modules for recognizing spaceships as shown in movies was fascinating, as it was shown on a deep 3D window and linked to the original video. We could spend a whole day there, if Maya didn't cry for being cold and exhausted at the end of the day.