COLUMN:

a casual city becomes more cosmopolitan

By Marty Wentzel

Seattle is going through a sea change. Sure, you can still sip espresso at countless outdoor cafés and attend the symphony in blue jeans, but this picturesque waterfront city is growing increasingly more cosmopolitan as it tweaks existing attractions and creates new cultural draws. As a result, it’s evolving into a hub at once chic and casual, or as Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau likes to call it, metronatural.

From the moment you land at Sea-Tac Airport, you can feel the difference in the destination thanks to an ongoing $4.2 billion upgrade. Check out the airport’s new Central Terminal, where a dramatic glassed-in courtyard presents panoramic views, Northwest-oriented retail shops, a dozen new eateries and a local wine bar (www.portseattle.org; 206-433-5388).

The fountain by Louise Bourgeors is one of the displays at Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Photos by Ben Benschneider courtesy Seattle Art Museum.

Nothing says Seattle like the Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Recently the skyscraping Northwest landmark has unveiled SkyQ, a new way to view the city. Through a series of kiosks, SkyQ shares information about what you’re seeing, bringing you up-close and personal to Seattle like never before.

At one kiosk, for instance, a touch of the knob provides a chance to see what the 360-degree view looks like any time of day or night. Another lets you zoom in on small details from far away, while another presents images of citizens saying what Seattle means to them. SkyQ is included in the cost of the elevator ride to the 520-foot observation deck (www.spaceneedle.com; 206-905-2100).

A larger-than-life rolling eraser, five monumental pairs of curved steel and one red abstract eagle have transformed the look of downtown Seattle. You can encounter them, and other contemporary creations, at the new Olympic Sculpture Park, a vibrant setting for modern art. Set on a nine-acre waterfront property, the $85 million masterpiece zigzags down to Elliott Bay, leading you past pieces by famous names such as Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, Tony Smith and Claes Oldenburg. Open daily and free of charge, the sculpture park also features a glass and steel pavilion housing a flexible exhibition, public event space and café; and an amphitheater with descending grass terraces for outdoor films and performances (www.seattleartmuseum.org; 206-332-1377).

Following 16 months of restoration, the Seattle Art Museum – or SAM, as the locals like to call it – has reopened its doors to nearly twice the room as its predecessor. The expanded museum, now totaling 450,000 square feet, features new gallery and public space, an additional restaurant and larger museum store.

Enter the airy, light-filled lobby and the first thing you see is Cai Guo-Qiang’s inspired installation of nine cars suspended above the two-story space. The building’s impressive design seamlessly connects the new SAM to the existing museum, completed in 1991 (www.seattleartmuseum.org; 206-344-5275).

Be sure to enjoy the metamorphosis of Seattle’s pedestrian-friendly waterfront, highlighted by the recent opening of a remodeled and expanded Seattle Aquarium. The renovation included an 18,000-square-foot expansion to the existing building and a completely new exterior. Visitors can’t take their eyes off the 120,000-gallon exhibit called Window on Washington Waters, showcasing the salmon, sea anemones and other sea life native to Neah Bay, one of the state’s most diverse saltwater environments (www.seattleaquarium.org; 206-386-4300).

In early November, Teatro ZinZanni—Seattle’s performance of cirque, cabaret, song and dance—is moving back to its original site on lower Queen Anne Hill. With its relocation, Teatro ZinZanni joins a booming arts and culture community centered in the Seattle Center area, home of the Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre and Tony Award-winning Intiman Theatre. The district also hosts two of the region’s largest festivals: the Northwest Folklife Festival held each Memorial Day Weekend, and Labor Day Weekend’s Bumbershoot, a music and arts festival.

PACCAR PAvilion lights up Olympic Sculpture Park with view of Mark Dion’s Neakon Vivarium. Copyright Benjamin Benschneider and Weiss/Manfredi

Enhancing the area are museums like the Experience Music Project, Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Pacific Science Center and Seattle Children’s Museum. Additionally, the Seattle International Film Festival offers year-round programming in McCaw Hall on the Seattle Center grounds (www.seattlecenter.com; 206-684-7200).

Flying fish, fresh produce and Seattle-specific souvenirs enliven Pike Place Market, the indoor-outdoor emporium that’s celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The nine-acre property plays home to hundreds of local artists, food vendors and craftspeople.

With its eclectic mix of stalls, shops and restaurants, the market bustles with activity year-round, drawing everyone from locals who buy wine and flowers, to gourmands seeking artisan cheeses and sausages, to tourists looking for area-made products like honey and jams. Buskers entertain passers-by and Rachel the pig – the market’s famous oversized bronze piggybank – collects money for low-income people. Legend has it that you can rub her snout and make a donation for good luck (www.pikeplacemarket.org; 206-682-7453).

While prowling downtown, don’t miss Seattle’s award-winning Central Library. Created by world-renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the glass and steel structure seems translucent, making it easy for passersby on the street to look in. Inside, a revolutionary spiral design winds through four floors of literature and holds the library’s nonfiction collection. Exciting colors, imaginative spaces and clear pathways invite further exploration of the library’s vast resources, including an extensive large print collection and 275-seat auditorium hosting small performances, lectures, slide shows and speaking engagements (www.spl.org; 206-386-4636).

As you explore what’s new in Seattle, don’t forget to visit its tried-and-true attractions which, thankfully, haven’t changed. Favorites include Chinatown, the International District, Pioneer Square with its Underground Tour, the 200-acre University of Washington Arboretum by Lake Washington, the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the artsy community of Fremont and the green and white Washington State Ferries which connect Seattle to Bainbridge Island, Bremerton and points beyond.

Marty Wentzel is a Seattle-based travel writer.