The Seattle Center ( ) dates from the 1962 World's Fair, whose theme was "Century 21" (hence the rather outdated architecture and spindly, 600ft flying-saucer-tipped Space Needle tower). Since then the 74-acre complex has become a sort of culture park, staging major sporting events, concerts and festivals, as well as a longstanding site for ancient-looking carnival rides aimed at the pre-teen set. Amid this strange hodgepodge stands the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Opera (closed until 2003), Children's Museum, Experience Music Project, and various theaters. The Center is best reached by the monorail , which runs from the third floor of Westlake Center at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street downtown ($1.25 one-way; ) and drops you close to the Space Needle , the Space Age-modernist city icon, which is most appealing at night when it's lit up. The panoramic view from the observation deck, where there's a bar, is unmatched (daily 8am-midnight; $11; kids $5; ).

Southwest of the needle, the Pacific Science Center (daily 10am-5pm, weekends and summer open until 6pm; $8; ) is easily recognizable by its modernist white arches and shallow, stagnant "lake." The hands-on adventure park is full of science-related exhibits for children, and includes a planetarium and IMAX theater. Nearby lies the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project (daily 9am-9pm, weekends open until 11pm; $19.95; ), a giant burst of colored metal made of sweeping aluminum curves - into which the monorail passes - that opened in June 2000. Inside is an 80,000-piece strong collection of rock memorabilia divided up into exhibits on different phases of popular music history, along with a gallery-shrine to the original Seattle guitar-god, Jimi Hendrix. As much an interior amusement park as a bona fide museum (check out the Sound Lab, where you can bang on drums and keyboards to your heart's delight), the "EMP" never loses the sense of freewheeling pleasure associated with 1960s rock and pop.

Seattle Center

• Seattle Center

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