Relive the Grunge Years
The scene is long gone, but you can still bask in the flannel memories with a Belltown encounter of the grunge kind. Bed at Ace Hotel (2423 First Ave, Belltown, 206-448-4721; acehotel.com) -cofounded by Alex Calderwood, one of the era’s big-time party throwers-where the genre’s aesthetic is still on display in rooms bleached to bone-white minimalism, with exposed plumbing and a Kama Sutra instead of the Gideon Bible. And Cyclops (2421 First Ave, Belltown, 206-441-1677; cyclopsseattle.com), the restaurant and bar downstairs? It’s an early ’90s relic, too; back then, Top Chef star Robin Leventhal ran the kitchen. After check-in, take in a show at the newly revamped Crocodile (2200 Second Ave, Belltown, 206-441-7416; thecrocodile.com). It’s not what it was when Soundgarden and Mudhoney appeased the distortion gods, but that’s a good thing. For example: dramatically more sanitary restrooms. Another: the club’s in-house wood-fired kitchen, Via Tribunali (206-441-4618; viatribunali.net), fires up excellent Naples-style pies.
In the morning, pry yourself from bed and check out Kurt (May 13–September 6, 2010), a multimedia installation of works inspired by late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain at Seattle Art Museum (1300 First Ave, 206-625-8900; seattleartmuseum.org).
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