Nerd culture
You may be aware that Seattle is considered a tech hub. Sprinkled across the region north of downtown, known as South Lake Union, you’ll find a host of buildings owned by Facebook, Google, Apple and (of course) Amazon. If we are to believe stereotypes, the high density of computer experts means that Seattle is also home to a high density of nerds. Regardless of the cause, we have the infrastructure here to support a dense population of nerds!
The best examples are our museums – if you’re a history nerd, and want to better understand how Seattle developed and how the land has been used, you might enjoy the Museum of History and Industry - MOHAI (adult tickets are $25). It’s about ~1 mile from the Convention Center.
For the more classical science nerds or those in need of a family-friendly activity, there is the Pacific Science Center, equipped with a planetarium, butterfly house, and everyone’s favorite laser dome. And in the unlikely case there’s an accident at the laser dome and you need your eyes checked, you know where to look for a spare ophthalmologist!
If you prefer your museums to “pop” a bit more, try out the Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP, tickets ~$30), 1.1 miles from the Conference Center. Among its exhibits you’ll find coverage of Jimi Hendrix (born in Seattle), Nirvana (got its start near Seattle), playable indie video games, a history of science fiction and fantasy, and much more. Suffice it to say that this funky museum is well-suited to making a broad range of nerds happy!
For a more casually nerdy experience there are many local bar-cades! These include:
- The Pinball Museum, where you get infinite plays for $23 – more arcade than bar-cade but incredibly fun!
- Shorty’s, <1 mile from the convention center
- Time Warp, cyberpunk pinball and noodles all in one place!
Honorable contributors to nerd culture also include Mox Boarding House, a bar and board game seller (where you can sit down and play games too), and local comic book sellers Phoenix Comics & Games, and Golden Age Collectables at Pike Place Market, thought to be the oldest comic book store in the world! Regardless of what you like to get nerdy about, I’m sure Seattle has something to suit you!
Daniel Hass, PhD
