Happy Halloween!

Getting into the spirit at the Seattle Aquarium! 

It's been quite a week here at the fishbowl. Jeff Renner and King 5 News carving jack o lanterns underwater in our Window on Washington Waters Exhibit and the best Halloween Party in all of Seattle!

We want to wish everyone a great and safe Halloween Weekend! 

Summer's Almost Gone

What a fantastic summer it's been here at the Seattle Aquarium. Beautiful weddings, incredible company events and now-Afternoon summer picnics. It's been a fantastic season and we now we're looking forward to fall. Football, Halloween, Squash and Scarves. We've got some wonderful weddings coming up and a couple great surprises in October. Everyone enjoy the rest of the nice weather!

W is for WOAH!

Big shout out to Wild Tangent Games for the best party of the month so far at the Seattle Aquarium! 1400 people, casinos, music and drinks everywhere!

Additionally, this is their third year back here at the Aquarium and they're a fantastic group of people. I'm already looking forward to topping this next year. Can we say 2000 people on the back deck for a moonlight party? 

Keep it up, Wild Tangent!

The Director Has Left the Building

"So long and thanks for all the Diet Coke..."

A lot of changes coming to the Aquarium of late, but one of the biggest has been the departure of our Director, John Braden. John began his retirement on Thursday of last week and we wish him all the best on his future adventures. 

The Aquarium at Night has only had the pleasure of working with John for a few years, but we all know him as an enthusiastic supporter of Aquarium Special Events and all that we do here at night. 

Thanks John!

SPLASH!!!

Today is the big day! 

Exclusive Menu Debut by Betsy Davidson:

Eggplant-Smoked Mozzarella Fritters

Feta Panna Cotta

w mint & watermelon on a phyllo cracker

Stilton, Walnuts and Figs in Phyllo

Duck Confit "Sticks"

BLT Puff

with bacon-tomato jam, micro arugula, cheddar profiterole

Chipotle-Cherry Shortibs

on souffled grits

Rice Cracker Wrapped Ahi Tuna

with ponzu dip

Salmon Pastrami

on pumpernickel crouton, pickled mustard seeds

Dungeness Crab Fritters 

tamarind-citrus dip

Scallop "Porcupine"

in shredded phyllo, green chili chutney

At the bar, an exclusive cocktail by El Gaucho, The Orange Rocktail:

Belvedre L'Orange

Fresh Lemon

Galliano

Angostura

Orange Bitters

Orange Zest

Shaken over ice

Alright, that's all for now folks! Have a great weekend!

Quiet Friday Blues

Happy Friday everyone! It's a calm day in the office here at the Seattle Aquarium. A rare moment of peace and repose for this time of year. Prom season is going extremely well, we're already nearly sold out for Prom next year, which is fantastic.

More proms over the next couple weeks, but more importantly Splash! 2010 is two weeks away! I'll have menu and cocktail recipe updates next week, but suffice to say we're taking an event with a fabulous established reputation and raising the bar even higher. I can't give anything away at this stage but let me say that guests won't believe their eyes at dinner this year.

Have a great weekend everyone and check back soon for updates!

Quatro de Mayo

I'm told its May already, but it's raining and cold outside and freezing in my office so I'm not convinced. The only evidence I have is how busy it's getting at the Aquarium. We're doing roughly an event every other evening here for the next six to eight weeks. Tonight we'll be hosting a national network gathering of COSEE-OLC an organization that promotes marine science in education centers across the globe. On Thursday we'll be hearing from Dr. Rick Keil on how we negatively impact our urban watersheds and what we can do to prevent further damage. As dry as that may sound, these events are engaging and captivating social events where you always meet interesting people and learn something relevant. 


And then it's Proms proms proms...


Here is my honest opinion of these affairs:


They are incredibly fun. First of all, they LOOK fantastic in our venue and for having 4-500 guests in the building at any given time, we maintain a very safe, low impact environment. And the atmosphere is truly jubilant. You can't help but remember your own prom and what it felt like, and so chaperones, teachers, administrators, students, and event planners alike all sort of share in the experience. 


I will say that you know you're getting old when you hear what passes for music these days and you wonder what's gone so badly wrong. :)


Until next time, enjoy the weather.