WC Watch Party spot #4: Seattle Center (no spoilers)

Matches: Germany/Curaçao and Netherlands/Japan, June 14

There are 4 advertised watch party spots at Seattle Center. The Armory, KEXP’s Gathering Space, and Tom’s Watch Bar (all indoors) seem to be showing games every day. The Mural is only showing games on selected dates. I haven’t seen this explicitly, but I believe the Armory is trying to show as many games as possible. When there are simultaneous games (the 3rd round of matches in the group stage), between the 4 venues every game should be shown.

I was at KEXP for the morning match, Germany/Curaçao. To me, this is the best venue so far, with comfy chairs and couches giving the vibe of a gigantic living room. You’ve got a Cafe Vitta with food right there, and a bar in the back. It’s all ages, but I think you can take the alcohol anywhere as long as you don’t leave the building. The sound is, not surprisingly, perfect. My only concern is that this place could get overwhelmed for popular games (which Germany/Curaçao certainly was not).

Between games I poked my head in Tom’s Watch Bar, which is basically a sports bar just south of Climate Pledge. They’re larger than the Gathering Space, but they also might get full for popular matches. Or at least that’s what they say when they’re trying to sell you reserved seats. Food/drink/alcohol all available, but I read on the Internet that minors are allowed. I’ll check it out another day.

For the much more popular Netherlands/Japan game I moved to the spacious Armory. There were hundreds there, but it never seemed overcrowded. They obviously have food, drink and alcohol, but the single screen and main seating area are in the corner with the stage, where alcohol is not allowed. You’ll have to do your drinking from farther away.

Near the stage are long tables where you can eat, and the chairs in this area are padded, making for a pretty comfortable watch. My main gripe, apart from the Armory’s mostly mediocre food, is the volume on the speakers was very loud. I improvised earplugs to protect my hearing.