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It was crazy nostalgic for me and my husband to see the bench and be around the outside of his home. The views are beautiful of Lake Washington. I met my husband in junior high, and we have been together for over 30 years, and Nirvana was a huge part of our relationship and teen years growing up. Great experience aside from a creepy guy in a tent next to the memorial
I wasn't aware of or looking for Kurt Cobain's memorial when we came upon Viretta Park. It was noted as a memorial to Kurt Cobain on Google maps so we went exploring. It's a bench... A bench with many messages from fans, some dried flowers, and some garbage too. I couldn't tell if the beer can and the wine bottle is part of the memorial, probably not. The water bottle definitely is garbage. Sigh. His house is next to the park, and a peekaboo view is possible. Not that exciting but might be worth it for a Nirvana fan. Sadly, the area did not smell like teen spirit.
I drove down Lake Washington just to see Kurt Cobain's home. I was a teenage when he passed, and I vividly remember the news video feed from the gates at the front driveway. I was not a Nirvana fan at the time, but as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate the music that he created. Fortunately, halfway down the block there are street side parking areas where I was able to park without disturbing any o fate residents and their driveways, and I was able to walk down to the former Cobain residence. Of course the residence is no longer owned by the family and they current resident does have a sign indicating that it is a pro I at residence and to respect their privacy - certain understandable given the amount of traffic that is likely seen there. Right next to the home is Viretta park.....2 benches sit in the park and one in particular is decorated with stickers, drawings and other stuff in memory of Kurt. There were flowers that looked like hey had been sitting there for a while too. I really appreciated being in that space and seeing the Cobain home next door. If you are a music fan, its a great place to go respectfully visit the neighborhood
I went here because it is a must when you are into grunge music. It is a small but cute park with a bench where supposedly Kurt Cobain used to sit. It has a good view and feels peaceful. There is always someone respectfully on the site. Cool place near the house that impacted us in the 90s. You can easily go walking to other parks while walking around because parking is tight.
Growing up being a Nirvana fan definitely had to check out the Kurt Cobain mansion and unofficial Memorial located next to his mansion while in Seattle. Pretty much only thing located in this park is a bench where people wrote messages or leave flowers and other items for the late Rockstar. Tons of huge homes occupy the area where this park is located. Right up the road are beautiful views of the lake and also of Mount Rainier. The group jumped out lit up a fat one and popped on Smells Like Teen Spirit. Seemed like like the right thing to do while we were there. Spent about 10 minutes soaking it up and taking a couple photos. You can easily spend one minute there and save been there not much to really see. Not the greatest thing to do but if you're acting like a tourist you might as well put this part on the list.
Visiting Kurt's memorial was the main reason I came to Seattle. I found many other things to spend time on, but this was the centrepiece. I took the bus here and walked through the quiet, expensive neighbourhood to the green space and descended the stone stairs to the lower level of the park (there are two levels, the more visited lower level, and the quieter upper level, reachable by the stairs or by the dirt path). It was very moving and amusing and fascinating to see the messages left by those who visited before me on the four benches in the park. Loving messages, and angry ones, and funny ones, and sad ones. Little drawings and stickers and quotations and lyrics that mean a lot to someone. Flowers, candles, cigarettes smoked for Kurt. All the evidence of the impact he made, and makes, in people's lives with his band and his music, music that expresses so much of what's hard to articulate and to own up to. He said it himself: "The feeling and the vibes that we're giving out I think has a lot of compassion and emotion. And I would consider that soft and romantic. Even though it seems negative and hateful." Nirvana's music was and is a powerful outlet for "dangerous" feelings that many people share, but find difficult to express. Empathy doesn't have to be hand-holding and hugs and sweet words. Empathy can be screaming and breaking things and saying what no one else has the guts to say, and doing it in front of the world: making yourself into an outlet valve for the collective pain of humanity. It's not glamorous. It didn't end well. All the sickness of Seattle, collectively - their opiate addictions, their suicidal depression, their homelessness, their passive-aggressiveness and social awkwardness - all collected like drops of rain in Kurt's wide-open soul and weighed him down so much he collapsed in on himself. He had his own pain to deal with and humans can only take so much. To paraphrase the Kinks, "He should have been made of iron or steel, but he was only made of flesh and blood." And yet, somehow, despite, or rather because of, everything he was going through internally, Kurt managed pretty often to be a kind and empathetic human being. Which is why so many people go out of their way to visit this little secluded corner of reality to pay their respects: because he paid some respect to us. "If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do this one favor for us -- leave us the fuck alone! Don't come to our shows and don't buy our records." There is much to learn here for anyone who wants to be remembered, and remembered well, after they are gone. It makes me sad that the city of Seattle is too snobby and cheap to commission a proper memorial statue to place in the park, where fans can direct their tributes. A few wooden benches, appropriated for the purpose, are not an adequate memorial for one of us who contributed so much. I saw a rather nice DIY mural of Kurt in the city while I was there, soon to be erased, and a lovely private one, in a shop. Why not commission a proper public one? Liverpool has fully embraced its Beatletude, and I think Seattle needs to fully embrace the Nirvanafication that has happened to it. Stop resisting. I think the park is an ideal site for a real memorial, as it has a peaceful, quiet, yet powerful energy, generated by the enormous trees who live there, and by the nearby presence of a large body of water. Kurt died just a short distance away, but the place feels much more alive and in motion than that reality would suggest, due to the constant influx of people who come to that very spot out of love. Viretta Park is well worth a visit if you give a damn. I do.
Definitely worth going to if you love Nirvana or Kurt Cobain. I was actually surprised on how small and simple it was...but thinking about it I think Kurt would have approved of it. And there was tiny little daisies growing all around which added to the experience. And probably it is granted that if you show up there, there will be others there to reminisce with.
Smells like teen spirit. Drove through a fancy neighborhood filled with big green trees, extravagant homes, and beautiful lakes surrounding it. Chills ran down my spine as soon as we drove up to the park. There alone you can spot the bench filled with lyrics and words for Kurt Cobain. Right across from the bench you can see his home. Take a moment and leave your mark.
Viretta Park is definitely a must go to spot for those who are devout Nirvana fans or any individual who likes to take a stroll down rock music history by going to locations of events that happened to musicians over the years. I was in my 20's when I heard of the suicide of Kurt Cobain. I was in Colorado at the time but had I lived in Washington at the time, in the Seattle are where I do now I probably would have attended the vigils that took place. And I like to tell myself before the tragedy that I would have went to Nirvana's early shows to prove to myself that my musical tastes were of the underground sort. Maybe they are maybe they aren't. Kurt's death had quite an impact on me, like it did many from my generation. There were lots of promising artists and more established ones that passed away during this time (like Brandon Lee for example). In honor of those that passed away too soon I dropped daisies off a river bridge to make closure of such sad events back in 1994. Viretta Park is right by the residence where Kurt Cobain passed away in and therefore the park has become more or less a memorial park unofficially to the musician. Especially one particular bench where Kurt apparently once sat. There is another bench there as well which also bears lamentations. There is etchings, writing and spray paint on the fence separating the house from the park as well. As far as parks go in of themselves and aside from the memorial aspect it is pretty basic. There is no playground equipment or anything like that there. There are a couple of paths. One goes to the fence that divides the house and the park and another path that goes up a hill which takes you to the driveway of a residence in which you can walk out to some neighborhood streets I imagine. There is also stairs by this driveway where you can go down back to the park too. So if you are looking for a excitable park for children this probably isn't it but if you want to give your respects to a great musician, leave a memento, quietly do lamentation to the situation that unfolded here in 1994 or for historical value then this is definitely a place to visit.
Paid our respects to the Legend. I remember the day he died, so much sadness for his fans. My dad loved him, blasted his music every day at home when we were teens. I will always have a place in my heart for Nirvana and 90s alternative brings back so many memories for me and my teen years. I'm so glad I got to bring my kids here, a new generation who appreciates his talent.
I've lived in Seattle for almost 10 years now and had never before stopped by this morbidly famous site. Kurt and Courtney's old house, the spot where Kurt took his life (unless you're into the conspiracy theories about his death) and Viretta Park are right beside each other along Lake Washington Boulevard. Viretta Park is a tiny little lot that has only two benches, one of which is used as a shrine to Kurt. On the 21st anniversary of his death, I found the time to go to the house and the park next door. These days, the house is hidden mostly by vegetation and a big front gate. The above-garage apartment / greenhouse where Kurt took his life was demolished back in 1996. You can get a little closer to the house by walking down a well-worn path in the park, but there still isn't much to see from there. The bench is probably the only real "site" to see. Seattle parks repaints the bench, but it doesn't take long for it to fill up again with Kurt's lyrics, photos of Kurt, fan letters, flowers, picks and graffiti. The closest relic of those days comes in the form of this tree, which someone had carved "RIP" and the date into - sometime in either 1997 or 1998. The tree hasn't yet fully healed, much like the fans visiting the bench today - still listening to the music and wondering "what if."
If your a Kurt fan this is a must stop when visiting Seattle. The park was so nice and the people who live there are very welcoming. Visitors who come by to see Kurt's house always leave a little something behind on the bench.
Powerful vibe. Serene view with memorial benches for Lane Staley and Kurt Cobain. Makes it easy to see why Kurt Cobain chose that house as it stands peeking through in the background. Parking a couple houses down and around the corner at the park. read more
1 year ago
Beautiful spot to just sit and look over the water. Makes you wonder if the neighborhood's late famous resident used to sit and do that as its steps from his old home. Just gorgeous. read more
2 years ago
It was crazy nostalgic for me and my husband to see the bench and be around the outside of his home. The views are beautiful of Lake Washington. I met my husband in junior high, and we have been together for over 30 years, and Nirvana was a huge part of our relationship and teen years growing up. Great experience aside from a creepy guy in a tent next to the memorial read more
I wasn't aware of or looking for Kurt Cobain's memorial when we came upon Viretta Park. It was noted as a memorial to Kurt Cobain on Google maps so we went exploring. It's a bench... A bench with many messages from fans, some dried flowers, and some garbage too. I couldn't tell if the beer can and the wine bottle is part of the memorial, probably not. The water bottle definitely is garbage. Sigh. His house is next to the park, and a peekaboo view is possible. Not that exciting but might be worth it for a Nirvana fan. Sadly, the area did not smell like teen spirit. read more
I drove down Lake Washington just to see Kurt Cobain's home. I was a teenage when he passed, and I vividly remember the news video feed from the gates at the front driveway. I was not a Nirvana fan at the time, but as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate the music that he created. Fortunately, halfway down the block there are street side parking areas where I was able to park without disturbing any o fate residents and their driveways, and I was able to walk down to the former Cobain residence. Of course the residence is no longer owned by the family and they current resident does have a sign indicating that it is a pro I at residence and to respect their privacy - certain understandable given the amount of traffic that is likely seen there. Right next to the home is Viretta park.....2 benches sit in the park and one in particular is decorated with stickers, drawings and other stuff in memory of Kurt. There were flowers that looked like hey had been sitting there for a while too. I really appreciated being in that space and seeing the Cobain home next door. If you are a music fan, its a great place to go respectfully visit the neighborhood read more
I went here because it is a must when you are into grunge music. It is a small but cute park with a bench where supposedly Kurt Cobain used to sit. It has a good view and feels peaceful. There is always someone respectfully on the site. Cool place near the house that impacted us in the 90s. You can easily go walking to other parks while walking around because parking is tight. read more
Growing up being a Nirvana fan definitely had to check out the Kurt Cobain mansion and unofficial Memorial located next to his mansion while in Seattle. Pretty much only thing located in this park is a bench where people wrote messages or leave flowers and other items for the late Rockstar. Tons of huge homes occupy the area where this park is located. Right up the road are beautiful views of the lake and also of Mount Rainier. The group jumped out lit up a fat one and popped on Smells Like Teen Spirit. Seemed like like the right thing to do while we were there. Spent about 10 minutes soaking it up and taking a couple photos. You can easily spend one minute there and save been there not much to really see. Not the greatest thing to do but if you're acting like a tourist you might as well put this part on the list. read more
5 years ago
2 years ago
8 years ago
Visiting Kurt's memorial was the main reason I came to Seattle. I found many other things to spend time on, but this was the centrepiece. I took the bus here and walked through the quiet, expensive neighbourhood to the green space and descended the stone stairs to the lower level of the park (there are two levels, the more visited lower level, and the quieter upper level, reachable by the stairs or by the dirt path). It was very moving and amusing and fascinating to see the messages left by those who visited before me on the four benches in the park. Loving messages, and angry ones, and funny ones, and sad ones. Little drawings and stickers and quotations and lyrics that mean a lot to someone. Flowers, candles, cigarettes smoked for Kurt. All the evidence of the impact he made, and makes, in people's lives with his band and his music, music that expresses so much of what's hard to articulate and to own up to. He said it himself: "The feeling and the vibes that we're giving out I think has a lot of compassion and emotion. And I would consider that soft and romantic. Even though it seems negative and hateful." Nirvana's music was and is a powerful outlet for "dangerous" feelings that many people share, but find difficult to express. Empathy doesn't have to be hand-holding and hugs and sweet words. Empathy can be screaming and breaking things and saying what no one else has the guts to say, and doing it in front of the world: making yourself into an outlet valve for the collective pain of humanity. It's not glamorous. It didn't end well. All the sickness of Seattle, collectively - their opiate addictions, their suicidal depression, their homelessness, their passive-aggressiveness and social awkwardness - all collected like drops of rain in Kurt's wide-open soul and weighed him down so much he collapsed in on himself. He had his own pain to deal with and humans can only take so much. To paraphrase the Kinks, "He should have been made of iron or steel, but he was only made of flesh and blood." And yet, somehow, despite, or rather because of, everything he was going through internally, Kurt managed pretty often to be a kind and empathetic human being. Which is why so many people go out of their way to visit this little secluded corner of reality to pay their respects: because he paid some respect to us. "If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do this one favor for us -- leave us the fuck alone! Don't come to our shows and don't buy our records." There is much to learn here for anyone who wants to be remembered, and remembered well, after they are gone. It makes me sad that the city of Seattle is too snobby and cheap to commission a proper memorial statue to place in the park, where fans can direct their tributes. A few wooden benches, appropriated for the purpose, are not an adequate memorial for one of us who contributed so much. I saw a rather nice DIY mural of Kurt in the city while I was there, soon to be erased, and a lovely private one, in a shop. Why not commission a proper public one? Liverpool has fully embraced its Beatletude, and I think Seattle needs to fully embrace the Nirvanafication that has happened to it. Stop resisting. I think the park is an ideal site for a real memorial, as it has a peaceful, quiet, yet powerful energy, generated by the enormous trees who live there, and by the nearby presence of a large body of water. Kurt died just a short distance away, but the place feels much more alive and in motion than that reality would suggest, due to the constant influx of people who come to that very spot out of love. Viretta Park is well worth a visit if you give a damn. I do. read more
Definitely worth going to if you love Nirvana or Kurt Cobain. I was actually surprised on how small and simple it was...but thinking about it I think Kurt would have approved of it. And there was tiny little daisies growing all around which added to the experience. And probably it is granted that if you show up there, there will be others there to reminisce with. read more
9 years ago
Smells like teen spirit. Drove through a fancy neighborhood filled with big green trees, extravagant homes, and beautiful lakes surrounding it. Chills ran down my spine as soon as we drove up to the park. There alone you can spot the bench filled with lyrics and words for Kurt Cobain. Right across from the bench you can see his home. Take a moment and leave your mark. read more
Viretta Park is definitely a must go to spot for those who are devout Nirvana fans or any individual who likes to take a stroll down rock music history by going to locations of events that happened to musicians over the years. I was in my 20's when I heard of the suicide of Kurt Cobain. I was in Colorado at the time but had I lived in Washington at the time, in the Seattle are where I do now I probably would have attended the vigils that took place. And I like to tell myself before the tragedy that I would have went to Nirvana's early shows to prove to myself that my musical tastes were of the underground sort. Maybe they are maybe they aren't. Kurt's death had quite an impact on me, like it did many from my generation. There were lots of promising artists and more established ones that passed away during this time (like Brandon Lee for example). In honor of those that passed away too soon I dropped daisies off a river bridge to make closure of such sad events back in 1994. Viretta Park is right by the residence where Kurt Cobain passed away in and therefore the park has become more or less a memorial park unofficially to the musician. Especially one particular bench where Kurt apparently once sat. There is another bench there as well which also bears lamentations. There is etchings, writing and spray paint on the fence separating the house from the park as well. As far as parks go in of themselves and aside from the memorial aspect it is pretty basic. There is no playground equipment or anything like that there. There are a couple of paths. One goes to the fence that divides the house and the park and another path that goes up a hill which takes you to the driveway of a residence in which you can walk out to some neighborhood streets I imagine. There is also stairs by this driveway where you can go down back to the park too. So if you are looking for a excitable park for children this probably isn't it but if you want to give your respects to a great musician, leave a memento, quietly do lamentation to the situation that unfolded here in 1994 or for historical value then this is definitely a place to visit. read more
8 years ago
7 years ago
Paid our respects to the Legend. I remember the day he died, so much sadness for his fans. My dad loved him, blasted his music every day at home when we were teens. I will always have a place in my heart for Nirvana and 90s alternative brings back so many memories for me and my teen years. I'm so glad I got to bring my kids here, a new generation who appreciates his talent. read more
14 years ago
11 years ago
I've lived in Seattle for almost 10 years now and had never before stopped by this morbidly famous site. Kurt and Courtney's old house, the spot where Kurt took his life (unless you're into the conspiracy theories about his death) and Viretta Park are right beside each other along Lake Washington Boulevard. Viretta Park is a tiny little lot that has only two benches, one of which is used as a shrine to Kurt. On the 21st anniversary of his death, I found the time to go to the house and the park next door. These days, the house is hidden mostly by vegetation and a big front gate. The above-garage apartment / greenhouse where Kurt took his life was demolished back in 1996. You can get a little closer to the house by walking down a well-worn path in the park, but there still isn't much to see from there. The bench is probably the only real "site" to see. Seattle parks repaints the bench, but it doesn't take long for it to fill up again with Kurt's lyrics, photos of Kurt, fan letters, flowers, picks and graffiti. The closest relic of those days comes in the form of this tree, which someone had carved "RIP" and the date into - sometime in either 1997 or 1998. The tree hasn't yet fully healed, much like the fans visiting the bench today - still listening to the music and wondering "what if." read more
7 years ago
If your a Kurt fan this is a must stop when visiting Seattle. The park was so nice and the people who live there are very welcoming. Visitors who come by to see Kurt's house always leave a little something behind on the bench. read more
To some it's just a tagged bench, to others it represents a huge genre of music and encompasses the history of one Seattleite that left a big mark on the world. Definitely worth a stop by if you're in town. The neighborhood is beautiful and so is the gate of Kurt's former house! You may even catch some clever lyrics, notes and props left to pay homage. It does look like they re-paint every so often as the names and dates were all fairly recent. read more
This is a small, hidden, private park in the Madona/Lechi neighborhood mostly well known for its adjacency to Kurt Cobain's last Seattle residence. The house where he committed suicide is vaguely visibile from the park itself. The park itself is rather small and consists of a couple park benches under a shaded friendly redwood that overlooks Lake Washington. Many visitors have left a note of thanks and tribute to their favorite Seattle rocker. It's a peaceful quiet park within walking distance to Denny Blaine Park just down the hill. The only reason I give it 4 out of 5 stars is because parking is pretty inconvenient in the area and if you miss the park it may take a while to find a reasonable turnaround spot. Of course, this is really no fault of the park. That said, best bet for parking is at Denny Blaine Park and just walk uphill about a quarter mile. read more
9 years ago
10 years ago
I parked on 39th and John, the entrance to Viretta Park. From there I took the stairs down to the bench. Good views of Kurt's house from 39th and the stairs. read more
14 years ago
Definitely worth the trip if you're in Seattle and were a Nirvana fan. The house is pretty hidden by trees and a gate but if you walk up a little dirt path to the left of the house by the bench you can get a pretty good look at Kurt's former house where he was found murdered (yes). Two benches with lots of notes and flowers from fans. Overall a sad and heavy feeling here so we didn't stay long. read more
13 years ago
It was the most beautiful little park that had a perfect view of Kurt's former house. I went with my family after 19 years of always wanting to live in Washington and now we are living here. My son even wrote Kurt's name on the bench it was a very special day read more
12 years ago
10 years ago
Child of the 80s/90s? Or just a music fan? If you find yourself in Seattle, visiting Kurt Cobain's Seattle house & his memorial bench is a MUST!!! I sat on his bench for 30 minutes listening to BLEACH ... the experience was chilling & surreal. There's a dirt path to the left of his house that gives you a better view. Park on "top" of the park and take the stairs down into the park / memorial bench. read more
8 years ago
8 years ago
16 years ago
This was probably my favourite part of my Seattle visit. We drove all the way there in our rental van based on some half-hearted directions and the pictures I saw on this site. I recognized the house right away, but we didn't see the bench because we were coming from the other direction. As half of my party gave up hope, I went and asked a local jogger, and she pointed out "a bench" but she had no idea what it meant or that it was Kurt Cobain's house. "Lady, that' Kurt's bench!" "How do you know that?" "The internet." "Did you come all the way from Canada just to see it?" "No." She was friendly despite her ignorance and I was THRILLED beyond belief at all of the love that was there, in poetry, scribbles, gifts, candles, and marijuana leafs. I could have stayed for hours :) read more
12 years ago
This bench is awesome, being a fan for so long and finally getting to come here was a real treat for me... THE house is gorgeous and practically the same as when Kurt lived there and the bench is a really great place to read messages left by other fans and sit and think about Kurt.. IT'S a little tricky to find but so worth it once you're there... read more
13 years ago
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