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Kurt Cobain Memorial Park and Landing in Aberdeen, WA: a Photo Essay


Photo May 30, 4 39 35 PM

Underneath the Young Street Bridge in Aberdeen 

If you are looking for things to do on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and a music fan, a stop in Aberdeen at the Kurt Cobain Memorial Park (also known as Kurt Cobain Landing) is a no-brainer.

Photo May 30, 4 37 33 PM

Kurt Cobain Riverfront Park signage

 I am a huge music fan, and grunge is one of my favorite genres. I recently watched the HBO Documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is the incredibly innovative use of animation. The animation about Aberdeen is very compelling, and extremely grim.

Photo May 30, 4 36 38 PM

Statue of a left handed guitar

Two of Washington state’s most famous guitarists, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, were left-handed. To honor these hometown lefties,  Seattle’s Hard Rock Cafe‘s neon guitar sign is upside down. Hendrix played a normal guitar upside down and restrung it backwards.

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Nirvana-inspired street art underneath the bridge

Cobain lived just a few blocks from the Young Street Bridge and spent time under it. It’s referred to in the Nirvana song Something in the Way.

Something in the Way from MTV’s Nirvana: Unplugged

Nirvana Unplugged is the perfect soundtrack for a road trip to Aberdeen. Listening to that album, which holds up incredibly well after more than twenty years, made me realize just how very talented Cobain was. It’s not just the powerful lyrics and haunting melodies. It made me respect Cobain for his ability to translate the vibe of this depressed former logging town into music.

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Plaque on Kurt Cobain Guitar Statue

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Tributes in Kurt Cobain Riverfront Park

Now street art and tributes to Cobain decorate the space under the bridge, and the green space next to it has been converted into a lovely green space filled with statues and plaques honoring Aberdeen’s most famous export.

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Sweet street art tribute to Cobain created by a fan

Aberdeen feels like a town that Walmart killed. The downtown is mostly shuttered mom and pop shops, while newer construction strip malls and recreation marijuana shops line the streets that lead to more affluent Olympia.

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Aberdeen’s favorite son

Kurt Cobain Landing is compact and worth a stop for music fans. Visiting Kurt Cobain Landing left me with a newfound respect for this wildly talented musician.

Kurt Cobain Landing 

near the Young Street Bridge

1100 block of E. 2nd Street

Aberdeen, WA 98520