Nirvanapalooza

Following in the Seattle Footsteps of Kurt Cobain, Grunge and All

Nirvana's first Seattle performance took place at The Vogue nightclub on April 24, 1988. (By Paul Iorio)

In the eight years since his death, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's stature and influence as a rock icon have only grown.

Today, Cobain and his band are enjoying something of a revival, what with the debut last month of "You Know You're Right," a previously unreleased Nirvana song, and the publication last week of "Kurt Cobain: The Journals" (Riverhead Books), a compilation of the musician's personal writings. And in the coming weeks and months, new albums by Nirvana will be put out by Interscope Records.

But in Seattle, where Cobain lived his last years, Nirvana has never really gone away, particularly for the many tourists who have treated the city like a grunge Liverpool since his suicide. Here's a guide to some of Seattle's key Cobain landmarks.

Cobain's House (171 Lake Washington Blvd. E)
This is the million-dollar-plus mansion in the Madrona district where the 27-year-old Cobain died on April 5, 1994, when he shot himself in a greenhouse that has since been torn down. Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love (who no longer lives there), moved into the three-story, century-old house in January 1994, paying $7,000 a month for rent, according to "Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain," by Charles M. Cross.

Though he died in a city full of Nirvana fans, Cobain's body wasn't found for three days – and only then by a stranger, an electrician who'd come to work on the house.

From downtown, take the No. 2 bus from Third Avenue and Union Street to the last stop and walk north along the lake. Driving directions are at www.mapquest.com; parking is available nearby.

Viretta Park (next to Cobain's house)
The park is the closest thing there is to a Cobain gravesite (he was cremated and his ashes were scattered elsewhere). Viretta's benches are covered with fan graffiti, ranging from the irreverent ("Death with violence – excitement right here") to the poignant ("I wish I could've meet [sic] you") to the intimate ("Alysia and Egan love you"), along with a few anti-Courtney missives. The scrawlings continue along the stairway that leads to the top of the park, where you'll find the best views of the house.

The Crocodile Cafe (2200 Second Ave.)
The Croc, a club-restaurant-bar, has a reputation as the CBGB of grunge, though no single club really qualifies as the musical movement's launch pad. The club, which opened about five months before the September 1991 release of Nirvana's breakthrough blockbuster, "Nevermind," is often erroneously perceived as the center of Nirvana-mania, even though the band played the club only once – as an unannounced opening act for Mudhoney on Oct. 4, 1992. For the gig, the Croc was given detailed instructions, including: "Ultra-expensive mikes have no place on a Nirvana stage. Have spares ready."

Today, the Croc is still Seattle's premier new-music venue, a nearly 500-seater in the Belltown neighborhood.

Information: 206-441-5611, www.crocodilecafe.com.

Sub Pop Records (original location at 1932 First Ave.; currently at 2514 Fourth Ave., between Vine and Wall streets)
Sub Pop is the independent record label that recorded some of the first releases by grunge bands. Its first Nirvana offering was the 1988 single "Love Buzz," followed by the 1989 album "Bleach." The indie issued a few more Nirvana singles before major label Geffen/DGC signed the group in 1991.

For a glimpse of the early grunge landscape, visit the company's original digs on First Avenue, where you can see in one glance the Moore Theater (see below) and the former site of the Vogue (see below). Sub Pop's current offices have window displays featuring pictures and posters from past and present acts like Nirvana, Beat Happening and Sunny Day Real Estate.

Information: www.subpop.com.

Experience Music Project
Experience Music Project, a rock-and-roll museum in a building designed by Frank Gehry, has a grunge exhibit that includes lyrics to Cobain's songs (including "Downer"), one of his guitars, posters for the band's early shows and other memorabilia.

To the west of EMP, near the International Fountain, is another Cobain site: the park where the public memorial for the rocker was held on April 10, 1994. The vigil attracted around 5,000 mourners and is perhaps best remembered for Love's taped reading of – and commentary on – her husband's suicide note.

EMP is at 325 Fifth Ave. N., near the Seattle Center, site of the Space Needle and other landmarks. Admission $19.95. Information: 877-367-5483, www.emplive.com.

The OK Hotel Cafe (212 Alaskan Way S.)
The club, now shuttered due to earthquake damage, is where Nirvana first publicly performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit," on April 17, 1991. The OK was also one of the settings in Cameron Crowe's 1992 film "Singles." Sadly, the brick building is now boarded up and braced, and the club's gone, apparently for good – but you can see the cafe's sign at EMP.

Take the Waterfront Streetcar along Alaskan Way to the South Washington Street station.

The Central Tavern (207 First Ave.)
According to sources, this is where Nirvana was booked to perform in Seattle for the first time. The Central scheduled the band for April 17, 1988, but the group walked out because nobody showed up, say club employees. (A week later, the group's first actual Seattle performance took place at the Vogue; see below.) The group had better luck at the Central on June 5, 1988, performing a showcase that persuaded Sup Pop execs to sign the band, according to the Cross book.

The Central, around the block from the OK Hotel in the Pioneer Square area, a hotbed of grunge in the late '80s and early '90s, changed its focus to the blues in the '90s. Today, it's returned to its rock roots.

Information: 206-622-0209, www.centralsaloon.com.

The Vogue (original location at 2018 First Ave.; currently at 1516 11th Ave.)
Nirvana's first Seattle performance took place at this club on April 24, 1988. Though only a handful of people attended, Cobain was so nervous he vomited in the parking lot, according to the Cross book.

In 1999, the Vogue moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood, where it now presents dance, techno and rock shows. Its original building in Belltown is a clothing store/hair salon called Vain that's near many shops and eateries.

Information: 206-324-5778, www.vogueseattle.com.

Moore Theater (1932 Second Ave.)
Nirvana played the Moore relatively early in the band's career, opening for Mudhoney and Tad on June 9, 1989, while promoting its first album. A year later it opened for Sonic Youth, an early and avid champion of the band.

The Moore, the next big step up for bands graduating from clubs like the Crocodile, continues to showcase top new-music acts and other performers.

Information: 206-467-5510, www.theparamount.com/moore.html.

Re-bar (1114 Howell St.)
This downtown dance-cabaret-rock venue was the scene of the tumultuous release party for "Nevermind" on Sept. 13, 1991, from which the band was bounced because of unruly behavior (the club's co-owner says the guests of honor were drunk and throwing food). Nirvana had the last laugh, though: The album, reportedly expected to sell about 50,000 copies, went on to move more than 10 million units, making it one of the best-selling rock records of all time.

Information: 206-233-9873.