Something's afoot by the water, and we don't mean Elliott Bay. When the Seattle Aquarium debuted its new Ocean Pavilion in August, it was a spectacular achievement—on the inside. Now, Friday's grand opening of the surrounding Overlook Walk completes downtown's newest evolution. In short, now's finally the time to finally visit.

Think of the Overlook Walk as a pedestrian reimagining of the long-dead Viaduct. A City of Seattle park suspended over Elliott Way, it connects Pike Place Market's MarketFront (say that five times fast) with the waterfront sidewalk. It includes seating and native greenery on the roof of the new aquarium building as well as steps and an elevator.

The Ocean Pavilion itself is a notable addition to the area; its 50,000 square feet increases the Seattle Aquarium size by 50 percent. What's more, it has the swagger of new, light-filled construction, a contrast to the cavern-like building on Piers 59 and 60. For all the charm of the touch tanks and indoor-outdoor flow of the otter and sea lion exhibits, the 47-year-old aquarium feels newly thrust into the twenty-first century with the addition.

It helps that the new space is all about the Coral Triangle, so there's a strong sense of the sunny South Pacific inside. (Kind of like a quick trip to Tahiti.) Its big multistory tank—the Reef—has spotted eagle rays, brightly colored fish, and a funky looking bowmouth guitarfish that resembles a Dr. Seuss character. Altogether, it'll have more than a hundred species.

But the Overlook Walk grand opening also reveals a notable aspect of the new building: a public-facing window. While aquarium admission is required to get inside, everyone gets a peek at the Reef through the 17-foot opening. Though the aquarium expects a visitor bump with their expansion (remember that Washington residents get a discount), the public window reinforces the institution's educational identity, and the sustainable construction and recycling water systems speak to its environmental goals. The city, a major contributor to the funding, owns the building.

All together, it feels like the city is finally getting a taste of the reimagined downtown that the Viaduct removal was supposed to herald. Locals know how to snake down hidden stairwells from Pike Place Market to the waterfront, but it was never pretty. While the Overlook Walk will undoubtedly fill with tourists, its fall debut means that locals will get to break it in—before next cruise season washes up on our shores.