  We present Spitzer IRS spectra (R ~600, 10 - 38 micron) of 38 positions in
the Galactic Center (GC), all at the same Galactic longitude and spanning
plus/minus 0.3 degrees in latitude. Our positions include the Arches Cluster,
the Arched Filaments, regions near the Quintuplet Cluster, the ``Bubble'' lying
along the same line-of-sight as the molecular cloud G0.11-0.11, and the diffuse
interstellar gas along the line-of-sight at higher Galactic latitudes. From
measurements of the [O IV], [Ne II], [Ne III], [Si II], [S III], [S IV], [Fe
II], [Fe III], and H_2 S(0), S(1), and S(2) lines we determine the gas
excitation and ionic abundance ratios. The Ne/H and S/H abundance ratios are ~
1.6 times that of the Orion Nebula. The main source of excitation is
photoionization, with the Arches Cluster ionizing the Arched Filaments and the
Quintuplet Cluster ionizing the gas nearby and at lower Galactic latitudes
including the far side of the Bubble. In addition, strong shocks ionize gas to
O^{+3} and destroy dust grains, releasing iron into the gas phase (Fe/H ~ 1.3
times 10^{-6} in the Arched Filaments and Fe/H ~ 8.8 times 10^{-6} in the
Bubble). The shock effects are particularly noticeable in the center of the
Bubble, but O$^{+3}$ is present in all positions. We suggest that the shocks
are due to the winds from the Quintuplet Cluster Wolf-Rayet stars. On the other
hand, the H_2 line ratios can be explained with multi-component models of warm
molecular gas in photodissociation regions without the need for H_2 production
in shocks.
