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| Ranking Among U.S. Cities / Regions: #10 |
| Venturers: 8 |
| Mid-Venturers: 10 |
| Centrics-Venturers: 10 |
| Centrics-Authentics: 8 |
| Mid-Authentics: 7 |
| Authentics: 7 |
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| • Seattle had the first “skid road” — the name referred to a road built to transport logs |
| • Despite its reputation, the city gets less rain than Mobile, Ala., or Miami |
| • Seattle boasts the highest percent of library cardholders of any U.S. city |
| • The name Seattle honors Chief Sealth, but the city’s first name was Duwamps |
| • Seattle has America’s tallest city hall (62 stories) |
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Port city extraordinaire
For outsiders, Seattle may be most famous for its coffee, but in fact the city is a haven for nature lovers, cyclists and cruise enthusiasts. The thriving port and miles of coastline make Seattle an ideal jumping-off point for travelers who want to explore the Northwest, western Canada and Alaska. In addition, wineries are springing up near the city, winning awards and offering organized tasting tours for visitors. Conventioneers make up a significant part of Seattle's visitor population, drawn by the city’s beauty and multiple things to do, its meeting facilities, and the area’s computer software and biotech industries.
About Seattle
Even Seattle's devotees will admit the city had an inauspicious beginning when settlers arrived in 1851 during one of the wettest winters on record. Fast forward to today and visitors find a thriving metropolis of nearly 570,000 and plenty of attractions to please the most finicky crowd. They also find a city where, yes, it rains sometimes, but the sun also makes a glorious show. Take note: Seattleites buy more sunglasses per capita than residents of any other U.S. city.
Part of Seattle’s success is attributable to the port which drew traders making their way along the Pacific Coast during the late 19th century. The city was almost totally destroyed in an 1889 fire, but resilient locals undertook a massive rebuild in what is today Pioneer Square, the centerpiece of sightseeing focused on Seattle history.
The arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s gave the fledgling city another shot in the arm, followed by the Klondike Gold Rush, which turned Seattle into an way station for prospectors and goods on their way to the Yukon.
In the early 20th century, the Army Corp of Engineers constructed the Lake Washington Ship Canal linking Lake Union to Puget Sound and beyond. The locks along the canal are a popular attraction for today’s visitors. Ditto for the city’s 50-mile Emerald Necklace system of parks, which lure cyclists and other lovers of the outdoors. If Seattle was not already on everyone’s mental map by then, the 1962 Seattle World's Fair put it there, and the Space Needle observation tower is still a draw for visitors from around the world.
Today, Seattle is known as the city of Boeing, Microsoft, Nordstrom and, of course, Starbucks. Innovations in art and music have left their mark, too. Most notably, the hugely popular Nirvana and Pearl Jam are credited with creating the grunge rock movement in the ’90s. And the port, responsible for so much of Seattle's early prosperity, is the largest in the Pacific Northwest, boasting two cruise terminals that bring 250,000 passengers to the city each year. They come, rainy days or no, and find a clean and safe city that nicely brackets their cruise experience.
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• Explore the city the way the locals do, by bicycle on 90 miles of signed bike routes.
• Rent a houseboat on Portage Bay, Lake Union or the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
• Buff up on Beatles and Pearl Jam lore with the Seattle Music Map, An
Insider's Guide to Seattle’s Music History. Buy the map once in town or download it from www.seattle.gov/music/map, and set off on your self-guided walking tour — which includes the hotel where the Beatles stayed during their 1964 world tour.
• Visit a few of the 30 wineries in Woodinville just outside Seattle, such as Chateau Ste.
Michelle and Columbia.
• Enjoy the wild nightlife in Pioneer Square, an area also known for its art galleries and Victorian architecture.
• Climb the 42-story circa 1914 Smith Tower, the tallest building west of the Mississippi until the construction of the 76-story Columbia Seafirst Center.
• Ride the Washington State Ferry System, the country's largest, which operates from 20 terminals, and feel free to bring your bike.
• Go kayaking or canoeing on Lake Union in the city, or venture into the waters around the San Juan Islands, about 80 miles north of Seattle, where lucky visitors might spot an orca (which is a dolphin, not a whale).
• Go fishing for salmon on Puget Sound through Puget Sound Sports Fishing, Inc. or Possession Point Fishing Charters.
• See the sights aboard a Kenmore Air floatplane or take a dinner flight to the restaurants on neighboring islands aboard Seattle Seaplanes.
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• Hit the high seas aboard one of the cruise ships that sail from Seattle’s port. There are an estimated 190 sailings annually.
• Spend a morning at the nine-block Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operated farmers market in the country.
• Take in the public art in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, including a 53-foot-tall rocket and a statue of Lenin.
• Join a tour at the Future of Flight Aviation Center, a commercial jet interpretive center with interactive exhibits on commercial aviation, a theater and a rooftop observation deck.
• Time your visit to coincide with some of the city's biggest annual festivals, such as the Seattle Arts Festival, the Seattle International Children's Festival and the Folklife art festival.
• Catch a game at Safeco Field, the ballpark for the Seattle Mariners, which protects against iffy weather with a retractable roof.
• Learn about the goings on in the city's waterfront at the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center at Pier 66, or hop aboard a sightseeing or dinner cruise, offered at Piers 55 and 56 via Argosy Cruises.
• Take the kids to the interactive Children's Museum, with exhibits such as Mindscape Technology Studio, Imagination Station — plus Discovery Bay for toddlers.
• Feed your inner music lover at the Experience Music Project, a Frank Gehry-designed museum that honors rock 'n' roll, jazz and hip-hop — and everything in between.
• Attend the Northwest Coast Native American stage show on nearby Blake Island, accessible by boat from Pier 55.
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• Savor a cup of java at the original Starbucks store in the Pike Place Market.
• Enjoy a Seattle Symphony concert at the S. Mark Taper Auditorium in Benaroya Hall.
• While away an afternoon at the Woodland Park Zoo, home to nearly 300 animal species and the oldest zoo on the West Coast.
• Take in the new nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Garden, with works by Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero and Richard Serra.
• See the sights from the waterfront, Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International district aboard a vintage trolley.
• Take in the Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, which includes everything from dinosaur skeletons to Native American totem poles.
• Pick up the new Seattle Native American Heritage Guide or the Artists' Guide to Seattle from the Seattle Convention & Visitor's Bureau for a self-guided tour.
• View the denizens of a new 120,000-gallon exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium, reopened in June 2007 after a $41 million redo.
• Steep yourself in culture at the Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Repertory Theatre.
• Visit the Pacific Science Center, which boasts the largest membership of any science center in the United States.
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For more information, consult the Seattle Convention and Visitor's Bureau at www.visitseattle.org
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