An engaging and energetic combination of scenic beauty, blue-collar grit, and high-tech panache has made Seattle one of the most popular cities in the United States, for visitors and residents alike. A young city, historically and demographically, Seattle has managed to preserve much of its heavy industrial heritage as parks and museums, if not as economic engines. The eco-conscious, civic-minded city spreads over a series of hills, surrounded by the waters of Puget Sound (be sure to ride a ferry or two!), with a backdrop of the snow-capped Cascade and Olympic Mountains. The evergreen Seattle can be an entrancing city—at least when the sun comes out, which no matter what people say is likely to happen at least once during your stay.
The heart of downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market is a raucous fish, crafts, and farmers market with some 250 different stalls and stores filling a 1930s municipal-feeling building that steps along the waterfront. For a respite from the hubbub, head two blocks south to the postmodern Seattle Art Museum (closed Mon.; $7; 206/654-3100), 100 University Street, and enjoy the amazing collection of regional Native American art and artifacts on display. Downtown’s other piece of noteworthy new architecture is the shiny Seattle Central Library, a fantastic (and free!) high-tech public space whose multi-faceted glass diamond exterior steps down between Fifth and Fourth Avenues.
Microsoft millionaire Paul Allen has indulged his taste for Space Age adventure by subsidizing the private rocketship SpaceShipOne, and closer to home by renovating the world’s last intact Cinerama Theatre (206/441-3080), an early 1960s icon at 2100 Fourth Avenue.
At the south edge of downtown, a half-mile from the Pike Place Market, the 30-block Pioneer Square historic district preserves the original core of the city, which boomed in the late 1890s with the Klondike Gold Rush. Another essential place-to-go is the Seattle Center (206/684-8582), north of downtown at Broad Street and 5th Avenue North, built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Take the elevator to the top of the landmark Space Needle, or ride the Windstorm roller coaster, bumper cars, or a dozen other funfair attractions at the summer-only Fun Forest (noon–midnight; pay-per-ride). The Seattle Center is also home to the intriguing Experience Music Project (206/367-5483), a hand’s-on musical exploration and living memorial to the city’s native-born guitar genius, Jimi Hendrix. A don’t-miss photo opportunity: A statue of Chief Seattle with the Space Needle rising behind him.
Spectators enjoy downtown views and Puget Sound sunsets at SAFECO Field ballpark, south of Pioneer Square, where the Seattle Mariners (206/346-4001) play.
