Seattle - The Emerald
City!
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Located in the center of
western Washington and on the eastern shore of
Puget Sound, Seattle lies in a spectacular
setting between the sound and the Cascade
Mountains. In recent years, Seattle has become
protective of its place in the Pacific
Northwest. Less than 150 years old, it's a young
city straining at its boundaries, but with no
major urban sprawl due to the felicitous
geography of hills, lakes, and those green,
green forests.
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What To See and Do
It's a city with historical markers,
including the early settlement by coastal Indians; then
Scandinavian loggers and fur traders; the great fire of
1889 that nearly destroyed the complete downtown
district; and the frenzied gold rush stampede of 1897 and
1898 which saw thousand of adventurers leave from Seattle
for the Yukon and Alaska. The 1962 World's Fair brought
Seattle into being as a major metropolitan center, and
kick-started the cultural and economic life of the whole
urban area that is spread across King County, including
major adjoining cities including Redmond, Bellevue, and
Everett.
The city is well known for its abundant
rainfall, yet the amount of rain that falls here yearly
is less than that in the major eastern U.S. cities. It's
the mist effect that makes it seem like so much more. And
it's the rain and mist that provide the verdant setting
for this sparkling city, nestled between Puget Sound and
Lake Washington.
Downtown
The business district is centered around
Fifth Avenue, Pine, and Olive, with major department
stores, including the original Nordstrom, Frederick and
Nelson, and The Bon Marché. There's a trade and
convention center -- built over Interstate 5 -- which
contains the area's Visitor Information Bureau.
Westlake Mall, between Pine and Olive, is a
shopping and office complex at the east end of the
downtown monorail line that connects downtown to the
Seattle Center. The monorail is not working at this time,
waiting for repairs.
Seattle Center
This cultural complex is the city's lasting
benefit from the World's Fair. This public space --
parkland, the Pacific Science Center, an arena, the
superb Rock & Roll Museum, a 40,000 square foot
exhibition hall, and the Space Needle tower -- was the
site of the fair and is the present-day location of
festivals, athletic events, international art exhibits,
restaurants, and shops. It's the site of the Folklife
(folk music) Festival (held in May), and the unique
Bumbershoot Festival which features hundreds of
performers of all musical genres, along with crafts and
art shows each Labor Day weekend. A visit to Seattle
isn't complete without visiting this great urban
space.
Pike Place Market
The wonderful farmers' market has to be the
soul of the city. The historic jumble of buildings --
perched on the Elliot Bay escarpment -- has what is
probably America's finest urban market, as well as
seafood stores, cafes, shops, and housing, on what seems
to be a myriad of levels. This is the oldest continuously
operating farmers' market in the U.S. A series of
staircases descends to the downtown Seattle
Waterfront.
Waterfront
Spread along Alaskan Way, the waterfront is
serviced by the city's only remaining street car line.
The rails begin at Pioneer Square, in the original 1800s
historic district. The piers which once saw ships loaded
with Klondike gold rush stampeders sailing for Alaska and
the Yukon now house distinctive seafood restaurants and
cafes -- several with outdoor patios. City attractions
include the Seattle Aquarium, summer concerts,
souvenir shops, and the busy Washington State Ferry
Terminal, at the Coleman Pier. A hotel is located on
one of the piers with waterside rooms. The unique
Waterfront Park has no grass, but a waterfall
fountain, viewpoints, benches, and picnic areas.
Myrtle Edwards Park -- at the north end of the
waterfront -- is linked to the Elliot Bay Bikeway, a
promenade to a fishing pier.
Pioneer Square District
Here are wonderfully-restored buildings
constructed after the great fire of 1889, containing art
galleries, bookstores, restaurants, clubs, taverns, and
The Underground. After the fire, the whole
downtown district was raised a whole story, to correct
the terrible drainage, and the old streets and some
buildings are still there. A tour takes you underground
to a warren of old shops lit by filtered sun from
skylights. Pioneer Place Park has a distinctive
pergola built of wrought iron and a 60-foot Tlingit totem
pole honors the memory of Chief Seattle. His bust is also
on display in the park. The Elliot Bay Book Company, on
First Avenue, is the city's largest independent
bookstore, with it own basement cafe. The store is one of
the city's prime landmarks. And for good reason --
Seattle residents are considered to be the nation's most
serious readers and buyers of books.
Seattle Art Museum
The latest expansion of the Seattle Art
Museum has made this institution a major player in the
Northwestern art world and among Seattle's top tourist
attractions. In January 2007, the spectacular Olympic
Sculpture Park opened along Seattle's waterfront. In
May, the expanded downtown museum headquarters opened,
providing much more space for its modern art exhibits.
The third part of the operation is its Seattle Asian
Museum, SAM's original building, opened in 1933,
located in Volunteer Park. The newer and now much
expanded downtown museum is located at 1300 First Avenue.
Admission is free on the first Thursday of each
month.
Where to Eat
One could spend a whole week or two just
eating in the Seattle area, with a different superb
restaurant for every meal: seafood cafes along the
waterfront, and in the suburbs, in some of the country's
finest gourmet restaurants and hotel dining rooms, and
even on a scenic train ride
in the Mount Rainier Foothills. Perhaps the following
listing will help you decide.
There are two hotel dining rooms that
deserve reverent attention. The dining room of the
Alexis Hotel is a small intimate restaurant with
flawless service and fine cuisine. It is fully matched by
the dining room in the downtown Sheraton Hotel.
Over the years, the restaurant has won a nationwide
reputation for its fresh Pacific Northwest cuisine,
featuring local seafood, plus an extensive wine list.
The Bookstore Bar and Cafe, at 1007
1st Ave., is next to the Alexis Hotel's First Avenue
entrance, and is a fine alternative to the hotel dining
room for more modest meals, and libations.
Not in the same league are several
waterfront cafes, but they are fun places to visit,
and the food is generally good. Ivar's Acres of Clams
and several other restaurants around town are the legacy
of the late, colorful Ivar Haglund. Ivar's is joined on
the waterfront by several other seafood places, which
include outdoor patio and pier dining on Elliot Bay.
The cafes in Pike Place Market are
inexpensive places to eat, with views of Elliot Bay.
Union Square Grill, near the Convention Center,
downtown, features a long bar with an astonishing variety
of beers (draft and bottled) in its bar, with the fancy
grill next door.
Metropolitan Grill, 820 2nd Avenue,
is in the financial district, offering the best steaks in
town, in a superb setting -- a former bank building. The
service is swift and discrete, and the menu also includes
pasta and other dishes. But the steaks are what draws
people here. Reservations are urged. Call (206)
624-3287.
Anthony's Pier 66, at 2201 Alaskan
Way, on the waterfront, serves seafood with Northwest and
Asian touches. The restaurant has a great view.
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, 2033 6th
Avenue, is the longtime jazz club near downtown and
Seattle Center. The food is a mix of Italian and Greek,
and top names play and sing here.
