Seattle, Washington - The Emerald City

Seattle, Washington is located in the far northwestern corner of the United States, if you don't consider

 

© Mike Leco / USATourist.com

Washington's ferry system has routes to the larger islands in the Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, British Columbia

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 Alaska. It is approximately 100 miles south of the Canadian border, nearly 3000 miles west of New York City and over 1000 miles north of Los Angeles, California. The city is situated on a series of low hills overlooking the deep-water harbor of Puget Sound about 75 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. It is nearly surrounded by water with Puget Sound on the west, Lake Washington a few miles to the east and Lake Union connecting them across the north.

Seattle is in the midst of some spectacular natural scenery

On clear days the Cascade Mountains are visible on the eastern horizon and the Olympic Mountains loom across the Sound to the west. The snowcapped volcanic peak of Mount Rainier dominates the southern view. This city is set in the midst of some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the USA.

The climate is surprisingly mild this far north. Warm currents off the Pacific Coast tend to moderate the local weather. Summers are never very hot and winters are not very cold. Little snow falls in the city. Seattle is often called the rainy city, but that is not accurate. The city does not receive a lot of rain, but it does get about 220 days of cloud cover every year, and most of the rain occurs during the winter months. Sunshine and blue skies can be rare from October through March.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport or Sea-Tac is located about 10 miles south of downtown Seattle just west of Interstate route 5. Transportation to downtown is available for $7.50 via express buses.

Accommodations in Seattle

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Seattle Center is a popular attraction

Seattle Center, dominated by the 605-feet high Space Needle, is located 1 mile north of downtown and is easily accessible via a short Monorail ride. For sixteen dollars, you can take an elevator to the top and appreciate a spectacular view of the city with its surrounding lakes and mountains. Seattle Center is also the location of the Pacific Science Center, the Children's Museum, the Children's Theater, the Opera House, the Bagley Wright Theatre, the Seattle Center Playhouse, the Key Arena and the new Experience Music Project. It also contains an amusement park, a video arcade, a fast food gallery and an assortment of shops.

© Mike Leco / USATourist.com
Pike Place Market is a famous attraction in Seattle. Overlooking Elliot Bay, the market features local produce and seafood stands as well as unique shops and restaurants.

Pike Place Market is located at the western edge of the central downtown area overlooking the Puget Sound waterfront. It offers an array of shops, kiosks and vendors selling fresh seafood, vegetables, flowers and all sorts of wonderful gifts. It is renowned for its flying fish market, where the seafood vendors toss their sales over the heads of amused spectators. The market also contains many restaurants, specialty shops and those ubiquitous Seattle coffee houses.

The Waterfront is just below Pike Place Market

The Seattle waterfront is located at the bottom of the hill just behind Pike Place Market. Many of the old fishing piers have been converted to restaurants, specialty shopping malls and tourist attractions. The Seattle Aquarium is here. Michelle says it is worth the price of admission just to see the adorable live sea otters. An Omni-Max theater offers an interesting view of the 1980 eruption of nearby Mount Saint Helens. Argosy Harbor Tours depart from a waterfront dock and provide a wonderful way to see the city from a different perspective. You can also find speedboat tours, sailing ship excursions and para-sailing adventures along the waterfront. There are some excellent seafood restaurants in this neighborhood.

Pioneer Square Historical District is just a short walk south of the Pike Place Market and the waterfront. This neighborhood contains many restored Victorian structures. It includes art galleries, antique shops, boutiques, a great bookstore and a lot of bistros, sidewalk cafes and bars. A great picturesque totem pole and a bronze statue of native chief Sealth adorn the square. An interesting underground tour of Seattle takes you beneath the streets and sidewalks surrounding Pioneer Square.