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Seattle Photos

All About Seattle

Imagine yourself sitting in a park on the Seattle waterfront, a double-tall latte and a marionberry scone close at hand. The snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains shimmer on the far side of Puget Sound, while ferryboats come and go across Elliott Bay. It's a summer day, and the sun is shining. (Hey, as long as we're dreaming, why not dream big?) It just doesn't get much better than this, unless, of course, you swap the latte for a microbrew and catch a 9:30pm summer sunset. No wonder people love this town so much.

Okay, so the waterfront is as touristy as San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, but what a view! Seattle is a city of views, and for many visitors, the must-see vista is the panorama from the top of the Space Needle. With the 21st century in full swing, this 1960s-vintage image of the future may look decidedly 20th-century retro, but still, it's hard to resist an expensive elevator ride in any city. You can even take a monorail straight out of The Jetsons to get there (and, en route, pass right through the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project).

EMP, as the Experience Music Project is known, is yet another of Seattle's architectural oddities. Its swooping, multicolored, metal-skinned bulk rises at the foot of the Space Needle, proof that real 21st-century architecture looks nothing like the vision of the future people dreamed of when the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair. EMP was the brainchild of Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who built this rock 'n' roll cathedral to house his vast collection of Northwest rock memorabilia. Housed inside the bizarre building, you'll also find Allen's Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (is this town a computer nerd's dream come true, or what?).

Allen's money has also been hard at work changing the architectural face of both the north and the south ends of downtown Seattle. At the south end, you'll find the state-of-the-art Qwest Field -- home to Allen's Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. Together with the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field, Qwest Field has created a massive sports-arena district at the south end of downtown. At the other end of downtown, near the south shore of Lake Union, Allen is busily creating the South Lake Union district of condominiums, offices, and retail spaces that are transforming what for years has been one of the city's most overlooked and underutilized close-in neighborhoods. There will even be a streetcar line connecting downtown Seattle with this new neighborhood. South Lake Union is also home to the Pan Pacific Hotel, which opened in late 2006 and is one of the prettiest and most luxurious hotels in Seattle.

Allen projects aside, Seattle is a vibrant city with a bustling downtown that has seen numerous big development projects in the past year. In mid-2007, the Seattle Art Museum had a grand reopening after a major renovation, redesign, and expansion that turned this art repository into a world-class museum. The long-awaited Olympic Sculpture Park also opened its doors in 2007. Located at the north end of the waterfront, this hillside sculpture park, with its monumental sculptures and its breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains, is unequaled in the Northwest not only for its collection of sculptures but also for its scale and landscaping. Still in the works is a light-rail system that will link the airport with downtown and other neighborhoods.

It's clear that Seattle has not grown complacent despite the ups and downs of the fickle high-tech industry from which the city now derives so much of its wealth. Sure, it has traffic congestion to rival that of L.A. And, yes, the weather really is lousy for most of the year. But Seattleites manage to overcome these minor inconveniences, in large part by spilling out into the streets and parks whenever the sun shines. To visit Seattle in the summer is to witness an exodus; follow the lead of the locals and head for the great outdoors. Should you brave a visit in the rainy season, don't despair: There are compensations for such misfortune, including a roof on Pike Place Market and an espresso bar on every block.

Water, Water Everywhere... & Forests & Mountains, Too

Over the years, through Boeing's booms and busts, the rise and fall of grunge, the coming and going of Frasier, and the bursting of the high-tech bubble economy, one thing has stayed the same here in Seattle: the beautiful and wild landscape that surrounds the city. The sparkling waters of Elliott Bay, Lake Union, and Lake Washington wrap around this city of shimmering skyscrapers, and forests of evergreens crowd the city limits. Everywhere you look, another breathtaking vista unfolds. With endless boating opportunities, and beaches and mountains within a few hours' drive, Seattle is ideally situated for the outdoor pursuits that are so important to the fabric of life in the Northwest.

Few other cities in the United States are as immersed in the outdoor aesthetic as Seattle. The Cascade Range lies less than 50 miles to the east of downtown Seattle, and across Puget Sound stand the Olympic Mountains. In the spring, summer, and fall, the forests and mountains attract hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, and campers, while in winter, the ski areas of Snoqualmie Pass, Stephens Pass, and Crystal Mountain draw snowboarders and skiers.

Though impressive mountains line the city's eastern and western horizons, a glance to the southeast on a sunny day will reveal Seattle's most treasured sight -- Mount Rainier, a 14,410-foot-tall dormant volcano that looms large, so unexpected that it demands your attention. When "the Mountain is out," as they say here in Seattle, Seattleites head for the hills.

However, as important as "the Mountain" is to Seattle, it is water that truly defines the city's character. And I don't mean water falling from the sky. To the west lies Elliott Bay, an arm of Puget Sound; to the east is Lake Washington; and right in the middle of the city is Lake Union. With so much water, Seattle has become a city of boaters, who take to the water in everything from regally appointed yachts to slender sea kayaks. Consequently, the opening day of boating season has become one of Seattle's most popular annual festivals.

However, Seattle is perhaps best known as the coffee capital of America. To understand Seattle's coffee addiction, it is necessary to study the city's geography and climate. Seattle lies at almost 50 degrees north latitude, which means that winter days are short. The sun comes up around 7:30am, goes down as early as 4:30pm, and is frequently hidden behind leaden skies. A strong stimulant is almost a necessity to get people out of bed through the gray days of winter. Seattleites love to argue over which espresso bar or cafe in town serves the best coffee (and the answer isn't always Starbucks, despite the famous coffee company's global expansion from its humble beginnings in Seattle).

So, pack your travel mug and your rain jacket, and, just for good measure, don't forget your sunglasses (who knows, you might get lucky). You can leave the suit and the Italian shoes at home; remember, this is a city that turned casual Fridays into a way of life. Now, for a few more tips on how to get the most out of your visit to Seattle, peruse these listings of some of Seattle's best.

Frommer's Unlimited © 2009 Wiley Publishing

Events in Seattle

Green Festival

Pike Place Market

Frommer's Unlimited © 2009 Whatsonwhen Ltd