Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Way of Life
Surprisingly elegant in places and coolly edgy in others, Seattle is notable
for its technological savoir faire, passion for books, and dedicated army of
locavores harboring green credentials. Although it has fermented its own
pop culture in recent times, it has yet to create an urban mythology like
Paris or New York. But it is the future rather than the past that's more im-
portant here. Seattle's lifestyle is organic. Rather than trying to live up to
its history, it's defining what happens next.
To avoid faux pas, don't compare Seattle with Portland, don't say grunge (it's 'the Sub
Pop thing'), and don't mention the relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team
to Oklahoma.
What is a Seattleite?
Every city has its stereotypes and Seattle is no different. Those who have never been
here imagine it as a metropolis of casually dressed, latte- supping urbanites who drive
Priuses, vote Democrat, consume only locally grown food, and walk around with an un-
wavering diet of Nirvana-derived indie rock programmed into their i-players. To the
people who live here, the picture is a little more complex. Seattle has a rich multicultural
history and is home to Native American, African American, Asian American and grow-
ing Ethiopian American populations. Indeed, the city ranks 23rd among the 30 largest
US cities in terms of African American population, at 8.4% - higher than every West
Coast city except Los Angeles - and its Asian American population (13%) is even high-
er, 10% above the national average.
Living beneath overcast skies for much of the year, the locals brightened the mood by
opening up cafes, reasoning that drinking liberal doses of caffeine in a cozy social envir-
onment was more fun than hiking in the rain. Seattleites have reinvented coffee culture,
sinking into comfortable armchairs, listening to Ray Charles albums on repeat and nur-
turing mega-sized locally made coffee mugs large enough to last all day.
Seattle's geographic setting, a spectacular combination of mountains, ocean and tem-
perate rainforest, has earned it the moniker 'Emerald City.' When you look out your of-
fice window on sunny days and see broccoli- green Douglas fir trees framing a giant
glacier-covered volcano, it's not hard to feel passionate about protecting the environ-
