Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Seattle
POP 634,535
Why Go?
Combine the brains of Portland with the beauty of Vancouver and you'll get something
approximating Seattle. It's hard to believe that the Pacific Northwest's largest metropolis
was considered a 'secondary' US city until the 1980s, when a combination of bold innova-
tion and unabashed individualism turned it into one of the dot-com era's biggest trendset-
ters, spearheaded by an unlikely alliance of coffee-supping computer geeks and navel-gaz-
ing musicians. Reinvention is the buzzword these days in a city where alt-rock still reson-
ates and grassroots microbusinesses compete with global brands. Surprisingly elegant in
places and coolly edgy in others, Seattle is notable for its strong neighborhoods, locavore
food, outlandish public art and proactive city mayors who harbor green credentials. Lord-
ing over it all is Mt Rainier, Seattle's unifying symbol, a 14,411ft mass of rock and ice that
acts as a perennial reminder to the city's huddled masses that raw wilderness is never far
away.
When to Go
Jun-Aug Perfect weather and some of Seattle's best festivals - book ahead.
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