Travel Blog

Photo Credit: www.gsea.org

Seattle, WA, the home of Microsoft and Starbucks, may be the cloudiest large city in the nation, but it’s certainly not close to the most boring. It’s one of the oldest areas of the country where civilization has been proven to live, over 4,000 years old, and is now one of the top metropolitan cities in the country.

This birthplace to people like Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain has an interesting history. Only 96 miles from Canada, its location has proven to be a great resting spot for travelers from Asia and Canada, and was probably a great spot throughout history for travelers going back and forth through the Alaskan Peninsula. It’s also more temperate than its location might suggest, being protected from much of the Arctic Air by the Olympic Mountains and the warming influence of the Pacific Ocean.

Its most famous landmark is the Space Needle, which was created for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition. It’s surrounded by the Seattle Center, where many events are held, including concerts, and it was the home of the Seattle Supersonics, who has now moved to another city. The Seattle Center also contains the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Mercer Arena, the Pacific Science Center, and one of the city’s official landmarks, the Kobe Bell.

Seattle has the tallest building in the northwest in the Columbia Center, which is 76 stories high and the fourth tallest building west of the Mississippi River. There’s also the Washington Mutual Tower, another very tall building which might be going through a name change soon since Washington Mutual was taken over by JP Chase in 2008.

Seattle is known for performing arts of all types. Many clubs feature local musicians, and many musicians have made their name in Seattle, such as Quincy Jones, Nikki Six, and rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot. Seattle hosts a 24-day international film festival every year, and is known for its cultural diversity, also hosting what’s become the largest gay pride festival in the U.S. It hosts all sorts of conventions, including the Penny Arcade Expo. There’s also the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, which has existed for around 100 years.

And, of course, there are the obligatory tourist attractions that every large city has. There’s the Seattle Aquarium and the Woodland Park Zoo. There’s museums and galleries all over the city, including the Seattle Art Museum, the Museum of History and Industry, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and something a little avant garde, the Crawl Space Gallery.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much to see and do in Seattle, and luckily, most of it is indoors, since the city is lovingly also known as “Rain City.” If you’re not afraid to dodge a little bit of rain, Seattle might be a city worth visiting.

See more:
Visiting Seattle
Seattle’s Convention and Visitor Center
Seattle, Washington Tourism