The Aroma of Seattle

By: Samuel Bank Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Seattle is more than just coffee and grunge music. It is the largest city in Washington State and has a huge amount to offer. Its small size means it is easy to explore in a few days, but it is worth staying longer to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the stunning surrounding landscape.

Seattle is located between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Washington meaning that in summertime there is a wide variety of water-based activities on offer, so June to August is the best time to visit. All this water means that Seattleites eat a lot of fish and a great experience is to head to the Pike Place fish market to watch traders and fishermen haggle over price. There is also a selection of family-run fish restaurants here that are perfect for a seafood lunch.

Getting around this small city is easy on foot but even easier using the monorail. This comprehensive system goes through malls, over streets and into museums. It’s worth riding just to watch the world go by on the streets below.

To view the city, ocean and impressive Olympic Mountains a visit to the Space Needle must surely be on the cards, which was made famous as the logo for the TV show ‘Frasier’. The rest of Seattle’s skyline is also pretty high and impressive. It is made up of the Smith Tower, Columbia Centre and Washington Mutual Tower.

Seattle has a young, intelligent and progressive population, which give it a well developed cultural scene. Modern coffee culture as we know it, started here with Starbucks back in the early 1980s so you can pretty much guarantee that you will drink at least one cup whilst you’re there.

It also has world renowned ballet and opera at Benaroya Hall and McCaw Hall. Its Youth Symphony Orchestra is the largest of its kind in the US.

It’s not just classical music that is popular and well-established in Seattle. It was the birth place of the Grunge scene producing bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. You can get a good feel for the city’s musical roots at the Frank Gehry designed Experience Music Project, located next to the Space Needle. This centre, which is combined with the Science Fiction Museum and the Hall of Fame has several interactive exhibitions for you to test you musical prowess.

The surrounding countryside is worth exploring if you have the time. The Olympic Mountains and the Cascade Mountains have some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the USA and the Olympic National Park is great for walking and cycling in the summer.