Seattle

The Pacific Northwest's foremost city is often cited as the standard for urban living in the USA. Majestically situated on a narrow isthmus alongside Puget Sound, the "Emerald City" unfolds over various islands and peninsulas with ships and pleasure craft plying the surrounding harbors, lakes and canals, making the term "scenic drive" a redundancy. On the odd clear day, the giant snow cone of Mount Rainier fills the southeast horizon while the Olympic peaks form the western skyline. The splendiferous setting is matched by the cultural offering, with a broad range of performing arts and one of the country's most vibrant music scenes, plus ...

The Pacific Northwest's foremost city is often cited as the standard for urban living in the USA. Majestically situated on a narrow isthmus alongside Puget Sound, the "Emerald City" unfolds over various islands and peninsulas with ships and pleasure craft plying the surrounding harbors, lakes and canals, making the term "scenic drive" a redundancy. On the odd clear day, the giant snow cone of Mount Rainier fills the southeast horizon while the Olympic peaks form the western skyline. The splendiferous setting is matched by the cultural offering, with a broad range of performing arts and one of the country's most vibrant music scenes, plus festivals throughout the year, highlighted by September's Bumbershoot bash. And the land that gave Starbucks to the world is a mecca for caffeine aficionados. The Space Needle, Seattle's futuristic symbol and most recognizable structure, speaks to the importance of technology in the city's ascent. From a seaport and shipbuilding center, it was buoyed by successive waves of high-tech industry - Boeing aircraft in the 1950s, Microsoft in the 90s - to its current prominence as an international trendsetter and lifestyle paradigm.

About the Expert

Daniel C. Schechter has contributed chapters to more than a dozen Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the Mexico, Caribbean Islands, Andalucia, Guatemala, and Pacific Northwest guides.