Introducing Seattle:

You can blame Seattle for the presence of a Starbucks on every street corner of the world, the very first one opened in Seattle’s Iconic Pike Place Market in 1971. It may have something to do with the fact that Seattle only gets, on average, 58 clear and sunny days per year, but don’t let this damper your enthusiasm for Seattle and do what the locals do: Have another cup of Coffee. This is a city that is mad about coffee, having given us, not only the ubiquitous Starbucks, but also a myriad of less famous coffee chains such as; Peet’s Coffee, Seattle’s Best and hundreds of locally owned coffee houses spread all over the city. Seattle, named after a local Indian Chief in 1853, remained a backwater on the edge of Puget Sound that scratched a living from lumber, fishing and coal until Boeing was founded in 1916. The city’s dependence on the aircraft industry caused it to suffer during the oil embargo of the 1970’s and it has only been during the last 25 years that Seattle has managed to outgrow its seedy reputation, powered by the Influx of Microsoft money and other IT, Internet and retail companies that have made Seattle their corporate headquarters, including: Amazon.com, Costco, Nordstrom and Nintendo of America. But perhaps it was the combination of Seattle weather and its economic bleakness during the pre-internet years that gave us one of Seattle’s greatest exports:

The Grunge Movement:

There was a time during the early 1990’s when virtually every Seattle guitar band had a recording contract. Grunge had put Seattle on the word’s musical map and local bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden became household names, selling out stadia worldwide. Hollywood soon followed, making several ‘Grunge’ oriented movies, set in Seattle including “Singles” featuring several local bands.

Getting Around:

Seattle is served by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, known locally as “Sea-Tac Airport”. The Airport is 25 minutes drive south of downtown when there is no traffic. Buses are free in the Downtown Core of Seattle from 6am to 7pm, allowing you to hop on and off. A monorail connects downtown Seattle with the Seattle Center, home of the Seattle Space needle and the Music Experience. Ferries connect Seattle the many islands and communities on Puget Sound and also offer daily connections to Vancouver and Victoria in Canada.

Things To Do:

Seattle today may be a bit less musical when compared to its ‘Grunge’ heyday, but you can still catch an alternative rock band at the Legendary Moore Theatre and many other venues around town. Don’t miss Pike Market and its famous fish throwing fishmongers, The Space Needle, the Music Experience Museum that includes the Jimmy Hendrix’s exhibit (Jimmy was a Seattle native) and also Downtown Underground, the remains of the original downtown. Seattle’s countless natural wonders include hikes up amazing snow capped strato-volcanoes, kayaking around Puget Sound’s many inlets and a long Ski season with numerous ski resorts just 40 minutes from downtown. Downtown Vancouver Canada is just two hours north of downtown Seattle and is a very popular weekend destination for shopping, bar hopping and world class skiing.

Renting a car is a perfect way to discover the city. There are plenty of car rental services in San Francisco that take you to the most exquisite tourist destinations.

Seattle Climate:

Seattle is a perfect place for those who enjoy cool and wet climate. The primary characteristic of Seattle weather is its warm and dry summers and cool and wet winters. Rains are normally mild and misty but the sky always remains overcast even when it is not raining. Summers are warm and it is characterized by dry and sunny long days and cool nights. The months of July and early parts of August are the dry periods of the city. Winter is the wettest season of the year and the temperatures seldom drop below the freezing point and little snowfall. Spring season is the perfect time to visit Seattle when the weather is pleasant with mild temperatures and greenery all around the city. Autumn in Seattle could be dry but you can expect occasional showers.

Hotel Accommodation:

Seattle has plenty of hotels that range from expensive stay to budget stay. Downtown, South Lk Union, Space Needle and Seattle Center are few of the important areas in Seattle where the hotels are located.

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