HOSPITABLE CITY

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

INTRODUCTION
Imagine yourself sitting in a park on the Seattle waterfront, a latte and a marionberry scone close at hand. The snowy peaks of the Olympic mountains shiner on the far side of Puget sound, while ferryboats come and go across Elliot bay. Its a sunny summer day, not a cloud in the sun. It just doesn't get much better than this, unless may be you take in a 9:30 pm summer sunset from the space. Needle or the Olympic sculpture park and then head to a brewpop. No wonder people love this town. For a bottom-to -top tour of Seattle, join the underground tour and hide out beneath the streets of historic pioneer square, then later take an elevator to the clouds at the space.

ATTRACTIONS
I hope you have got a good pair of walking and a lot of stamina because Seattle is a walking town. The city's two biggest attractions; the waterfront and Pike place market - are sorts of places where you will spend hours.

HOTELS
Seattle with its mountain and water views and its 10pm summer sunsets, is close on the heels of San Francisco as a West Coast Summer in the city destination. During those few short months when the city's notoriously gloomy skies turn blue.

RESTAURANTS
That Pike place market with its produce stalls, bakeries, gourmet food shops and restaurants is one of  Seattle's top attractions is a good indicator of how seriously this city takes food. The market overflows with a bounty of wild-caught salmon.

NIGHT LIFE
Seattleites may spend much of their free time enjoying the city's natural surroundings, but that doesn't mean they overlook the more cultured evening pursuits. In fact, the winter weather that keeps people indoors.

IN DEPTH
Ever since 1851, when a boatload of settlers landed on a windswept beach on Puget sound, Seattle has had grand aspirations. The pioneers who rowed ashore that day named their settlement New York Alki.

SHOPPING
Nord Strom and Eddie Baver, these names are familiar to shoppers all across the country. They are also the names of stores that got their start in Seattle. Throw in such regional favourites as Pendleton, Nike and Filson and you will find that.

SOURCE; Mt Rainier, Seattle Sunrise with space needle; David Hogan Images