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Seattle
Seattle is a magical place and like the enchanted home to the Wizard of Oz, it is also known as the 'Emerald City'. Rated as one of the world's most liveable cities, after Melbourne and Montreal, it boasts among its citizens three out of the world's ten richest men, including Bill Gates, head of the mighty Microsoft empire. The city's emergence as a trend-setting and fashionable metropolis with sky-high property prices has occurred in less than 200 years, since it was founded in 1869.
Situated as a gateway to Canada, Seattle's major landmark of the soaring 'Space Needle' reaches up the skies. It was built in the 1960s and is a modern monument that epitomises the city's image as a high-tech, dynamic and young community.
Seattle holidays will be filled with activity, as the city is constantly active and leave no time for lazing about. Visitors and locals alike revel in the outdoor activities the city's situation provides for. Seattle sits on the shores of two large lakes and Puget Sound, with remote wilderness less than an hour away, and it is flanked by two major mountain ranges (Olympics and Cascades), with Mount Rainier in full view from the city. It is also within easy reach of the San Juan Islands, Pacific Ocean beaches and major rivers.
Walking tours are available around the city, especially in the two main tourist areas of the Pike Place Market and the waterfront. In addition, 80 percent of the city limits are surrounded by water, so tour boats also abound. To fully enjoy Seattle be prepared to go boating, and bring a comfortable pair of shoes.
Pike Place Market
In downtown Seattle, a massive piggy bank named Rachel stands guard over the Pike Place Farmer's Market, which was placed there in 1907 to raise funds for the preservation of National Historic District. The bustling market has provided the local people with producer-priced goods for decades, and continues to do so today as about 100 farmers and fishmongers tout their wares. They have been joined by more than 150 local craftspeople and artists who have also set up shop here, along with street performers, dozens of restaurants and numerous speciality shops. The world's first Starbucks coffee shop opened here in 1971, and is still brewing up its famous beverage on the original site. At the north end of the market Victor Steinbrueck Park provides a popular grassy place to sit in the sun and escape the milling crowds.
Address: First Avenue, between Pike and Pine Streets; Telephone: (206) 682 7453; Website: www.pikeplacemarket.org; Transport: Public bus service or the Waterfront Street Car; Opening time: Open daily. Hours vary for different businesses, and Sundays are voluntary opening days so some shops may be closed
The Space Needle
The internationally recognisable Space Needle building in Seattle has been pictured in many Hollywood movies and offers an unique futuristic skyline to the city. From afar it looks like a spinning top, with the needle aerial pointing skywards. The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair to showcase upcoming architectural development, and proved itself by withstanding an earthquake experienced in the city in February 2001 measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale. Visitors can ascend the 607ft (185m) building as far as a revolving observation deck 520ft (158m) above the city, where high-powered telescopes are positioned to allow you to pick out the city sights. There is also a restaurant on top of the tower.
Address: 400 Broad Street; Telephone: (206) 905 2100; Website: www.spaceneedle.com; Transport: Monorail from downtown; Opening time: Daily Sunday to Thursday 9am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to midnight; Admission: $12.50 (adults), $10 (youth aged 11-17), $5 (children)
Pioneer Square
Pioneer Square is where Seattle originated and it is home to over twenty blocks of ancient buildings, a lively shopping centre, over thirty galleries and is the centre of Seattle's nightlife. The district is south of the main downtown area, and encompasses two major attractions. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park recalls the days when Seattle was a jumping off point for hopefuls heading for the goldfields. Another visitor favourite is the unique Underground Tour, taking in the sunken storefronts of the original “Skid Road”, where timber used to be slid down to the steam-powered mills on the shores of Elliott Bay.
Telephone: (206) 667 0687; Website: www.pioneersquare.org; Opening time: Daily 9am to 5pm. The Underground Tour ticket office opens daily 9.30am to 6pm
Snoqualmie Falls
The resort of the Snoqualmie Falls are an hours drive into the Cascades Mountains east of Seattle and the falls are also home to the Salish Lodge and Spa, which amongst other attributes is famous as the setting for the TV series Twin Peaks. The dramatic falls plunge 270ft (82m) down a precipice into a pool of deep blue water, close to the town of North Bend. The world's first underground electric generator still operates behind the falls. There are several hiking trails in the area and picnic sites with a view of the waterfall. Snoqualmie also boasts four ski slopes: Alpental, Snoqualmie Summit, Ski Acres and Hyak. In the town of Snoqualmie is the Northwest Railway Museum and the historic Snoqualmie Valley Railroad, which runs steam train trips to North Bend between May and October.
Puget Sound Islands
Many beautiful islands are located in Puget Sound and regular ferries take visitors from the Seattle waterfront to the Puget Sound Islands to explore their natural beauty. Visitors generally favour Bremerton, about 20 miles (32km) west of the city, actually on the tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. Here stands the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Museum, and visitors can also explore the historic destroyer, USS Turner Joy that is tied up at the ferry dock. A popular island destination is Bainbridge, just 10 miles (16km) west of Seattle, which has its own winery. Winslow, the main town on Bainbridge Island, is a pretty historic town with some fine restaurants and shops and a great view of Seattle. Vashon Island, 10 miles (16km) southwest of the city is an artist's colony. A little further afield are the San Juan Islands boasting miles of unspoilt beaches, state parks, whale-watching opportunities and primeval forests.
Telephone: (206) 464 6400; Website: www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
Olympic National Park
Home to glacier tipped mountains, ancient forest landscapes and a wild Pacific coastline, the Olympic National Park is a wilderness wonderland for visitors. About 95 percent of the park has been designated a wilderness area, which protects a unique ecosystem on the Olympic Peninsula that encompasses eight kinds of plants and 15 species of animals occurring nowhere else on earth. The Peninsula separates Seattle from the Pacific Ocean.
Telephone: (360) 565 3130; Website: www.nps.gov/olym; Transport: Ferry from the city, or Olympic Bus Lines and Tours services Port Angeles (main visitor centre) from downtown Seattle; Opening time: Open daily, 24-hours a day. Some roads may be closed during winter; Admission: $10 per vehicle; $5 per individual hiker, cyclist or motorcyclist. Valid for seven days
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainer is one of the oldest national parks in America and was originally founded in 1899 to preserve it's main attraction, the Mount Rainer Volcano, which is also known as Tahoma to Native Americans. The snow-capped peak is visible from Seattle, 90 miles (145km) away and dominates the region, drawing thousands of climbers every year to dare the dangerous ascent to its summit. The rest of the park is a beautiful wilderness containing glaciers, rivers, deep forests, lush alpine meadows and over 240 miles (380km) of maintained trails.
Telephone: (360) 569 2211; Website: www.nps.gov/mora; Transport: There is no public transport to or in the park, but private carriers provide bus and van services in summer to various destinations in the park; Opening time: Open daily all year round, but access is limited in winter; Admission: $10 per vehicle; $5 per individual hiker, cyclist or motorcyclist. Valid for seven days
Mount St. Helens
Mount St Helens devastated a large area of forest in 1980 when it erupted and caused a landslide. It is one of the peaks of the Cascade Mountains and is located 168 miles south of Seattle. The volcano continued erupting intermittently for six years. Today the area is being preserved as the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument, being left to revive naturally from the experience while scientists continue to monitor the volcano and the environment of the surrounding landscape. The Monument has become a fascinating tourist attraction equipped with numerous viewpoints and miles of trails enabling it to be explored by car or on foot. Forest Interpreters host
visitors during the summer months organising activities like walks and amphitheatre presentations, while in winter the mountain slopes provide cross-country ski and snowmobile trails. Climbers take on the journey to the crater rim and five visitor centres operate on State Road 504 on the west side of the mountain providing information about the volcano and the environment. A gift shop at the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center offers hand-crafted items made from Mount St. Helens ash.
Telephone: (360) 274 0962 (Mount St. Helens Visitor Center); Website: www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm; Admission: Depending on what sites one plans to visit, there is a Regional Northwest Forest Pass ($5 per vehicle) or a Monument Pass ($3 per person)
