"The emerald city" Seattle by goingsolo

Seattle is an eclectic and laid back city, probably due more to its weather than its origin. With nine months of clouds and rain, its no wonder that grunge is the fashion choice for many and that coffee is the popular beverage. The winter gray skies can get pretty frustrating, I'm told. But, come summer, usually, like clockwork on July 5th, the days get longer, drier and sunnier and the are a wealth of outdoor activities to pursue. With world class mountains, biking and hiking trails galore and the waters of Puget Sound, it makes you wonder whether those coffee shops are deserted come the brief yet spectacular summer.

Seattle was originally a Native American village before it was settled by white pioneers in the mid-19th century. In the 1880s, much of Seattle was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt. During the 20th century, an earthquake leveled most of the area, and it was again rebuilt. The portions which were not destroyed by the earthquake were left pretty much as is and the now downtown area actually sits above the old city. Tours of the underground are offered to those that are curious.

I first laid eyes on Seattle in July, 2001. It was my first solo trip, in more ways than one. I flew in to Seattle and quickly headed south. After a week of driving through Oregon, I arrived in Seattle for one evening before flying back home.

So there I was, minding my own business, not bothering nobody, and in that evening I met two great new friends who introduced me to a great city, which is a bit rough around the edges, but it still one of my favorite places.

I went back to Seattle in August, 2002 for 2 days and then again in July, 2004. Unfortunately, since I have to work more days than I can travel, both visits were very very brief. I didn't spend too much time within the city since Mt. Ranier is so close by, the North Cascades are only a couple hours drive and the Olympics have yet to be explored. But I have some great friends who live in the area, who have helped give me some perspective on the city, along with a grand tour of the tourist highlights.

Since I'm not a city traveler, most of my city pages contain information about the outlying areas. Since Seattle is located so close to some of the greatest mountains in the U.S., this page is not an exception. While I can't cover Seattle in detail, I can give you some insight into some of the known and not so well know points of interest. So grab some fresh brewed Seattle's finest and I'll do my best to tell you what i know about the Emerald City.

• Pros:Laid back friendly place with no shortage of activities and mountains, mountains, mountains.
• Cons:Bad weather most of the year
• In a nutshell:Visit, but do so in the summer