Introduction To Largest City Of Pacific Northwest- Seattle

By Author: steve ven
Total Articles: 59
Comment this article

Seattle is a major coastal seaport and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of North America and the largest city on the West Coast north of San Francisco. The city is situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about 100 miles south of the Canada–United States border, but further north than Toronto.

The city developed as a technology center in the 1980s. The stream of new software, biotechnology, and internet companies led to an economic revival, which increased the city's population by almost 50,000 between 1990 and 2000. More recently, Seattle has become a hub for "green" industry and a model for sustainable development.

Climate
Seattle's climate is usually described as oceanic or temperate marine, with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Like much of the Pacific Northwest, according to the Köppen climate classification it falls within a cool/mild wet winter, and dry-summer subtropical zone (Csb), with "cool"-summer Mediterranean characteristics. Other climate classification systems, such ...
... as Trewartha, place it firmly in the Oceanic zone (Do), like much of Western Europe.

Things to See
Landmarks
Pike Place Market, 1501 Pike Place. Pike Place level: M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Down Under level: 11AM-5PM daily. In downtown, the market is Seattle's largest tourist area, and it's the oldest continually operating farmers' market in the United States. It is home to the famous fish market, original Starbucks Coffee shop, and a large indoor and outdoor market. Many other attractions in downtown are within walking distance of Seattle's biggest tourist area making it the perfect place to start any sightseeing trip of the city.

Space Needle, 400 Broad St. M-Th 9:30AM-11PM, F-Sa 9AM-11:30PM, Su 9AM-11PM. A short monorail ride away from downtown is Seattle's most iconic landmark. While expensive to ride to the top, the Space Needle is a "must see" for visitors on a nice day. Adults $19, age 4-12 $12, under 4 free, over 65 $17, active military $16.

Museums
Seattle is home to a number of top-notch museums. Downtown is home to the renowned Seattle Art Museum, which displays a good overview and assortment of art from around the world. In the Central District is the Seattle Asian Art Museum, an off-shoot of the Seattle Art Museum which focuses on Chinese & Japanese Art, but includes works from as far away as India. Additionally, The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience is in Chinatown/International District is the only Asian Pacific American museum in the nation. Nearby is the Frye Art Museum, a small private collection featuring 232 paintings by Munich-based artists. Not a museum, but open to browsing by the public, is the Seattle Metaphysical Library, in Ballard, which specializes in material not found in normal libraries..

Surrounding the Space Needle on the grounds of the Seattle Center are several more big museums, including the Pacific Science Center, an interactive science museum, the Experience Music Project, a Rock & Roll museum with a special Jimi Hendrix exhibit, and the Science Fiction Museum Home of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

Parks and outdoors
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (a.k.a. Ballard Locks) in Ballard. Check out the fish ladders and if you're lucky you'll see huge Pacific Northwest salmon coming and going.

UW Waterfront Activities Center - Rent a canoe and explore the arboretum

Woodland Park Zoo (South Gate at N 50th St and Fremont Ave N, on Phinney Ridge), [35]. $15 ($11 in winter), 9:30AM-4PM in the winter (1 Oct-30 Apr), 6PM in the summer (1 May-31 Sep). It has mostly realistic and spacious habitats for the animals, unlike the animal jails in some zoos. The Raptor Show at 3PM on non-rainy weekends is particularly entertaining if you get the bird handler with the Bronx accent: "If dis boid's head were da same size as youses, its eyes would be da size of sawftbawls."

Cowen Park has a play structure for children and a backstop for baseball/softball. Cowen is connected to Ravenna Park via a wooded ravine that makes for good jogging and walking. It is a particularly nice walk in the (rare) snow.

Discovery Park the largest city park in Seattle. Magnolia is great for kite-flying as well as a trail to the beach with great cliffs and boat watching. At Park's beach, you can see the view of both Cascade and Olympia Mountain ranges. This is a great getaway from long weeks of work and to bring kids to enjoy some quality family moments. The wildlife sanctuary is well protected to maintain the rich natural environment.

Gasworks Park in Wallingford is built on the former site of the city gas facility, and a few hulking tanks and pipes are preserved, giving it a slightly eerie feel. The hill at the center has a sundial on top, and offers a spectacular view of downtown across Union Bay, as well as gusts of wind great for kite-flying. Don't eat the carcinogenic dirt!

Golden Gardens Park in Ballard is one of two places in Seattle that still allows bonfires on the beach. Set on the Puget Sound, it offers spectacular views of the sun setting over the Olympic mountain range on clear days.

Steve is a Travel Consultant. If you are planning to spend your weekend, and then you must have to be aware of its flights and hotels. To get more information about City breaks in Seattle visit http://www.ticketstousa.com.