It's awfully hard not to love Seattle. Of course, most locals wish
visitors didn't love it quite so much, and that travel articles and
guidebooks would play down this genial, stunningly situated city's
considerable attributes. The cost of living here has increased with
Seattle's growing popularity over the past two decades, and at times,
the city can feel just a tad overcrowded. So don't expect a ton of
encouragement from locals if you casually mention that you're
considering a permanent move. If you're merely planning a vacation,
however, prepare for a warm welcome - and lots to see and do.
This city sculpted by Puget Sound and Lake Washington and crowned with
leafy hills abounds with lively diversions, both indoors and out in
nature. And despite its considerable cachet and year-round popularity
(yes, even during the grayer, wetter, winter months), Seattle offers
superb restaurants, shops, and accommodations that work for virtually
any budget. Downtown - with its dashing, postmodern skyline - contains a
mix of enticing museums, historic blocks, and trendy
retail-entertainment strips.
The city's many visiting gays and lesbians are often drawn to Seattle's
GLBT hub, Capitol Hill. Students, yuppies, latter-day hippies, and young
families of all persuasions live in this lofty, leafy neighborhood a
20-minute walk or short cab ride east of downtown. Cutting-edge music,
liberal politics, coffeehouses and microbreweries, computer technology,
and environmentalism are among the ties that bind Capitol Hill's
disparate populations.
The best way to enjoy Seattle is to set aside a few hours each day, and
focus on a particular neighborhood and its corresponding draws. Start by
touring downtown, with its landmark Pike Place Market, a sprawling 1907
structure abuzz with fishmongers and food marketers of every ilk. If you
love to eat or cook, the halls of gourmet goodies are reason alone to
while away an afternoon here. You'll also find scads of genuinely
interesting shops, including art galleries, bath and beauty shops,
clothiers, jewelry and crafts makers, and indie booksellers. Other
appealing attractions downtown include the Odyssey Maritime Discovery
Center and the Seattle Aquarium, which are down along Puget Sound's
salt-aired piers, and the acclaimed Seattle Art Museum, which will
reopen in spring 2007 following a massive expansion and redesign. A
terrific new feature along the waterfront is Olympic Sculpture Park, a
breezy 9-acre green space laid out with dramatic, larger-than-life works
of art.
South of downtown, many of the buildings in Pioneer Square date from
just after 1889, the year a fire destroyed the city's wood-frame
structures. The neighborhood contains some fine galleries and shops,
including the Downtown Antique Market, which features 70 dealers. North
of downtown you'll find the loft-style galleries, restaurants, and music
clubs of Belltown, and beyond that, the 600-foot Space Needle ranks
among the nation's most distinctive buildings - you can take an elevator
to the top for great views.
The Capitol Hill neighborhood has few attractions, but several
commercial pockets are excellent for shopping, club hopping, cheap
dining, and people-watching. Pine and Pike streets hold many gay bars,
plus some live-music halls and coffeehouses, and Broadway Avenue bustles
with a youthful mix of straight and gay-popular businesses. Set aside
some time to explore verdant Volunteer Park, home to an
exotic-plant-filled conservatory, a 75-foot water tower affording
panoramic city views, and the outstanding Seattle Asian Art Museum. Continue to page
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The Hunk
