Great Western Road Trip: Tourist Tips for Seattle, Washington

Seattle is located in northwestern Washington bordering an inland bay (the Puget Sound) from the Pacific Ocean. Seattle is known for many things, not the least of which are rain, coffee, and a thriving music scene. There's also plenty to see and do for visiting tourists.

Although Seattle is one of the northernmost cities in the continental United States, it's not especially chilly as long as it's not raining. However, it does rain a lot (usually in the form of drizzle or light rain) and is cloudy an average of more than 200 days per year. Nonetheless, its inland location moderates most temperature extremes and it is very pleasant, though often overcast.

Seattle has good reason to be known for coffee. It's the birthplace of the world-famous Starbucks, and the original store is still in thriving business. In addition to Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee Co. and Tully's were also both founded in Seattle. An interesting t-shirt for sell had the slogan "when it rains, we pour!" above a picture of a coffee cup. Any coffee-lover would be hard-pressed to find another city in the United States more suited to their tastes.

And Seattle is very well-known for music. It is especially well known for being the birthplace and center of the grunge music movement in the 90's but many other popular bands from all genres got their start in the Seattle area. Here are some of the most popular: Ray Charles, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Presidents of the United States of America, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Death Cab for Cutie. There are plenty of clubs and concert halls for live music performances in Seattle and The Showbox, Tractor Tavern, Crocodile Café, and Fenix Underground are some of the local favorites.

Like most port cities, a good portion of Seattle's leisurely tourist experiences are centered around the bay. Seattle's downtown is right next to the best activities in the bay, so you can experience it all at once. Other than a regular selection of nice seafood restaurants and souvenir shops, there's also a nice waterfront park that gives good views (when it's not too overcast) of the Olympic Mountains on the other side of the Puget Sound. Just don't expect to find any readily available or cheap parking; it's hard to come by (though easier than San Francisco). Ferries across the Puget Sound can be also accessed from downtown Seattle.

What you really don't want to miss is Seattle's Pike Place Market. Many American cities are lacking anything resembling a market of old. But Seattle has maintained the tradition at the Pike Place Market. Inside is a wondering maze of hundreds of small shops selling novelties of every type - used media, vintage posters, clothes, toys, antiques, you name it! And at the downtown-fronted side is a regular market full of fresh produce, fresh-caught seafood, fresh flowers, and plenty more souvenirs. The Pike Place Fish Market usually draws a crowd with its workers throwing slippery frozen fish across the storefront at each other or occasionally to a willing customer.

Just across from the Pike Place Market is the world's first Starbucks. It's now becoming a tourist attraction in its own right. But don't expect to get a quick cup of coffee from the original - the place is jam-packed with tourists from all over the world. Also, it's not the quaint little coffee shop you might expect; it was definitely created with mass appeal and franchise in mind. One interesting thing to notice is what Starbucks' original logo looked like (you can definitely see why they changed it for their worldwide logo).

Another great source of entertainment in Seattle is the Seattle Center. If you're starting from Pike Place Market and the general downtown area of Seattle, it's only a few blocks to catch the monorail from downtown Seattle to the Seattle Center. It's a fun experience in and of itself though it runs fast enough that it's a pretty short trip.

At the Seattle Center you'll find the famous Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, the Experience Music Project, several theatres and an opera house, some carnival-type attractions for kids, and the Memorial Stadium and Key Arena. The Space Needle charges even to visit the observation deck, but from there you're treated to fantastic panoramas of the city, Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains - a completely 360 degree panorama. You can also dine in the Space Needle's Sky City where the dining room rotates completely around the needle every 47 minutes, giving a full panoramic view while you eat.

One of the newer and better attractions among Seattle's wide assortment of museums is the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. One ticket (about $15 a person) grants admittance to both museums. Between the two of them, they're some of the most interactive and informative museums I've ever been to, even if they are concerned almost exclusively with pop culture.

If riding Seattle's monorail, you actually drive through the middle of Experience Music Project building before getting off. It has some very odd-shaped architecture both inside and out, apparently to try to demonstrate the fluidity of music and sound waves. There are exhibits ranging from regional music history, a tower of guitars, a music production studio, the origin and development of the electric guitar, a Jimi Hendrix temporary exhibit and another dedicated to Disney. Each exhibit is full of interactive parts, video, and of course, audio.

The Science Fiction Museum portion is much of what you'd expect after visiting the Experience Music Project - very similar but dedicated to science fiction. It includes exhibits about the history of science fiction, big questions asked by science fiction, famous sci-fi movie props, and an art gallery of sci-fi paintings. Once again, everything is very interactive and being sci-fi, some of their interactive exhibits were incredibly impressive showcasing technology I don't think I've ever seen before.

All in all, Seattle is a very nice city. It's a bit eclectic, like you might expect from a city known for its music scene. Most people seemed quite a bit more laid-back than other major cities and its unique nature makes sure that you never know what you'll run into next. Anyone looking to enjoy big-city life that's a bit different than a typical big city should definitely check out Seattle, Washington.