The Top Seattle Attractions
The waterfront and the neighboring Pike Place Public Farmers’ Market still are a must for both locals and tourists. Here you can find the famous fish throwers, fresh produce and many quirky shops located directly under the market. While you’re at Pike Place, keep an eye out for the original Starbucks.
On rainy days, go to one of the museums such as the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum, The Henry or the Frye Art Gallery (among others). The visual arts are plentiful in Seattle, so don’t miss a chance to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Seattle Opera House, or any of the number of plays and comedy acts strewn throughout the city. There are also fringe movie theaters such as the Egyptian in Capitol Hill and the Grand Illusion in the University District which show more artful and sometimes older movies than the standard theater shows.
Also worth investigation is the Underground Tour. Seattle had great fire in 1889, and 33 blocks burned. It was too much work to tear down and rebuild, so the people just built the city on top of the old one, and a layer of the city can still be seen intact beneath the street.
The awesome height of Mount Rainier is truly appreciated when seen from within the city, as it puts skyscrapers to shame from 200 miles away. These are views which indicate Seattle’s easy access to outdoor recreational activities throughout the year.
Seattle is one of the three “gateway” cities to the Pacific Northwest (the others being Vancouver in British Columbia and Portland in Oregon). It is a commercial, cultural and transportation hub for the region (although don’t expect the level of energy of big cities like Chicago and San Francisco).
Within Seattle
You will find plenty of lodging fitting every description including bed and breakfasts, neighborhood motels, suites, inns and downtown boutique and high-rise hotels. Seattle offers a full range of arts, cultural and sporting events and attractions, and an abundance of shops and restaurants. You will probably wish to sample these in an exploration of its downtown historic district and surrounding neighborhoods.
History
Seattle was settled relatively late in the history of the US. In 1851 five pioneer families from Illinois settled at Alki Point, but soon moved to the more sheltered eastern side Elliott Bay, where downtown is today. The city was incorporated in 1869. Twenty years later, in 1889, the city was devastated in the Great Seattle Fire, in which the entire business district burned to the ground in one day. Sanitary concerns were behind the building of another better business district on top of the old, with the result that a subterranean Seattle exists in the Pioneer Square district. This can be explored on the Underground Tour – one of the city’s most popular tours. With the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1893, the city grew rapidly as a main rail terminus. Its first economic boom came in the 1890s, as the last US departure point for those chasing the Klondike Gold Rush. It continued to prosper as a major Pacific port with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. In 1962, Seattle hosted the World’s Fair, for which the futuristic Space Needle was built.
Name
In 1852, the town was named for the chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes, who were paid $16,000 for the use of his name. The various pronunciations of his name include, See-alt, See-ualt, See-yat, Sealth, and Se-at-tlh. The chief remained a friend of the white settlers until his death in 1866.
