According to a recent census report, Seattle is both the most highly educated and most literate city in the United States. Some might say that Seattle's rainy weather keeps everyone indoors, a condition conducive to intellectual pursuits, but actually Seattleites are extremely athletic. The population has expanded dramatically over the past few decades as jobseekers in technology-based fields swarmed into Seattle to take jobs at Microsoft and other corporations. Scientists also flock to Seattle to take advantage of its blooming biotech industry, buoyed by the University of Washington, several excellent hospitals, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This focus on science and health led Seattle (and the state of Washington) to recently approve an initiative banning smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars. Smoking is disallowed indoors, as well as within 25 feet of doors, windows, or ventilation system intakes. Visitors from states without similar policies will either feel relief at enjoying smokefree establishments, or chagrin at having to seek out places to smoke in the rain.
Coffee
While Seattle is well-known as the home of Starbucks, the streets of Seattle are thick with independent coffeeshops, many of which roast their own coffee. Be on the lookout for Espresso Vivace, Hotwire, Uptown Espresso, Caffe Ladro, Diva Espresso, and many other only-in-Seattle beaneries.
If you like music.
You're in luck. Seattle has a lively club scene and venues of every scale, from stadium to hole-in-the-wall. Check club listings in the Stranger . Current top clubs include Chop Suey, the Crocodile Cafe, the Showbox, and the Triple Door.
Experience Music Project (EMP) is a one-of-a-kind music museum combining interactive and interpretive exhibits to tell the story of the creative, innovative and rebellious expression that defines American popular music. Featuring a world-class collection of artifacts, unique architecture by Frank O. Gehry, state-of-the-art technology, and exciting interactive presentations, EMP will encourage visitors of many ages and backgrounds to experience the power and joy of music in its many forms.
EMP's collection includes more than 80,000 artifacts that helped shape music history, including musical instruments (from one of the first electric guitars to those used by artists such as Bob Dylan, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Kurt Cobain), an extensive recorded sound archive, film, photographs, fanzines from around the world, stage costumes, handwritten song lyrics and rare song sheets.
Locals
Seattleites themselves are casual, tech-savvy, politically-minded, and practical. They love variety and new things, and will eagerly line up for a new X-box or an unknown band. You will see many luxury vehicles on the road, albeit of the sport kind, as Microsoft millionaires abound. Seattleites also favor public transportation and AWD vehicles suited to the rainy climate and excursions to the mountains. It's not uncommon to see a local Nobel Prize winner commuting on the bus, because that's just what Seattleites do.
Outdoor Activities
Spending the winter inside makes Seattleites practically burst from their homes when spring arrives. As summer approaches and the days get longer, you'll see them taking maximum advantage of the outdoors, either by jogging on the Burke-Gilman trail, walking around Greenlake, or picking blueberries in Mercer Slough. Farmers Markets pop up in every neighborhood, offering the ephemeral delights of summer. Summer festivals offer a range of activities, from Seafair's hydroplane races to Bumbershoot's alternative music and film festival in September. Because Seattle is so far north, summer nights stay light until 9 pm, so it's possible to pack a lot of activities into a single day. They pay for it in the winter, when the sun sets at 5 pm!
Nearby
Down the road a few miles is Tacoma, once a second city, but recently a destination of its own. Tacoma can boast about the International Museum of Glass (highlighting the craft of Tacoma native and glass artist, Dale Chihuly), the Tacoma Art Museum, the University of Washington at Tacoma, and the Point Defiance Park (take the 5-mile drive through the park). The north end of Tacoma has many lovely old Craftsman-style homes with views of Puget Sound and a thriving neighborhood, but it is not visible from the Interstate-5 freeway.
Off-Site Links:
http://www.washington.edu/
http://www.fhcrc.org/
http://www.espressovivace.com/
http://www.hotwirecoffee.com/default.asp
http://www.uptownespresso.net/
http://www.caffeladro.com/
http://www.divaespresso.com/
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Bur...
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/pa...
http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/mercer_s...
http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/
http://www.seafair.com/
http://www.bumbershoot.org/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
