See Seattle as the Locals Do

In Seattle, it’s never hard to figure out who the tourists are. The city can transform even the most sophisticated newcomers into gaping, slack-jawed yokels.

They moon over Mount Rainier like we do, but then they see the mountains on the other side of the city—the splendid, craggy Olympic Mountains rising above Puget Sound to the west—and the jaws loosen further. They see sparkling water in nearly every direction, with yachts and commercial freighters and seaplanes coming and going. They see an urban skyline of skyscrapers and professional sports arenas that they didn’t imagine would exist way up here in the corner of the country, in a thriving metropolitan area of more than 3.3 million people.

Then the inner yokel comes out and the questions start: Are those mountains in Canada? (No, they’re in Olympic National Park, still in Washington State.) Is that the ocean? (No, it’s Puget Sound; you’d have to drive for more than two hours to get to the Pacific Ocean.) Is that where Bill Gates lives? (No, it’s Safeco Field, where the Mariners play baseball.) Is THAT the ocean? (No, it’s 22-mile-long Lake Washington, on which, in fact, Bill Gates lives.) It’s 95 degrees Fahrenheit everywhere else in the country, so how can it be 72 degrees here? (Trust us, it just can.)

• Mount Rainier at sunset.
• Troy Mason

I have to admit that even us hardened locals stop and stare at Seattle’s awesome beauty on occasion. On sunny days we find reasons to drive to Kerry Park, on W. Highland Drive in the Queen Anne neighborhood, for the city’s best views of towering Mount Rainier. White-capped with snow even in August, the mountain is stunning, and there is no shame in frequently stopping to admire it, because during the winter it can be obscured by clouds for weeks.

A City of Beauty and Brains

But beauty is only the first reason why Seattle is worth a visit. The city is also vibrant—it’s economically healthy these days and bustling with things to do for everyone from the fresh-out-of-college Gen Y-er to the suburban family of five, dog included. With a café society that began with the original Starbucks, a thriving restaurant and bar scene, a full slate of cultural and sports activities, dozens of urban parks and a business community that includes Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Starbucks and Costco, there is something for everyone here.

• Fog shrouds the coastline at Olympic National Park.
• Jiashiang Wang

Seattle is currently undergoing a new construction boom that will bring even more vitality to its neighborhoods, a much-needed light-rail transportation system, and more attractions and hotel rooms to its visitor areas. In late 2008, the best address in town will be the brand-new Four Seasons Hotel and Residences being built at the south end of Pike Place Market.