Guide to Seattle: how to get there and where to stay, what to see and where to go in the evening. The highlights of Seattle: fresh reviews and photos, places to see, branded entertainment and shopping.
Tourists rarely include Seattle in the list of US cities worth seeing among the first – and in vain. Perhaps they simply do not know that a huge number of American films were filmed here (including “Sleepless in Seattle”, “The Ring” and one of the parts of “Austin Powers” and “Twilight”), a fantastic flying saucer “landed” here, and a giant troll lives under the bridge, and giants like Boeing and Amazon preferred to settle here.
It was also here that grunge and Nirvana were born, the world’s first Starbucks opened, and the first American team to win the Stanley Cup was founded. If this is not enough, we note that local seafood is considered one of the best in all of America, and near the city there are giant outlets and beautiful waterfalls.
Areas
According to toppharmacyschools, Seattle lies between the Pacific Ocean’s Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east. The main port of the city is located on the banks of Elliott Bay, which belongs to the Puget Sound. To the west of this bay are the Kitsap Peninsula, as well as the Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula. East of Lake Washington and the suburbs of Seattle are Lake Sammamish and the Cascade Mountains. Areas suitable for sailing, skiing, cycling, camping and long walks are available almost all year round.
Seattle, like Rome, is said to be built on 7 hills: Capitol Hill, First Hill, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, Queen Anne Hill, Magnolia Hill, and Denny Hill.
The areas of Wallingford and Mount Baker are also located in the hills. The city has an artificially built dam and Harbor Island at the mouth of the Duwamish River. At the northern end of downtown, the Lake Washington Canal connects Puget Sound to Lake Washington. It combines 4 bodies of water: Union Lake, Salmon Bay, Portage Bay and Union Bay.
Interesting facts about Seattle
Seattle is famous for its coffee shops (many American coffee chains – and primarily Starbucks – were created here), and the city is considered the birthplace of American coffee consumption culture.
Seattle is considered the educational center of the surrounding states – more than half of the population has a college education. Moreover, Bill Gates is from here, Microsoft is based here.
In the Fremont area, there is a 5-meter monument to Lenin – the largest in the United States. Its history is not simple: it was erected in the city of Poprad, in Czechoslovakia (now it is the territory of Slovakia), but as a result of the Velvet Revolution it was demolished. And then a resident of the state of Washington, Lewis Carpenter, who at that time taught English in Poprad, with the support of his American journalist friends, bought a monument from the city for its further installation in Seattle.
Seattle Hotels
The most popular accommodation options in Seattle are motels (where would America be without them?), apartments and apart-hotels. All of them, as a rule, are located 5-12 km from the center, ready to provide guests with free breakfast and Wi-Fi. A few hostels and 2-4 * hotels promise accommodation close to attractions, apartments in the center will cost 1.5 times more than a similar option on the outskirts.
You can feel like a very dear guest in the legendary Four Seasons 5 * with a rooftop pool, the respectable Fairmont Olympic 5 *, included in the US National Register of Historic Places, or the crystal velvet Alexis, a Kimpton 5 *, known for its exclusive collection of whiskey.
The cost of a bed in a hostel dormitory room is from 45 USD, in a motel – 90 USD, in a 3* hotel – from 135 USD, 4* – from 150 USD per day.
Shopping
They say that the first shopping center in America opened in Seattle, but the city did not become a Mecca for shopaholics. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to leave here with a suitcase of new things.
For cool brands at affordable prices, head to the Premium Seattle Outlet, which is a half-hour drive from the northern outskirts of the city (10600 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip). Gucci, J-Crew, Armani, Lacoste, Hugo Boss and other “things with a name” can be found here with 40-80% discounts. A group of shopping centers is located near the famous alien Space Needle tower – these are Pacific Place, Westlake Center, Plaza.
The price tag in stores indicates the non-final cost of the item – the sales tax will be calculated at the checkout, in Seattle it is 9.5%.
The best time to shop is Black Friday, which falls between November 22 and November 29, followed by Cyber Monday and Christmas sales starting a couple of weeks before December 25. Plus short-term sales that stores “tie” to national holidays. They bring clothes and shoes from the “city of rains”, souvenir Boeings, copies of the Space Needle, colorful products from the local glass-blowing mini-factory located at 2227 5th Ave, and souvenir mugs with the same mermaid from the world’s first store ” Starbucks at 102 Pike St.
