In the center of western Washington and on the eastern shore of Puget Sound, Seattle's setting is spectacular with views unmatched by any other city in America. To the west are vistas of snow-capped Olympic Mountains, ferries taking commuters and visitors to the islands of Puget Sound and beautiful sunsets over the water. To the east are Lake Washington, the distant peaks of the Cascade Mountains and the volcanic peak of Mt. Rainier rising majestically 200 miles away. Well known for abundant rainfall, the amount of rain here is actually less than in major eastern US cities. It is misty gray skies that characterize Seattle and gives the city's landscape its lush "emerald" glow.

The city's historic markers include early settlement by coastal Indians then Scandinavian loggers and fur traders, the great fire of 1889 that nearly destroyed the downtown district and the gold rush stampede of 1897 and 1898 that brought adventurers to Alaska via Seattle. The 1962 World's Fair put Seattle on the map as a major metropolitan center and boosted the cultural and economic growth that has since spread across King County into Redmond, Bellevue and Everett. It also left Seattle with the Space Needle and Seattle Center, now the home of diverse arts, cultural and recreational attractions. Boeing and more recently Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon.com have contributed to the sophisticated economic climate and character of the city.

Today, Seattle is filled with distinctive neighborhoods offering hip hotels, restaurants, shops, nightclubs and an espresso stand on almost every city block. Weather doesn't keep Seattleites or visitors from enjoying well-known attractions like Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, Seattle Center and the waterfront as well as the recreational and cultural opportunities the area has to offer. In summer, gray skies generally give way to blue with mild temperatures for baseball at Safeco field and annual events like Seafair, the Northwest Folklife Festival and Bumbershoot. 

Cruising in Seattle - Seattle is often referred to as the "portal to the Pacific Ocean" and the busy summer Alaska cruise season is a perfect example of this claim.  Several major cruise lines, including Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Celebrity and Holland America among others, depart for the "Last Frontier" weekly beginning mid-May through the end of the cruise season in early October.  Departures are also exciting to watch while sightseeing along Pier 66 or Terminal 30.