Seattle, The Emerald City

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Mukilteo, WA, where theTravelsketcher and I have lived for the past six years. Mukilteo is a beautiful little town about 25 miles north of Seattle. However, I was born and raised in the Seattle area, and have spent the majority of my life in and around the region. Ironically, in my three years of blogging, I have never written about this iconic city nestled in the PNW, so here it goes.

This beautiful city on Puget Sound was named for Chief Seattle who was the leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes in the mid 1800s. It now has the moniker of the Emerald City due to the ubiquitous greenery of the region.

It is the birth place of quite a few famous institutions and legends, including Starbucks, Microsoft, musicians Kenny G and the group Heart, and The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; where I worked as a project manager until I retired a few months ago.

Some iconic sites include Pike Place Market, affectionally known to locals as “The Market”. It opened in 1907, and is one of the oldest farmer’s markets in the country.

The Space Needle is another iconic site in Seattle. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, it stands 605 feet tall and has a revolving restaurant at the top.

Seattle Art Museum, also known as SAM, has some interesting permanent collections and draws famous traveling exhibitions from around the globe. The neighboring Olympic Sculpture Park is an interesting place to visit on a clear day.

Fisherman’s Terminal houses hundreds of fishing boats, many of them spend extended time in Alaska.

There are many fun places to visit if you have kids in tow, including Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Great Wheel, and the Fremont Troll, as well as tons of parks and gardens.

The sea lions near Ray’s Boathouse put on an entertaining show at almost any time of the day. Ray’s opened in 1973 and offers delicious seafood, and other options with a beautiful view.

With the Olympic Mountains to the west, the Cascades to the east, and majestic Mt. Rainier standing regally in the distance, you’ll find breathtaking scenery any direction you turn.

There are a multitude of outdoor activities here including boating, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, scuba diving, hiking, biking, rock climbing, whale watching; you name it, there’s something for everyone.

Having spent the past 34 years working near the downtown core, and being a commuter, I’ve seen a lot of interesting things while waiting for the bus.

However, I am saddened to see a huge increase in the homeless population. As many of you may know, it has escalated into a crisis. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see so many people camped out on sidewalks, all along the I-5 corridor, under the over passes, and huge tent cities set up in vacant lots and other areas.

Meeting the needs of the homeless and local business owners will be a challenge for sure; one I hope the new mayor will be able to address.

Even with its problems, Seattle remains a great city and continues to draw millions of visitors each year. If you haven’t already visited, I hope you get a chance to see this great city someday.

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As always, please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia