SEAT TLE CIT Y PROFILE
SEATTLE A SHORT BREAK IN BY ALAN ORBELL Seattle Center
The Seattle Center needs a full day to enjoy the main attractions: the iconic Space Needle, the stunning year-old Chihuly Garden and Glass, the EMP Music and Science Fiction museum with its free-to-use sound studios and Pacific Science Center.
Seaplane over Seattle
G
azing at a replica of Orville Wright’s fi rst 1903 powered airplane in Seattle’s superb Museum of Flight, it
seemed remarkable that 110 years on we’d gone from a fi rst-ever 12-second fl ight 120 feet above the ground to a London/Seattle fl ight time of under 10 hours. But it is time well spent to visit this Pacifi c Coast city. The huge indoor/outdoor museum, which houses so much of Boeing’s history as well as a Concorde, a presidential Boeing 707 and space exhibits, is just one of Seattle’s numerous attractions, well worth a few days’ stay for travellers touring America’s northwest or taking one of the many cruises sailing from Seattle for Alaska.
What to see
Seattle’s best-known attraction is the Space Needle, the tallest structure west of the Mississippi when it was built for the 1962 World Fair. Linked to downtown by monorail, it dominates the Seattle Center area which also houses – indoors and out – the beautiful glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly. For families, the Experience Music Project has exhibits on Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix’s time in London as well as sound laboratories where children can practice their musical skills. There is also science fi ction memorabilia, fi lms and a ‘scream booth’. Pike Place Market has been Seattle’s main food centre
since 1907 and is still full of fabulous fi sh, fruit, meat plus great food shops, bars and restaurants. A wander around Pioneer Square and the adjacent Klondyke Gold Rush National Historic Park still evokes a real taste of Seattle’s early gold rush history and this is the starting point for Evergreen Escapes’ Soar & Explore Tour which combines the Kenmore seaplane
ride with a tour of Seattle’s landmarks, historic districts, Ballard Locks to see ospreys, blue herons and salmon, en route from the sea to Lake Union via the fi sh ladder, and the 500-acres Discovery Park with its 11 miles of trails and 270 species of birds. Other attractions include the waterside Aquarium and whale watching.
Getting Around
The Seattle CityPASS can save up to 50% on admission charges to many attractions ($69 for $133.30 worth of tickets). Seattle has a good network of public transport but much of the city centre is walkable. The Emerald City Trolley offers three separate routes which cover just about every city attraction on a regular schedule.
How to get there
British Airways operates non-stop service between Heathrow and Seattle with a daily 747 fl ight increasing to 10 in October with additional 777 Wednesday, Friday and Saturday services. A fun alternative is with Icelandair from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester or Glasgow to Reykjavik and onward to Seattle.
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Food and wine are an important element and
SavorSeattleTours.com offers six different tours including Booze n’ Bites, an evening walking tour around five of the city’s best restaurants to sample appetisers, wine and cocktails for just £59.99.
Go underground
A Kenmore Air Seaplane flight from Lake Union over the city, Puget Sound and surrounding waterways offers a great perspective on the city and distant mountains, some fabulous views and an appreciation of just how green is Seattle.
Food & Wine
Seattle is higher now than at the time of the 1889 Great Fire and underground tours around the city’s oldest neighbourhood, Pioneer Square, show subterranean storefronts and streets.
Contact: Seattle and Washington State Tourism c/o First Public Relations 020 8877 4514 Guillaume@fi
rstpr.co.uk visitseattle.org and
experiencewa.com
July/August 2013 15 Month 2013
sample deal
Seattle’s Pike Place Market
G.POST CITY HIGHLIGHTS
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