Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and both its skyline and amenities reflect that. The city is home to a thriving sports scene and the shopping is the best, especially if you are visiting from Vancouver. Locals are always warm and friendly and the city is perfect for a short or long-term visit and it’s also not so hard on the wallet. Downtown is very walkable and compared to most major American cities, Seattle is relatively safe for tourists. I try to visit Seattle at least once a year and in all the years that I have been doing so I have never grown tired of the city, there is always something new and exciting to see each and every visit.
View of Downtown Seattle Across from Century Link Field
Seattle is a city of grand buildings and it appears that city planners have put together a skyline which is the envy of places like Portland and Vancouver. From the 76 storey Columbia Center (Seattle’s tallest) to the ever iconic Space Needle, the city of Seattle is a place of landmarks where it is always easy to find your way by looking upward. Century Link Field (Seattle Seahawks Football) and Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners Baseball) are two newer additions that have turned a formerly industrial area south of downtown into a new sports mecca.
Century Link Field Seattle
While Seattle has had a monorail system since the 1970’s, it has more recently added a light rail system to deal with growing traffic and congestion. The city appears to be experiencing a renaissance of sorts when it comes to transit as the Seattle Streetcar represents the third rail system for Seattle. While both the monorail and streetcar operate downtown, the Link Light Rail system delivers people between downtown and SeaTac Airport.
Riding Along the MonoRail – Downtown Seattle
Main Square in Downtown Seattle
BC Urban Planning Blog 