Seattle is one of the important commercial nerve centres of US and is located along the west coast in Washington state(dont confuse this with Washington DC ), the evergreen state .This is the first place I landed in US and my my , what a city !!!!! A city nestled among the sparkling blue lakes, rivers, ocean , mountain ranges, snow capped peaks, with its distinctive modern skyline of glass skyscrapers gleaming across the curved Elliot bay.Hence this place is known as ’’The emarald city ’’ or ’’The liquid city’’.
Now lemme give the outline of the complex landscape of this area. Seattle is jostled on a narrow strip of land between the 18 mile long Lake Washington ’n Puget Sound .To the east r the volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range with snowcapped Mount Rainier which measures14, 411 feet ’n teases the towering skyscrapers ’n to the west are the jagged Olympic Mountains. Just to the north of downtown, the city is bisected by the Lake Washington Ship Canal that joins into Lake Union ’n Lake Washington from the Puget Sound.
This is also the home for some of the names that revolutionised the present day existence like Boeing ’n Microsoft ’n hordes of software companies.(Just praying that they can sustain the present day recession .)
The best part of this place r the lovely cozy residential areas which r situated in the surrounding serene lush green hills like Newport Hills, Bellevue, Mercer Island etc with view of those lovely bays , shimmering lakes, distant skyscrapers ’n is virtually insulated from the throbbing urban binge .Believe me, on a bright sunny day , the view is absolutely breathtaking , ’n the waters will be swarming with hi-speed boats ’n adventure seekers.But as all good things comes in small packages in life , there r few fleeting days that blue skies grace the Emerald City, as there will be a slight drizzle or chilling most of the times in a year.
Okay coming to the main tourist attractions , here r a few of ’em:
SPACE NEEDLE:This 600ft flying-saucer-tipped Space Needle tower, now the symbol of Seattle, is something of an eiffel tower for the local ppl .This gives a 520’ panaromic view of the city ’n its surroundings ’n if u r lucky with good weather , marvellous view of the gigantic snow capped peaks of Mt Rainier ’n other mountain ranges .But the best view is reserved from the revolving restaurant at the top , especially at the evening .
EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT: This is one place , which one sh’d never miss, especially the music buffs.This is a museum built as a homage to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, ’n traces the roots ’n paths of present day American popular music culture.The museum has a dizzying array of interactive ’n electronic experiences, gigantic video screens ’n includes ’’Sound Lab’’ where aspiring rockers get computer-aided music lessons.Each visitor is provided with a Museum Exhibit Guide, a wireless headphones that let users hear recordings ’n narration ’n guides u thro’ the museum. There’s also a video arcade, nightclub ’n amusement park.Over the weekends lots ’n lots of concerts r slated .Its a complete one day affair out here.
SEATTLE CRUISES: A cruise thro’ the surrounding lakes, islands ’n a spectacular view of the skyscrapers in the evenings. Ha ! ’n also the boat house that’s featured in the movie ’’Sleapless in Seattle’’.
BOEING’s MUSEUM OF FLIGHT: That traces the evolution of present day aircraft industry, avioincs technolgy, space tech etc etc
Other things to follow r Pacific Science Center , Seattle Aquarium , Snoqualmie Falls, Seattle Monorail .
Apart from all this what better than simply strolling downtown for lots of window shopping.If u r here in summer , the opening parade of Seafair along 4th avenue that lasts for nearly 3 hours is not to be missed. Lots of sporting events this time of the year ranging from hi-speed boating to baseball ( well this is new for a change ).Visit the famous punjabi restaurant ’’Pabla’’ downtown , if u eagerly looking for some good Indian food, which is one thing that I really miss bigtime.