Seattle
remains one of the west coast’s most historic and culturally rich cities. As the birthplace of Grunge music, the city’s thriving music scene, nightlife and atmospheric restaurants are complimented nicely by the surrounding nature of the city.
Situated on the Puget Sound, Seattle was home to Native Americans before the Denny Party incorporated the city in 1851. Since then, the city grew to become one of the United State’s largest with a thriving logging and shipbuilding industry that coined the name the ‘Gateway to Alaska’. Nowadays, modern Seattle is renowned for its liberal thinking and welcoming LGBT community.
After enjoying views of the city from the Seattle Space Needle, head to the Pike Place Market for market stalls with an old-timey Seattle feel or visit the Central District, where you’ll find the homes of former residents Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee. While Georgetown offers vintage clothing from antique trailers, the Ballard and Capitol Hill districts are where you’ll find LGBT-friendly restaurants and nightlife, as well as the famous Crocodile Bar in Belltown – the former stomping ground of Nirvana and R.E.M.
Known colloquially as the ‘Emerald City’ because of its fertile vegetation and forestry, Seattle is within close proximity to a selection of beautiful national parks. Head to Mount Rainer National Park for skiing or take a day cruise across the Puget Sound to Bainbridge and Vashon Island to gain a deeper insight into the native origins of the historic region.