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Seattle, bordering Canada, and is as far north west as you can go within mainland United States. It is a gateway airport from the UK and for some reason only flown from London by British Airways. Nothing wrong with that and British Air offer an excellent service and very busy twice daily operation but with United pulling out you would have thought that one of the more aggressive American airlines might have got into the act. For those unfamiliar with the north west USA Seattle is 800 miles due north of San Francisco, joined by Turnpike 5. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA-TAC) lies 15 miles to the south of the city and the journey into the city passes near to Renton, the home of the 737, and right by King County International Airport, the official name for Boeing Field home of the Museum of Flight. Everett, and the 747 assembly plant is 25 miles to the north of the city. The population is half million, about the same as Edinburgh. The journey in from SEA-TAC can be very slow and will not be alleviated until 2009 when a new light railway is expected to be completed. Work is under way and it will form part of an alternative route to Vancouver, just 140 scenic miles away across the Canadian border, and just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. A bus service takes you direct to your hotel and of course there are taxis, and not that much more expensive. Seattle, sitting on the coast, and with Mount Rainer in the background, has a reputation of being the Manchester of the US weather-wise, but perhaps like the British city the status is unmerited. Certainly all three times your correspondent has visited the one time timber industry town the skies have been for the most part blue and the water that surrounds the city glistening. To the west lies saltwater Puget Sound; to the east, freshwater Lake Washington; in the middle, Lake Union. Everywhere, the focus is water.  Seattle is the home of Microsoft and Starbucks Coffee. And Boeing as mentioned. If you are into aviation Boeing is a must, but if you are not (and maybe the family can split for the day) the city itself, and indeed the whole of the State of Washington, has an enormous amount to offer typified by the Space Needle, a lasting memorial to the World Fair of 1962. When it was built it was said to be the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The observation platform 500 ft up in the sky is a good place to start your Seattle tour and get a fine perspective. The Space Needle (seen her with Mount Rainer in the distance) is linked to the downtown area by monorail and is also part of the bus tour, always the best way to learn about any new city. The Space Needle is now part of Seattle Center, a 74-acre urban park and home to the Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project, Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Repertory Theater, Intiman Theater, Seattle Children's Theater, Seattle Children's Museum and many other attractions. The Pike Place Market , located on the waterside in the heart of downtown Seattle, is perhaps the most popular attraction for Seattle visitors. Said to be the oldest continually operating farmers market in the country (celebrating its centenary in 2007), it certainly has a lively atmosphere and is a true gathering of the country community, where craftspeople and artists display their goods. Fish, and salmon in particular, dominate both in terms of shops and eating place. There is free music and free tours. Just a few steps away is the commercial heart of Seattle, a lively downtown district of department stores, specialty shops, renovated historic theaters, hotels of every size, multiplex cinemas, espresso stands, restaurant and shopping experiences such as Westlake Center, City Center and Pacific Place. Also within walking distance is the Pioneer Square historic district offering a wealth of art galleries, bookstores, antique shops, cool restaurants, and buzzing nightclubs (left with a streetcar). Pioneer Square is Seattle's oldest neighborhood, adjacent to the new, massive sports stadiums for the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks. The classic red brick buildings give a warmth to the area not found in most sprawling US suburbia. The term "skid row" originated in Pioneer Square -- when timber would be slid down to a steam powered mill on the Seattle waterfront.  A little further from the waterfront area is Seattle's International Chinatown, the name exactly describing the district. It is a cultural hub for Asian Americans including large numbers of Japanese and Filipino immigrants starting as long ago as the 1880s. Today it is a vibrant district full of the noise and bustle of the Far East. There are shops and stalls aplenty and the historic Northern Pacific Hotel, the NP, plus the Wing Luke Asian Museum. The area is easy to get to with public transport free in the central area of Seattle during the daytime hours. Boat tours and ferries across Elliot Bay and into Pugent Sound offer an opportunity to view the city from another angle and to explore the historic Blake Island and west Seattle. . Seattle of course is one of the great centers of aviation and to the credit of Boeing who helped sponsor both the Museum of Flight and the Future Flight exhibition at Everett. More
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