Restaurants:

Fresh seafood, of course, is plentiful. Foodnetwork.com offers these top 10 foodie reasons to visit Seattle: 1) Pike Place Market, 2) Dungeness crab, 3) Coffee, 4) Waterfront restaurants, 5) Microbreweries, 6) The original Starbucks, 7) Cedar-planked salmon, 8) Archie McPhee's bizarro candy, 9) More coffee and 10) Asian District.

The Arts:

As any major city, Seattle offers a wide range of theatre, music, ballet and museums. A prominent attraction is the Experience Music Project (EMP) – a one-of-a-kind museum of interactive and interpretive exhibits that define American popular music. McCaw Hall is home to the Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest ballet companies in the nation.

Sightseeing:

The Space Needle in downtown Seattle was built for the 1962 World's Fair. With a restaurant and observation tower at the top, it has become a symbol of the city. Chinatown, better known as the International District, incorporates Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, African-American, Vietnamese, Korean and Cambodian cultures. Washington State is a major winegrowing region and dozens of wineries abound in the Seattle area.

Local Culture:

Seattle's home sports teams include the NBA SuperSonics, the NHL Thunderbirds and the WNBA's Storm. With the Cascade chain of mountains, including Mount Ranier, just 65 miles SE of Seattle, the opportunities for outdoor recreation are limitless. Boating, kayaking, whitewater rafting, whale watching, mountain climbing, biking, hiking and camping are common leisure activities.