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Airport  
Seattle-Tacoma (or Sea-Tac) International Airport is 23 km south of the city. Flight time from London is just over 9 hrs. Within the airport are a dozen or so gift shops, almost 20 restaurants and coffee shops, half a dozen bars, as well as the usual cash machines, currency exchange and business centres.
Airport to City Centre
Cabs wait on ranks on the upper level of the terminal or can be ordered via Yellow Cab. The half-hour trip into the centre costs about $30. The Shuttle Express operates between Sea-Tac and anywhere in the city, while Grayline Airport Express buses link Sea-Tac to most of the major Downtown hotels. Metro Transit operates two bus services, Nos 174 and 194, between Sea-Tac and Downtown Seattle. They can be picked up at the Lower Roadway baggage claim, Bay 1. Single trips are $2.00 during peak hours and $1.50 off peak. Bus 194 is the Express to Downtown and makes five stops in the Downtown tunnel stations, while Bus 174 is about 15 minutes slower, makes more intermittent stops and terminates at 9th and Stewart Downtown. 
Orientation
Central Seattle lies on a narrow shard of land between the freshwater Lake Washington to the east and the saltwater Elliott Bay – Puget Sound – on the west, about 160 km south of the border with Canada. The compact Downtown area is at the centre of 228 sq km. The majority of sights and attractions are located Downtown and are easily accessible by foot. The Downtown area is in the centre of the city and served by the north-south running Interstate 5 (I-5), which wends its way up from Mexico to the Canadian border, and the east-west Interstate 90 (I-90), which can take you from Seattle to Boston. Pioneer Sq is the oldest part of Seattle and the basis of the city’s cultural heritage. In recent years, it has been transformed into a fin de siècle showpiece, interspersed with fashionable boutiques and art galleries. Downtown has spread north along the waterfront and is now the main dining and entertainment district, as well as the city’s hotel corridor and financial hub. Pike Place Market, standing sentinel over Elliott Bay, is the place from which to take your bearings. Belltown, north of the central district, is a rehabbed industrial neighbourhood teeming with trendy eateries and lively nightspots. Seattle Center, with its landmark Space Needle, and the residential area of Queen Anne, are just beyond, while the alternative boutiques, galleries and coffee houses of Capitol Hill to the north-east add a bit of spice. The residential neighbourhood of Wallingford, further north, is replete with laid-back charm and casual shops along N 45th St and nearby Green Lake, a favoured jogging and biking spot. Addresses are clarified by the all-revealing N, S, E or W prefix, with streets running east-west and numbered avenues north-south. Seattle’s population stood at 563,374 at the beginning of 2000, ranking it 24th in size among U.S. cities. 
Getting Around
Metro Transit provides a quick, frequent and clean bus service with low fares, currently $1.25-2. Taxi cabs rank up outside most hotels and landmarks, and can also be hailed on the street. Yellow Cab, Far West Taxi and Orange Cab are the major names if you want to book ahead or be picked up. The Seattle Center is served by the Seattle Center Monorail, offering a speedy 90-second ride to its Downtown terminus at the Westlake Center every 15 mins. The Waterfront Streetcar, although mainly used by tourists, is a sheer delight for anyone, offering as it does an atmospheric ride between the waterfront area and Pioneer Sq, with several stops along the way. Seattle was the first US city to introduce a free park and ride programme Downtown. Metro’s Free Ride service operates between 0500 and 1900 within the central 144 city blocks, which are bounded by Bell St, S Jackson St, Alaskan Way and Sixth Ave. Light traffic and clean air make Seattle a wonderful city for cycling, jogging and roller-blading. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that there are some lovely routes for all three sports around Green Lake and along the 20-km 
Burke-Gilman trail. In addition, the Myrtle Edwards trail, along Seattle’s Downtown waterfront, makes for a scenic workout area. Gregg’s Green Lake Cycle Center rents out bikes per day or week from 7007 Woodlawn Ave, NE; alternatively, Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals is more centrally located at 1230 Western Ave. 

What to see
Pike Place Market: Known by locals as the ‘soul of Seattle’, the oldest continuously operating farmers’ market in the country was built in 1907 and saved from demolition in the 70s. Today, the entire area along First Ave between Pike St and Virginia St is a vivid canvas of fruit and vegetable vendors, fishmongers, spice merchants, flower stalls, arts and crafts shops and ethnic canteens. There are also excellent seafood eateries on the harbour front and dozens of quaint old places to enjoy strong Seattle coffee and a sugary pastry. Read All About It is the Market’s international news stand – if they don’t carry it, it’s nowhere in town. When Seattle-ites need a place to meet, they do it under the Market’s imposing clock, a neon orb which has been ticking away since the 20s. 
Pioneer Square: The core of historic Seattle has numerous buildings dating back to the gold rush of the 1890s. Today, the Square has been developed into a high-ceilinged centre containing bookshops, restaurants, art galleries, outdoor cafés and trendy boutiques. An Underground Tour takes visitors to see the old city many street levels below, as well as Klondike Gold Rush National Park, which outlines the feverish impact the discovery of gold had on the region. Come night time, the entire area comes alive to the strains of jazz, blues and dance music emanating from the neighbourhood’s myriad clubs and music venues. 
Seattle Art Museum: This is one of the largest showcases of art in the US, with a lovely park aspect and fine views. The museum is best known for its first-rate collection of African, Asian and Northwest Coast Native American art. If you want to learn more about the indigenous Indians of the area, a regular programme of films and lectures is scheduled in the adjoining auditorium. Snacks are available at the museum’s café and you can purchase mementoes in the well-stocked shop. Open daily 1000-1700 except Mon. 100 University St. Benaroya Hall, the new home of Seattle’s symphony orchestra, is an architectural showpiece located a block from the museum. 
Seattle Center: This 74-acre urban park to the north-west of Downtown was the site of the 1962 World’s Fair. It has since been converted to an expansive hi-tech complex of conference centres, theatres, an amusement park, sports arena, food hall, opera house and the Pacific Science Center. Most notable, however, is the Space Needle, the symbol of the city, which soars majestically over the skyline and contains two revolving restaurants, an observation deck and private banquet facilities. The Space Needle recently received a $20 million facelift, with the most significant improvement being a redesign of the observation deck to allow an unobstructed, 360° view of the city. Also new to the Seattle Center is the Experience Music 
Project, an interactive, hi-tech music museum that is Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s homage to rock ‘n’ roll and other American musical forms. The building, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry – most famous for the Guggenheim in Bilbao – is a series of multi-coloured, curving metallic plates that is well worth the price of admission before you even step in the door. 
Waterfront: The fishermen’s nets and pallets of old have long since been replaced by new service businesses and harbour tour operators selling passage from their offices in long-abandoned warehouses. Alaskan Way, the waterfront promenade, stretches for almost two miles between Piers 48 and 70 and offers excellent walking, biking, a smattering of touristy shops and a variety of cafés and restaurants. If time permits, take the Washington State Ferry from the terminal at Pier 52 to the islands. Once you get there, do some bird-watching or simply relax and soak up the delightful views. 

Shopping               lågprisflyg - paket resor - paketresa            Queensway Travel
The recently renovated Westlake Center at 400 Pine St is the biggest shopping mall in town. Here you will find several dozen fashion boutiques, accessory shops, restaurants and antique stores as well as underground access to Nordstrom and the Bon Marché. Seattle stalwart Nordstrom has moved across the street to the old Frederick and Nelson building and is now offering nearly 400,000 sq ft of the finest fashions and accessories. Originally a shoe store, Nordstrom is still the place to go for footwear of all kinds, plus additional perks of a doorman, two restaurants, a day spa, shoe museum, aquaria in the children’s department and a family restroom. It’s the largest store in the now-national Nordstrom chain. Downtown’s Pine St corridor is experiencing a shopping renaissance. 
In addition to Nordstrom and Pacific Place, new players are Old Navy, Niketown, Eileen Fisher, Steven Spielberg’s Gameworks and two multi-screen cinemas. The Pacific Place shopping area opened at Seventh and Pine in late 1998. Five levels of high-end shopping with the likes of Tiffany and Co, Cartier and Restoration Hardware whet the palate and lighten the pocketbook. The complex also features four restaurants (including Stars and Il Fornaio) and an 11-screen cinema. 
First and Second Ave Downtown are replete with cutting-edge fashion boutiques, art galleries and purveyors of fine interior design. Pike Place Market is the place for arts and crafts, fresh foods and hand-made goods. Also in the Market area are Sur La Table (a gadget heaven for cooks), Le Panier for warm French bread and Dilettante Chocolates for the best truffles in town. 
The Washington State Convention and Trade Center was recently expanded to double its previous size by building across Pike Street. A 90ft-wide glass exhibition bridge connects the old and new spaces, and frames the view of shimmering Elliott Bay in the distance. Several new restaurants and cafés are also part of the revamp. The new Museum of History and Industry is close by and an ancillary part of this project. 

Where to walk
An ideal Seattle stroll begins with an early morning visit to Read All About It, the international news stand at First and Pike. Pick up your favourite read and proceed to Café Campagne, a block away at the Inn at the Market. The French breakfast and robust coffee will fortify you for your journey through the warren of shops and stalls that is Pike Place Market. Turn down quaint Post Alley to get to the Market, beginning your exploration by entering under the Market’s signature neon clock. Hawkers will beckon from every corner, selling everything from fresh fish to jewellery and home-made jams. Once you’ve seen it all, follow the ‘Elevators Down’ sign for several levels and exit the Market on Western Ave. 
By taking the Pike St Hillclimb stairs straight down, you’ll reach the waterfront along Alaskan Way. Directly in front of you will be the Seattle Aquarium. Stop in, if you’d like, or head to your right and take in the view of vast Elliott Bay. At the next corner, turn right and head up a series of small steps directly ahead, returning to Western Ave, then proceed left along Western and stop at Virginia Ave. You’re now at Victor Steinbrueck Park, which offers yet another lovely view of the Bay and waterfront, along with its two totem poles evoking the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. 
Head up Virginia St to First Ave, then turn left. You’re now in the chic Belltown district, a collection of trendy boutiques, hair salons and eateries as up-market as anywhere. Turn right on Wall St and go up to Second Ave, go right again and make your way to the Downtown district. Back in the city centre, head left on Pine St and up to Fifth Ave for the city’s shopping gulch. Westlake Center, Nordstrom and the city centre shops all vie for your attention along with towering skyscrapers and elegant hotels. Will you shop or will you walk? If you opt for walking, continue along Fifth to University, where the Four Seasons Olympic, grande dame of the city’s hotels, will come into view. Step inside and rest your feet for a few moments in the hotel’s sumptuous lobby. If you need a quick pick-me-up, head back outside and grab a cup of coffee at one of the many Starbucks coffee houses in the area. 

Continuing down University, you’ll see the new Benaroya Hall, home to Seattle’s symphony orchestra, at Third Ave. The Seattle Art Museum, or ‘SAM’ to the locals, is further down at First Ave, where Jonathan Borofsky’s sculpture, The Hammering Man, towers over the gawking crowds. Turn left onto First Ave and enjoy the many well-maintained older buildings along this street. Crossing Cherry, you’re in the heart of Pioneer Square – it’s old Seattle and the charm still lingers, over a century later. Once at S Main St, you’ve reached the Elliott Bay Book Company, the city’s premier bookstore. Pick up a good read and, exiting the store, head right on S Main to Occidental Ave S. Yet another right will take you to Torrefazione Italia, a charming café on a pedestrian thoroughfare where the outdoor tables are the coveted seats. Sit back, relax and read for a 
while. When you’re ready to go back to the city centre, hop onto the historic Waterfront Streetcar and ask the conductor for Stop 6, which will leave you down the hill from the Pike Place Market. You’re only steps away from where you started. This roughly three-mile walk is only moderately hilly and a great way to start your Seattle day.