Especially relative to our region, Seattle may not be the place to watch great football (too soon?) and since the Sonics moved to Oklahoma, hoops is not so happening, either. Even so, the Emerald City does have many unique attractions that make it worth the cross-country flight.
Having been greatly destroyed by a fire in 1889, the city has literally rebuilt itself upon its own foundations and now rises above many other cities in terms of physical height (thanks on great part to the Smith Tower and the Space Needle, both of which once stood as the tallest building west of the Mississippi) and both intellectual and real capital (as the city with the highest literacy rate in the nation and the home of Bill Gates). Historically speaking, Seattle is also the home of the world’s first gas station and the world’s first Starbucks (which many may see as the same thing). But even for you Dunkin’ fans, Seattle has a latte to like.