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Seattle

Places : Pacific Region : Washington : Seattle

Introduction

Seattle, like Rome, is built on seven hills. As a visitor, you're likely to spend much of your time on only two of them (Capitol Hill and Queen Anne Hill), but the seven knobs are indeed the most definitive element of the city's natural and spiritual landscape.

Years of largely thoughtful building practices have kept tall buildings from obscuring the lines of sight, maintaining vistas in most directions and around most every turn. The hills are lofty, privileged perches from which residents are constantly reminded of the beauty of the forests, mountains, and waters lying just beyond the city -- that is, when it stops misting long enough to see your hand in front of your face. To know Seattle is to know its distinctive neighborhoods. Because of the hills, comfortable walking shoes are a must.

Downtown is bounded on the west by Elliot Bay, on the south by Pioneer Square (the city's oldest neighborhood) and the International District (I.D.), on the north by Belltown and the attractive residences lining the slopes of Queen Anne Hill, and by I-5 to the east. You can reach most points of interest by foot, bus, or trolley, or the monorail that runs between the Seattle Center and the Westlake Center. Capitol Hill, northeast of Downtown on Pine Street, east of I-5), is the center of youth culture in this very young city. University District, or U-District, the area around the University of Washington, is north of Capitol Hill and Union Bay. Ballard, home to Seattle's fishing industry and fun-to-tour locks, is at the mouth of Salmon Bay, northwest of Downtown. Fremont, Seattle's eccentric and artsy hamlet, is north of Lake Union and the Lake Washington Ship Canal, east of Ballard, west of Wallingford, and south of Woodland Park. Magnolia, known for its expensive homes, is at the northwestern edge of Elliot Bay, west of Queen Anne Hill.

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