The Rough Guide to Seattle Mini

by Richie Unterberger

INTRODUCTION Hip Seattle, commercial and cultural star of the Pacific Northwest, is one of America’s most liveable cities – and looking around it’s not hard to see why. Surrounded by water, densely packed with scenic hills and tree-lined streets, and with snow-capped mountains visible in almost every direction, it’s a rare urban environment, in which outdoor-style living has not been sacrificed for cosmopolitan culture. Its central core, narrowly saved from the wrecking ball by popular outcry, has been converted to colorful historic districts that also happen to hold the best in the city’s arts, shopping and nightlife. Unfortunately for its long-time residents, who value the tight-knit communities and sensible urban planning that have made this possible, the secret is out, and the subsequent increases in tourism, development, and population have begun to cause trouble in paradise. Indeed until recently Seattle was seen as something of a cultural backwater by the rest of the country, tucked into a remote corner of the continental United States, nearly a thousand miles from the closest major American city. Its years as a thriving port, relying on the timber industry for its well-being, did little for its national image; neither did its role as home to the enormous University of Washington, or hosting a world’s fair – even one which left Seattle with its most prominent icon, the Space Needle. The city did not hit the big time until the 1980s and early 1990s, when a few key companies, and the subcultures they generated, made it a household name. It was then that Seattle turned coffee consumption into an art form, and with it, a local purveyor, Starbucks, became a national phenomenon; and the success of computer giant Microsoft has made the metropolitan area a breeding ground for high-tech communications outfits. Perhaps equally important, at least in public perception, was the advent of grunge music, with Seattle as its nominal birthplace, which led to the meteoric rise of bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. For all its new status, though, Seattle is not a large, nor incredibly happening, city, and those expecting the throbbing pulse of New York or Tokyo will definitely be underwhelmed. While its museums are reasonable, its theater scene vibrant, and its café culture unmatchable, at least in the US, offering social centers where coffee drinking, avant-garde arts, and lively performance meld in one unpretentious pot, the overall mood is decidedly low-key, and Seattle, more than most places, takes time to fully appreciate. In fact, it’s best experienced on an itinerary that puts as much emphasis on nature hikes, neighborhood strolls and ferry rides as it does sightseeing and nightlife – the city is the departure point for ferries to the wooded islands of the Puget Sound and the more remote (and more beguiling) San Juan Islands. There is, of course, a downside to the city. Seattle has a reputation as the teenage runaway capital, along with a correspondingly high level of homelessness. Meanwhile, the recent influx of people has brought commuter traffic to a standstill in some places, and civic ambitions have spurred far-reaching development projects that threaten to tear at the very fabric of Seattle’s inherent small-town nature. In a way, that’s part of the excitement of Seattle – which, perhaps more than any other US metropolis, is still in the process of defining itself.

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Richie Unterberger's book "The Unreleased Beatles: Music and Film" details the incredible wealth of music the Beatles recorded that they did not release, as well as musical footage of the group that hasn't been made commercially available. His other books include "Unknown Legends of Rock'n'Roll," the two-volume 1960s folk-rock history "Turn! Turn! Turn!"/"Eight Miles High," and "The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience." He's also a frequent contributor to the All Music Guide and MOJO magazine, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area."

Reviews

[Steve Clark]

Edition: 2nd Revised edition