About Seattle and the Pacific Northwest

Updated June 23, 2015

Around the City

Seattle was founded in the 1860s and saw major timber industry in its early days, as well as being a major step-off point for the Alaskan gold rush.  Today, it is noted for its beautiful landscapes and outdoor tourist activities, plus noted sports teams (Go Hawks!), software and online shopping companies (Microsoft, Amazon), and of course, coffee (Starbucks).

The architecturally unique Seattle Public Library is just a block away from the host hotel.  Two blocks away is the 5th Avenue Theater, which presents plays and Broadway-style musicals year round.  Three blocks north is the edge of Seattle’s downtown shopping core, with major stores and a huge selection of lunch and dinner options.  (Many dining options are within just a couple blocks of the hotel as well, although lunch options will be sparse on Saturday.)  The Seattle Art Museum is just a few blocks away, and the Seattle Center (with the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and the Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum) is a short cab ride away (or walk to Westlake Center and ride the 1960s-era monorail there!).

Please take note of challenges for parking in Seattle and recommendations for alternatives on this page.

Seattle’s Gay Scene

The gay neighborhood in Seattle is centered on Capitol Hill, about a mile up Madison from the hotel — walkable in nice weather, or a short cab ride.  On Capitol Hill, you will find several gay bars (and many happening straight bars as well), gift shops, leather stores, funky thrift shops, and food of all sorts (from cupcakes to phở).  And check out the new rainbow crosswalks, installed in June 2015.

Rain Country’s home bar, the Cuff Complex, is located on The Hill at 13th Ave. & Pine.

Seattle has a large and diverse GLBTQ population, including prominent gay sports teams, many gay and lesbian elected officials on the state and city levels (including the Mayor!), and the second highest percentage of gay and lesbian couples in the country.  In November 2012, Washington was one of three states to formally approve same-sex marriage rights at the ballot box, and the first to enact those marriages.  (We were also one of two states in that election to legalize personal marijuana use, and there are several pot shops open around the city.)

Around the Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is an outdoor tourist’s dream, with the glacial-carved and island-dotted Puget Sound right at hand, several national parks close by, and even an active volcano (Mt. St. Helens).  A few hours to south is Portland, to the north is Vancouver, British Columbia, and across the Cascades to the east is the high desert of Eastern Washington, full of apple orchards, wheat fields, deep river canyons (coulees), and massive hydroelectric dams.

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