Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern
United States.The city is a major coastal seaport situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake
Washington, about 114 miles (183 km) south of the
Canada–United States border. The topography of Seattle is hilly. Seattle lies on seven hills including Capitol Hill, First Hill,
West Seattle,
Beacon Hill, Magnolia, Denny Hill and Queen Anne.
Seattle has been a regional center for the performing arts for many years. The century-old Seattle Symphony Orchestra is among the
World's most recorded.This city is home to various museums and amusement parks such as
Seattle Art Museum ,
Seattle Asian Art Museum ,Frye Art ,
Woodland Park Zoo and
Seattle Aquarium.
Seattle's mild, temperate marine climate allows year-round outdoor recreation, including walking, cycling, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, motor boating, sailing, team sports, and swimming. Also popular are hikes and skiing in the nearby Cascade or
Olympic Mountains and kayaking and sailing in the waters of Puget Sound.
Downtown Seattle
Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared to other city centers on the West Coast because of its geographical situation: hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by the Elliott Bay, and on the south by reclaimed land that was once tidal flats.
Downtown Seattle's
Columbia Center has a greater number of floors than any other building west of the Mississippi River, at seventy-six, though there are taller buildings in Texas and California by height.
Other notable buildings are the Washington Mutual Tower, Two
Union Square, Nordstrom’s flagship store,
Benaroya Hall, the new
Seattle Central Library designed by Rem Koolhaas, and the main building of the Seattle Art Museum (built 1991, expanded 2007), the main facade of which was designed by Robert Venturi.
Downtown parks include
Westlake Park,
Freeway Park, and
Victor Steinbrueck Park. The
Olympic Sculpture Park was completed on the Belltown waterfront in January 2007.
