Great Western Road Trip: Tourist Tips for Seattle, Washington

Seattle is located in northwestern Washington bordering an inland bay (the Puget Sound) from the Pacific Ocean. Seattle is known for many things, not the least of which are rain, coffee, and a thriving music scene. There's also plenty to see and do for visiting tourists.

Although Seattle is one of the northernmost cities in the continental United States, it's not especially chilly as long as it's not raining. However, it does rain a lot (usually in the form of drizzle or light rain) and is cloudy an average of more than 200 days per year. Nonetheless, its inland location moderates most temperature extremes and it is very pleasant, though often overcast.

Seattle has good reason to be known for coffee. It's the birthplace of the world-famous Starbucks, and the original store is still in thriving business. In addition to Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee Co. and Tully's were also both founded in Seattle. An interesting t-shirt for sell had the slogan "when it rains, we pour!" above a picture of a coffee cup. Any coffee-lover would be hard-pressed to find another city in the United States more suited to their tastes.

And Seattle is very well-known for music. It is especially well known for being the birthplace and center of the grunge music movement in the 90's but many other popular bands from all genres got their start in the Seattle area. Here are some of the most popular: Ray Charles, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Presidents of the United States of America, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Death Cab for Cutie. There are plenty of clubs and concert halls for live music performances in Seattle and The Showbox, Tractor Tavern, Crocodile Café, and Fenix Underground are some of the local favorites.