Of all the high-profile US cities, Seattle is probably the most faceless, renowned more for what comes from there than for what happens there, writes DAVIN O'DWYER
ASK PEOPLE about Seattle and they are very likely to conjure a sound – Nirvana, Pearl Jam and early 1990s grunge – and possibly even a smell – that distinctive caffeinated aroma of Starbucks. One thing they are unlikely to do is picture what it looks like – of all the high-profile US cities, Seattle is probably the most faceless, renowned more for what comes from there than for what happens there.
Which is a pity, because in person, downtown Seattle is a vibrant American metropolis, feeling almost as if Lower Manhattan has been overlaid on the topography of San Francisco, with tall buildings leaning over steep hills falling towards Puget Sound, while sidewalks teem with coffee-sipping pedestrians. Where the typical US city has a hollow, lifeless core, Seattle has one of the most walkable city centres in the country, surrounded by attractive suburbs and great natural beauty.
About the only recognisable landmark in the city is the Space Needle, the iconic tower built for the 1962 World’s Fair. The futuristic yearning of its name is reflected in its form, a charmingly dated slice of sci-fi made flesh. The views over the city are spectacular if you are lucky enough to get up there on a clear day, which can be a lottery considering the city’s notoriously high rainfall. On a good day, however, you can see the peak of volcanic Mount Rainier looming large over the city, with the forested islands west of Puget Sound spread out to one side, the city rolling away on the other, and the busy port welcoming cargo and cruise liners to the south.
THE HEART of the city remains Pike Place Market, once a farmers’ market that survived scheduled demolition in the 1970s to become the agreeable attraction it is today – a maze of independent stores, cafes and restaurants spread out over a few city blocks. Its enduring character is ensured by a ban on any chain stores, a most un-American restriction of free trade that nonetheless guarantees the desired result – a sense of individuality that is unique to the city. The city’s rich culinary reputation is to a large extent due to the food vendors in Pike Place. The restriction on the big chains has one notable exception, however – a certain coffee shop by the name of Starbucks still sells its wares from one of the units, just as it has done since 1976. It’s impossible not to notice the irony that one of the most hegemonic of global brands got its start in an area designed to resist retail homogeneity, and while this Starbuck’s interior has become as generic as any of its eleventy-billion outlets, the original facade hints at a time when good coffee was its founders’ priority, rather than world domination.
Seattle has spawned other global figures, of course, not least in the field of music, and they are all celebrated in the elaborate Experience Music Project, a rather guitar-centric museum housed in a typically undulating building designed by Frank Gehry. From certain angles, it resembles three tacky Christmas Tree ornaments melted out of shape, though if that sounds promising, the result is somewhat less successful than Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao.
But if its physical form is a puzzling architectural experiment, the exhibits inside include some gems, most impressively a collection of Jimi Hendrix memorabilia. More than even Kurt Cobain, Hendrix is the most acclaimed of Seattle's musical heroes, and the array of Hendrix guitars, both pristine and charred, is enough to induce awe in the heart of any true rock'n'roll fan. Best of all is the white Stratocaster on which Hendrix played The Star-Spangled Bannerat Woodstock – getting that close to a piece of musical history is worth the price of admission. But looking at artifacts behind glass confirms the sensation that, despite all the little recording studios for wannabe rock stars, the EMP only manages to ossify something that is inherently alive.
To really get a feel for the city’s still-lively music scene, it’s worth checking the listings in free weekly newspapers such as the Stranger, where you can see what visiting and local bands are playing in the fabled Crocodile club or in venues such as the Showbox and the Paramount Theatre.
ONE SEATTLE brand is more global than most – indeed, you may very well encounter it on your way to the Pacific Northwest. Boeing is one of the largest companies in the US, and a tour of its vast Everett factory a short drive north of the city is a lesson in perspective – the plant is the world’s largest building by volume, big enough to house Disney World, with another 15 acres left over.
Walking along the gantries high up near the ceiling, you can barely see the walls off in the distance, and a glance down affords a dizzying look at the production line below, a row of unfinished 787 Dreamliners lined up like toy models, yet to receive their livery. And then you notice the minuscule engineers and mechanics, dozens of them, toiling away on their individual tasks, and the sheer scale of what Boeing does becomes instantly apparent.
It’s humbling, in its own way, and far more revealing of our industrialised future than the Space Needle could ever hope to be.
City sights
Food-centric tours of Pike Place Market can be enjoyed with Seattle Food Tours, seattlefood tours.com.
The Seattle City Pass allows entry to six attractions, including the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project, for $59 (€45).
For a free visitor guide to Seattle and Washington State visit seattle.gov or experiencewa.com.
Go there
Icelandair (icelandair.co.uk) flies to Seattle via Reykjavik from London Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow. Passengers can stopover in Iceland for up to seven nights at no additional airfare. Return flights to Seattle start from £465 (€555).
Davin O’Dwyer travelled to Seattle courtesy of the Washington State Tourism (experience wa.com) and Icelandair (iceland air.co.uk)