Seattle

One of Seattle's most famous landmarks, this is the oldest continuously working public market in the country. Shop for fresh vegetables and fruits. Stop by Pike Place Fish to see fish fly. The market has numerous shops, including a health food and herb store, craft stores, and flower stands. Stop by Sur la Table, where you'll find tools with which to prepare your recently purchased ingredients. Don't forget to pick up fresh-baked pastries for dessert, and stop at one of the restaurants for lunch or an authentic Seattle latte before heading home.

With a three-floor climbing wall enclosed in glass, this outdoor emporium is hard to miss. The store offers a shopping experience that is almost as much fun as the great outdoors. Customers test parkas and Gore-Tex windbreakers in a special rain booth. Hikers stomp up a simulated hill in the shoe department to test hiking boots, and climbers scale the rock face for a spectacular view of the skyline. Outside, a coffee bar provides hot drinks, while inside you'll find a juice bar and small restaurant.

Built for the 1962 World Expo, Space Needle distinctive structure, rising 600-plus feet above Seattle Center, has since become Seattle's most famous landmark. Come take in the 360-degree view of mountains, Elliott Bay and Seattle neighborhoods. Stock up on Seattle souvenirs at the ground level gift shop, Space Base. Dine at the SkyCity rotating restaurant, where every seat has a view. Then continue upward to the observation deck at the spectacular height of the Needle to experience the Sky Q. The hi-tech Sky Q encompasses several impressive kiosks outfitted with high-definition cameras and screens.

With numerous fun-but-tacky tourist shops and the Alaskan Way Viaduct thundering overhead, it's a wonder any natives visit Seattle Waterfront. But the views are spectacular; the Bainbridge Island ferry leaves from Colman Dock; and the popular Summer Nights at the Pier concerts play at sublime Pier 62/63. The Seattle Aquarium and the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center are also here. The old streetcar clangs along the length of the waterfront, and the green spaces of Myrtle Edwards Park take over from the concrete mayhem at the northern end.

Here, where the streets of downtown's business district angle down around Elliott Bay to the south, are the flatlands where Seattle was first built. Nightclubs, art galleries, tourist shops, design firms and restaurants dominate Pioneer Square. The area's First Thursday arts walk draws huge crowds to the studios, galleries and street performers, and the nightclubs keep the neighborhood hopping till the early morning hours. The kitschy Underground Tour explaining Seattle's early history is a perennial tourist favorite, as is the more sober Klondike Gold Rush Museum, which details the Yukon gold fever that made Seattle richer. Yesler Way, which slices the neighborhood in half, has a footnote in history as the original "skid row". There are also several small parks in the area, including the quiet Waterfall Park, the shady cobblestones of Occidental Park, and the totem-pole decorated triangle at First and Yesler, Pioneer Place Park.

Pioneer Square is Seattle's oldest neighborhood, and it wasn't always a pleasant place to visit. The Underground Tour takes visitors around Pioneer Square above ground and also to a hidden Seattle that now lies underground. About 25 square blocks of Pioneer Square have hollow spaces under the sidewalks, thanks to peculiarities of the reconstruction after the great Seattle fire of 1889. Cash and traveler's checks only are accepted. ATM is on-site.

The bookshop is located in the middle of Seattle's historically famous Pioneer Square. Looking at this charming grey stone exterior green canopies over large display windows with neatly scattered books, the store looks like something straight out of a movie. With a cafe in the basement of the store, Elliot Bay is a favorite with locals, especially those who love coffee. The large collection of books against the exposed brick walls has a fabulous range of books on Seattle and the Northwest. And if you're lucky you may come across limited editions or signed books. The bookstore also frequently hosts book signing or literary events of contemporary authors.

This 200-acre park is a must-see for every Seattle visitor with even an hour of free time. With its lush green spaces, its breathtaking Japanese Garden (open 10a daily) and its abundance of rare trees, plants and flowers (more than 40,000 species), it is one of the brightest jewels in the Emerald City. Scenic and aptly named Azalea Way cuts a path through the park. The Graham Visitor's Center can be rented for social events, meetings and seminars for 45-75 guests. Rates include kitchen and audio-visual equipment. Call or visit the web site for detailed information and hours.

This art museum specializes in the work of Northwest artists but also explores national and international influences on local art. The museum's new facility, designed by architect Stephen Holl, has 5,800 square feet of gallery space on three floors, plus an art school, studio space for visiting artists and the interactive Explore Gallery. The museum offers lectures and classes regularly.