Day 1
Seattle, from the market to the waterfront
Morning
Starbucks 1912 Pike Place
The chain's original café, opened in 1971 opposite the market, whose shopfront has kept the mermaid logo of the early days.
Pike Place Market
Founded in 1907, one of the oldest farmers' markets still trading in the country: fishmongers who throw salmon to each other, flower stalls and the bronze pig Rachel at the main entrance, not forgetting the lesser-known lower floors.
Gum Wall
Below, in Post Alley, thirty years of chewing gum stuck to an entire wall, kitsch and utterly photogenic.
Seattle Waterfront
The Elliott Bay seafront, redeveloped after the viaduct was demolished, with its historic piers and its ferries.
Seattle Great Wheel
At the far end of Pier 57, a 53-metre big wheel suspended above the water.
Afternoon
Seattle Art Museum
The city's great art museum, signalled by the Hammering Man, a 15-metre animated sculpture that hammers endlessly. Fine collections of art from the coastal peoples of the Pacific Northwest, modern art and porcelain.
Downtown Seattle
Walking back up through the downtown avenues: skyscrapers, Westlake Center and the bustle of 5th Avenue.
Seattle Central Library
A masterpiece of glass and steel by Rem Koolhaas (2004). The interior is worth the visit: the Books Spiral, a continuous four-storey ramp of shelving, and the light-filled reading room on level 10. Free entry.
Evening
Sky View Observatory, Columbia Center
On the 73rd floor of the city's tallest skyscraper, the highest public observatory in the Pacific Northwest (275 m). A 360° view over the bay, the Space Needle below and, in clear weather, Mount Rainier. Online tickets advised for the sunset slot.
