Thinking of Seattle.

I'm assuming it's an over indulgence of episodes of 'Frasier' (set in Seattle but filmed in LA) and the over subscribed Starbucks coffee shops sat on every street in my own city, but of late I've a desire to go and visit Seattle.  It's even over taken my wish to visit New York  (which I still haven't got round to).  I've visited San Francisco a number of times and absolutely loved the place, so perhaps I could  combine a visit there with a trip to Seattle?  They're not that far away from each other in US terms at least.

It's also, like Manchester, set in the North West of the country, perhaps has a similar level precipitation (or at least perceived precipitation) and share a love of music.

The setting looks perfect for me: a large city scape (despite certain cities in the UK building high we don't have any skylines to write home about); surrounded by beautiful looking mountain ranges; perched on the pacific ocean and a large lake; close to wonderful countryside (and hence attractive for the outdoor pursuits); only 96 miles from Canada (more on Canada another time).  

It's one of the most educated cities in the States and akin to San Francisco, a little more European looking than other large US cities.  Being so close to the sea also means they have a thriving 'fish scene' within the city (Pike Place Market in this case) – having fresh fish on tap and all the drama which goes on with fish markets ticks one of the boxes for a perfect city.  I'd also like the fact that within a short while I can be out of the city and into the great outdoors proper, with mountain bike pursuits, hiking, boating and at certain times of the year, snowboarding and skiing – not something you can pull off in our own Lake District.  Within the city limits is a huge park called Discovery Park where you can walk for miles along the shore over beaches and come into contact with marine mammals and birds before hitting a large forest area.

With a decent enough transport system (although like most US cities still reliant on the car) and a not too large area (unlike the sprawling LA) and a good restaurant scene (including a decent sized Chinatown although this is also known as International District and contains many different cultures from all around the world) I could see myself enjoying Seattle...living there permanently is a whole different kettle of fish given the States tough immigration laws. 

Still a visit has to be on the cards during the next couple of years in which case I'll report back.