Seattle has several nicknames, among them "the Emerald City," "the Queen City," "the Rainy City," and even "the Gateway to Alaska." It is also referred to as the "Jet City" because of the Boeing aircraft manufacturing plant located there. Seattle's other claims to fame include the fact that it is the city where grunge music originated. It has also been voted the biggest coffee-drinking city in the country. In fact, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Tully’s, and the ubiquitous Starbucks all call Seattle their home base.

Seattle is a leading cultural center, with many events and fairs, including the well-known Seattle International Film Festival. This event stretches for 24 days and brings people from all across the world to Seattle to watch great films. As in larger cities nationwide, Seattle frequently hosts many popular conventions, including The Seattle Book Fair & Arts Show, an anime convention, a gaming convention, and a two-day 9,000-rider bike ride known as the Seattle to Portland bicycle ride.

Seattle is home to many great attractions. For the avid sports fan, Seattle has four professional franchises. In the winter, you could swing by the Key Center for a Supersonics game; in the spring, Safeco Park plays home to the Mariners. In the fall, the Seahawks man the field, and lastly, Seattle is the city that the defending WNBA champions, the Seattle Storm, call home.