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With its unofficial motto "no worries", Seattle remains the big city with the small town feel, offering warm smiles and mellow welcomes to more than a million visitors a year.

Also known as the "Emerald City", Seattle boasts an aqua-tinted skyline set off by another of its famous towering icons, the Space Needle, offering a 360-degree view of the city high atop its revolving restaurant.

Head a few blocks to the shore to find other things to see and do, including the waterfront and Pike Place Market. And for coffee worshipers there is, of course, the required pilgrimage to the original Starbucks, which opened opposite Pike Place Market in 1971.

Rounding out Seattle's top attractions are the Seattle Aquarium, top notch seafood restaurants, as well as tours and cruises around the bay for up close encounters with seals and whales frolicking in Elliott Bay and Puget Sound.

Around town, and out of town

For the best in people watching, however, don't miss any one of dozens of Seattle street fairs and festivals that rock around the clock during the summer tourist season.

Popular day trips from Seattle include the Boeing Factory tours (25 miles north of the city) for a walk around the world's largest building -- wherein visitors can watch 747's and other jumbo jets coming off the assembly line. With more time to spare, also don't miss a day trip to nearby Washington State wineries with a must-see stop at Snoqualmie Falls.

DID YOU KNOW? Seattle Travel Fun Facts

Pretty in pink.

• Built for the Seattle World's Fair, the iconic Space Needle featured the world's first revolving restaurant when it opened in 1961.

• Becoming a major Seattle tourist attraction in its own right (and one of the most photographed) is the giant Pink Elephant car wash sign on Battery Street and Denny Way downtown.

• After the Great Fire of 1889, the city raised the street level and started over. Today, you can tour parts of old Seattle in an Underground Tour.

• Yes, it's true. "The city the sun forgot" actually has less rainy days than New York or Chicago. During the summer, misty weather usually turns bright and clear just in time for prime Seattle tourist season.

Seattle photo gallery

A Seattle icon, the Space Needle rises high above the city skyline at night.	Everything under the sun & sea at Pike Place Market.	Seattle Aquarium offers close encounters with all kinds of shore life.
The perfect day trip: Snoqualmie Falls.	Don't miss a boat tour around Elliott Bay.	Seattle at dusk.

More about Seattle travel & tourism around the Web:

Seattle - The official tourism site offers up photos and information on top attractions including practical guides for finding beaches, picnic sites, dog parks and more..

Visit Seattle - Check out the official tourism guide with a colorful look at top attractions, restaurants and hotels, and suggested travel itineraries.