![A mere thirty minutes northeast of downtown Seattle, there exists an oenophile's paradise. Located in the bucolic Sammamish River Valley, Woodinville is a rural wooded community notable for more than 90 tasting rooms for Washington vintners.While you won't encounter any grape vines in Woodinville, you will, nonetheless, taste the bounty from numerous Columbia Valley vineyards located just over the Cascade Mountain range in Eastern Washington.Woodinville took off as a wine destination in the 1970s, when Chateau Ste. Michelle's palatial estate opened to the public. Since then, nearly one hundred second-location wineries and tasting rooms have welcomed the public. The benefit for a true oenophile is the easy proximity to so many celebrated wines.Most of the tasting rooms are located within a five-mile radius and easily accessible by foot from "downtown" Woodinville. As idiosyncratic as the wines, Woodinville's tasting rooms feature an array of interior design styles: from bare-bones industrial chic to posh private clubs. One room is called The Library, while another includes a ping-pong table and offers movie nights.Willows Lodge is the de facto clubhouse for many wine tourists, offering a series of wine-related events throughout the year, as well as the region's two most celebrated restaurants, The Herbfarm and Barking Frog.For a restorative weekend retreat, head to Woodinville. ](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/b0/96/b0962834aabe67482a444bb0de0df0f8.jpg?itok=2XnSHJZ4 "A mere thirty minutes northeast of downtown Seattle, there exists an oenophile's paradise. Located in the bucolic Sammamish River Valley, Woodinville is a rural wooded community notable for more than 90 tasting rooms for Washington vintners.While you won't encounter any grape vines in Woodinville, you will, nonetheless, taste the bounty from numerous Columbia Valley vineyards located just over the Cascade Mountain range in Eastern Washington.Woodinville took off as a wine destination in the 1970s, when Chateau Ste. Michelle's palatial estate opened to the public. Since then, nearly one hundred second-location wineries and tasting rooms have welcomed the public. The benefit for a true oenophile is the easy proximity to so many celebrated wines.Most of the tasting rooms are located within a five-mile radius and easily accessible by foot from "downtown" Woodinville. As idiosyncratic as the wines, Woodinville's tasting rooms feature an array of interior design styles: from bare-bones industrial chic to posh private clubs. One room is called The Library, while another includes a ping-pong table and offers movie nights.Willows Lodge is the de facto clubhouse for many wine tourists, offering a series of wine-related events throughout the year, as well as the region's two most celebrated restaurants, The Herbfarm and Barking Frog.For a restorative weekend retreat, head to Woodinville. "){kind=small}
![Imagine a football field filled with food and wine from Washington's best vineyards and restaurants. Imagine tables laden with smoked octopus, salted caramel butterscotch pudding, sea urchin mousse, oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab salad, chocolate chili cupcakes - and more.Then imagine being able to eat and drink to your heart's content. That's Taste Washington, the city's annual oenophile and culinary smorgasbord, which has become the nation's largest single-region wine and food event.Since 1998, Seattle has celebrated the advent of spring with more than 4,000 food and wine enthusiasts from around the world, partaking in the privilege of more than 200,000 pours from 750 Washington wines. The logo for Taste Washington showcases a wine bottle, with the aphorism"Drink. Eat. Learn." While there is no question that Taste Washington is a wine festival, the food from 65 of the Pacific Northwest's most acclaimed restaurants makes Taste Washington a foodie heaven.Oh, yes, and also, prawn and Berkshire pork dumpling with pickled vegetables - and pastrami-cured king salmon with truffled asparagus salad on soft pumpernickel.Make plans now for Taste Washington in the spring of 2014.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/e9/7d/e97d5e9142f0d8ba5c8f73bdaf8e2f22.jpg?itok=a9JbalwR "Imagine a football field filled with food and wine from Washington's best vineyards and restaurants. Imagine tables laden with smoked octopus, salted caramel butterscotch pudding, sea urchin mousse, oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab salad, chocolate chili cupcakes - and more.Then imagine being able to eat and drink to your heart's content. That's Taste Washington, the city's annual oenophile and culinary smorgasbord, which has become the nation's largest single-region wine and food event.Since 1998, Seattle has celebrated the advent of spring with more than 4,000 food and wine enthusiasts from around the world, partaking in the privilege of more than 200,000 pours from 750 Washington wines. The logo for Taste Washington showcases a wine bottle, with the aphorism"Drink. Eat. Learn." While there is no question that Taste Washington is a wine festival, the food from 65 of the Pacific Northwest's most acclaimed restaurants makes Taste Washington a foodie heaven.Oh, yes, and also, prawn and Berkshire pork dumpling with pickled vegetables - and pastrami-cured king salmon with truffled asparagus salad on soft pumpernickel.Make plans now for Taste Washington in the spring of 2014."){kind=small}
![ Chef Peter Birk has family history in southern Missouri, so it's not surprising to find the celebrated chef utilizing ingredients from the South in his acclaimed restaurant BOKA restaurant + bar at Hotel 1000. Creamy grits and hominy, for example, prove to be a delectable complement to New Caledonian blue prawns, thereby creating a Seattle equivalent to that Southern staple "shrimp-n-grits."Birk's innovative cuisine pairs nicely with the contemporary dining room's colorful decor. Gougères come in a trio of cheeses, while the pork belly is served with fried okra and collard green slaw - and Birk's southern fried Stokesberry Farm chicken with green beans and bacon and cream gravy is the sort of meal that reminds every transplanted Southerner of the region's culinary bounty. Located off the lobby of Hotel 1000, BOKA restaurant + bar is an amalgam of restaurant, bar, and lounge with handcrafted cocktails from Chief Mixologist Mi-Suk Ahn. What BOKA restaurant + bar - and Birk's cuisine - does so well is remind patrons of the breadth of the Pacific Northwest's bounty and the region's numerous culinary antecedents. Scallops come from Alaska, while the oysters are harvested from Puget Sound and the mussels from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. BOKA restaurant + bar's focus on history - both family and regional - serves as a delicious reminder of the nation's culinary heritage and to whom we owe gratitude.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/d5/c2/d5c2d1ffc856dc1dd72f859578123b64.jpg?itok=zPWucbZi " Chef Peter Birk has family history in southern Missouri, so it's not surprising to find the celebrated chef utilizing ingredients from the South in his acclaimed restaurant BOKA restaurant + bar at Hotel 1000. Creamy grits and hominy, for example, prove to be a delectable complement to New Caledonian blue prawns, thereby creating a Seattle equivalent to that Southern staple "shrimp-n-grits."Birk's innovative cuisine pairs nicely with the contemporary dining room's colorful decor. Gougères come in a trio of cheeses, while the pork belly is served with fried okra and collard green slaw - and Birk's southern fried Stokesberry Farm chicken with green beans and bacon and cream gravy is the sort of meal that reminds every transplanted Southerner of the region's culinary bounty. Located off the lobby of Hotel 1000, BOKA restaurant + bar is an amalgam of restaurant, bar, and lounge with handcrafted cocktails from Chief Mixologist Mi-Suk Ahn. What BOKA restaurant + bar - and Birk's cuisine - does so well is remind patrons of the breadth of the Pacific Northwest's bounty and the region's numerous culinary antecedents. Scallops come from Alaska, while the oysters are harvested from Puget Sound and the mussels from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. BOKA restaurant + bar's focus on history - both family and regional - serves as a delicious reminder of the nation's culinary heritage and to whom we owe gratitude."){kind=small}
Sometimes referred to as "The Emerald City," Seattle adopted that moniker in the 1980s as a reference to the city's lush evergreen forests, although it's not unusual to hear Seattleites speak of their city as "a magical place," which evokes another Emerald City altogether.
With a history built on gold rushes (and busts), Seattle is both the mythical city at the end of the nation's rainbow and a haven of sustainable idealism. This, after all, is a city that banned plastic shopping bags and passed Initiative 502, which legalized the possession of marijuana.
Green is the name of the game in Seattle - and apart from the forests and the projected $2 billion from the upcoming sale of cannabis, Seattle's booming "green" economy includes such major players as Amazon, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Costco, Nintendo, and yes, that little homegrown coffee chain called Starbucks.
A city of "brainiacs," Seattle has one of the highest percentage of college graduates in the US, which probably also explains the equally high rate of atheism alongside one of the lowest rates of church attendance in the nation.
Big things keep happening in Seattle, which is a city that understands how to turn adversity to advantage. The 2001 earthquake, for example, compromised the Alaskan Way Viaduct enough so that its replacement with a two-mile-long tunnel is imminent. The result will enable the historic Seattle waterfront to become more accessible and pedestrian-friendly.
Often considered a "chill" city, which is both literal and metaphoric, Seattle's most clement weather occurs between May and September. Regardless of when you visit, you might avail yourself of the city's most popular attractions by using Seattle CityPASS.
In the meantime, here's a list of ten delicious reasons to whet your appetite for a visit to Seattle.
![ Chef Peter Birk has family history in southern Missouri, so it's not surprising to find the celebrated chef utilizing ingredients from the South in his acclaimed restaurant BOKA restaurant + bar at Hotel 1000. Creamy grits and hominy, for example, prove to be a delectable complement to New Caledonian blue prawns, thereby creating a Seattle equivalent to that Southern staple "shrimp-n-grits."Birk's innovative cuisine pairs nicely with the contemporary dining room's colorful decor. Gougères come in a trio of cheeses, while the pork belly is served with fried okra and collard green slaw - and Birk's southern fried Stokesberry Farm chicken with green beans and bacon and cream gravy is the sort of meal that reminds every transplanted Southerner of the region's culinary bounty. Located off the lobby of Hotel 1000, BOKA restaurant + bar is an amalgam of restaurant, bar, and lounge with handcrafted cocktails from Chief Mixologist Mi-Suk Ahn. What BOKA restaurant + bar - and Birk's cuisine - does so well is remind patrons of the breadth of the Pacific Northwest's bounty and the region's numerous culinary antecedents. Scallops come from Alaska, while the oysters are harvested from Puget Sound and the mussels from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. BOKA restaurant + bar's focus on history - both family and regional - serves as a delicious reminder of the nation's culinary heritage and to whom we owe gratitude.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/9c/59/9c593f02c7729bfa6086a1aeb938c36a.jpg?itok=jpHJTJzd " Chef Peter Birk has family history in southern Missouri, so it's not surprising to find the celebrated chef utilizing ingredients from the South in his acclaimed restaurant BOKA restaurant + bar at Hotel 1000. Creamy grits and hominy, for example, prove to be a delectable complement to New Caledonian blue prawns, thereby creating a Seattle equivalent to that Southern staple "shrimp-n-grits."Birk's innovative cuisine pairs nicely with the contemporary dining room's colorful decor. Gougères come in a trio of cheeses, while the pork belly is served with fried okra and collard green slaw - and Birk's southern fried Stokesberry Farm chicken with green beans and bacon and cream gravy is the sort of meal that reminds every transplanted Southerner of the region's culinary bounty. Located off the lobby of Hotel 1000, BOKA restaurant + bar is an amalgam of restaurant, bar, and lounge with handcrafted cocktails from Chief Mixologist Mi-Suk Ahn. What BOKA restaurant + bar - and Birk's cuisine - does so well is remind patrons of the breadth of the Pacific Northwest's bounty and the region's numerous culinary antecedents. Scallops come from Alaska, while the oysters are harvested from Puget Sound and the mussels from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. BOKA restaurant + bar's focus on history - both family and regional - serves as a delicious reminder of the nation's culinary heritage and to whom we owe gratitude.")
![Imagine a football field filled with food and wine from Washington's best vineyards and restaurants. Imagine tables laden with smoked octopus, salted caramel butterscotch pudding, sea urchin mousse, oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab salad, chocolate chili cupcakes - and more.Then imagine being able to eat and drink to your heart's content. That's Taste Washington, the city's annual oenophile and culinary smorgasbord, which has become the nation's largest single-region wine and food event.Since 1998, Seattle has celebrated the advent of spring with more than 4,000 food and wine enthusiasts from around the world, partaking in the privilege of more than 200,000 pours from 750 Washington wines. The logo for Taste Washington showcases a wine bottle, with the aphorism"Drink. Eat. Learn." While there is no question that Taste Washington is a wine festival, the food from 65 of the Pacific Northwest's most acclaimed restaurants makes Taste Washington a foodie heaven.Oh, yes, and also, prawn and Berkshire pork dumpling with pickled vegetables - and pastrami-cured king salmon with truffled asparagus salad on soft pumpernickel.Make plans now for Taste Washington in the spring of 2014.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/2c/06/2c06b9363d3c4929dfe59883bc6fc1fb.jpg?itok=veALDHQw "Imagine a football field filled with food and wine from Washington's best vineyards and restaurants. Imagine tables laden with smoked octopus, salted caramel butterscotch pudding, sea urchin mousse, oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab salad, chocolate chili cupcakes - and more.Then imagine being able to eat and drink to your heart's content. That's Taste Washington, the city's annual oenophile and culinary smorgasbord, which has become the nation's largest single-region wine and food event.Since 1998, Seattle has celebrated the advent of spring with more than 4,000 food and wine enthusiasts from around the world, partaking in the privilege of more than 200,000 pours from 750 Washington wines. The logo for Taste Washington showcases a wine bottle, with the aphorism"Drink. Eat. Learn." While there is no question that Taste Washington is a wine festival, the food from 65 of the Pacific Northwest's most acclaimed restaurants makes Taste Washington a foodie heaven.Oh, yes, and also, prawn and Berkshire pork dumpling with pickled vegetables - and pastrami-cured king salmon with truffled asparagus salad on soft pumpernickel.Make plans now for Taste Washington in the spring of 2014.")
![A mere thirty minutes northeast of downtown Seattle, there exists an oenophile's paradise. Located in the bucolic Sammamish River Valley, Woodinville is a rural wooded community notable for more than 90 tasting rooms for Washington vintners.While you won't encounter any grape vines in Woodinville, you will, nonetheless, taste the bounty from numerous Columbia Valley vineyards located just over the Cascade Mountain range in Eastern Washington.Woodinville took off as a wine destination in the 1970s, when Chateau Ste. Michelle's palatial estate opened to the public. Since then, nearly one hundred second-location wineries and tasting rooms have welcomed the public. The benefit for a true oenophile is the easy proximity to so many celebrated wines.Most of the tasting rooms are located within a five-mile radius and easily accessible by foot from "downtown" Woodinville. As idiosyncratic as the wines, Woodinville's tasting rooms feature an array of interior design styles: from bare-bones industrial chic to posh private clubs. One room is called The Library, while another includes a ping-pong table and offers movie nights.Willows Lodge is the de facto clubhouse for many wine tourists, offering a series of wine-related events throughout the year, as well as the region's two most celebrated restaurants, The Herbfarm and Barking Frog.For a restorative weekend retreat, head to Woodinville. ](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/91/0b/910b782ff71fc7e4c8688225bcf5a6f6.jpg?itok=2guYcBs6 "A mere thirty minutes northeast of downtown Seattle, there exists an oenophile's paradise. Located in the bucolic Sammamish River Valley, Woodinville is a rural wooded community notable for more than 90 tasting rooms for Washington vintners.While you won't encounter any grape vines in Woodinville, you will, nonetheless, taste the bounty from numerous Columbia Valley vineyards located just over the Cascade Mountain range in Eastern Washington.Woodinville took off as a wine destination in the 1970s, when Chateau Ste. Michelle's palatial estate opened to the public. Since then, nearly one hundred second-location wineries and tasting rooms have welcomed the public. The benefit for a true oenophile is the easy proximity to so many celebrated wines.Most of the tasting rooms are located within a five-mile radius and easily accessible by foot from "downtown" Woodinville. As idiosyncratic as the wines, Woodinville's tasting rooms feature an array of interior design styles: from bare-bones industrial chic to posh private clubs. One room is called The Library, while another includes a ping-pong table and offers movie nights.Willows Lodge is the de facto clubhouse for many wine tourists, offering a series of wine-related events throughout the year, as well as the region's two most celebrated restaurants, The Herbfarm and Barking Frog.For a restorative weekend retreat, head to Woodinville. ")
![ In Seattle, everyone knows SAM, which happens to be the acronym for Seattle Art Museum.If you're walking downtown, you won't miss SAM. Look for the "Hammering Man" or the SAM signage, which is more prominent now, thanks to artist Doug Aitken's urban kaleidoscope. Aitken's "Mirror" utilizes LED display and thousands of hours of video footage to create a museum facade that appears to pulse and breathe with life.One of the best ways to experience the museum and local culture vultures is to attend SAM Remix, the Friday night downtown party that happens four times a year, coinciding with the change of seasons.SAM maintains two other facilities around the city: the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Capitol Hill and Olympic Sculpture Park along the waterfront. Few things in Seattle are as romantic as a summer stroll at gloaming through the nine-acre sculpture park that features magnificent pieces by such illustrious sculptors as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Serra, and Louise Nevelson. Seattle's culture mavens turned out in droves for the recent unveiling of Aitken's "Mirror," which was marked by a block party "Happening" complete with music by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra as the sun set over Elliott Bay.Play it again, SAM.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/3a/f3/3af30ce36a05b7b97e80f3a89c18aa5e.jpg?itok=zU04py8g " In Seattle, everyone knows SAM, which happens to be the acronym for Seattle Art Museum.If you're walking downtown, you won't miss SAM. Look for the "Hammering Man" or the SAM signage, which is more prominent now, thanks to artist Doug Aitken's urban kaleidoscope. Aitken's "Mirror" utilizes LED display and thousands of hours of video footage to create a museum facade that appears to pulse and breathe with life.One of the best ways to experience the museum and local culture vultures is to attend SAM Remix, the Friday night downtown party that happens four times a year, coinciding with the change of seasons.SAM maintains two other facilities around the city: the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Capitol Hill and Olympic Sculpture Park along the waterfront. Few things in Seattle are as romantic as a summer stroll at gloaming through the nine-acre sculpture park that features magnificent pieces by such illustrious sculptors as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Serra, and Louise Nevelson. Seattle's culture mavens turned out in droves for the recent unveiling of Aitken's "Mirror," which was marked by a block party "Happening" complete with music by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra as the sun set over Elliott Bay.Play it again, SAM.")
![ Who doesn't appreciate a welcoming glass of Champagne upon check-in, served with a smile and genuine hospitality? That's the Hotel 1000's style of service, which pervades the entire 120-room boutique hotel in downtown Seattle. Guests at Hotel 1000 are treated as residents of Seattle's first residential-hotel complex, which extends to the generously-sized rooms that are the equivalent of pied à terre apartments.Hotel 1000 bathrooms are celebrated for their floor-to-ceiling vistas of downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay, as well as for the waterfall bathtubs where water flows from the ceiling. The use of a car and driver is offered to Hotel 1000 guests for rides within a two-mile radius and Studio 1000, the lobby lounge, serves complimentary coffee and Mighty-O Donuts.A member of the Preferred Hotel Group, Hotel 1000 has received numerous awards from various periodicals since its 2006 opening and is listed on Condé Nast Traveler "Gold List" and Travel + Leisure as one of the best hotels of 2012.Centrally located within easy walking distance of Seattle's major attractions, a respite at Hotel 1000 makes you feel as coddled as a film star and as happy as a Seattleite.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/5a/a1/5aa1a24b497b0153a7970212aad11eb1.jpg?itok=uf6QMNnQ " Who doesn't appreciate a welcoming glass of Champagne upon check-in, served with a smile and genuine hospitality? That's the Hotel 1000's style of service, which pervades the entire 120-room boutique hotel in downtown Seattle. Guests at Hotel 1000 are treated as residents of Seattle's first residential-hotel complex, which extends to the generously-sized rooms that are the equivalent of pied à terre apartments.Hotel 1000 bathrooms are celebrated for their floor-to-ceiling vistas of downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay, as well as for the waterfall bathtubs where water flows from the ceiling. The use of a car and driver is offered to Hotel 1000 guests for rides within a two-mile radius and Studio 1000, the lobby lounge, serves complimentary coffee and Mighty-O Donuts.A member of the Preferred Hotel Group, Hotel 1000 has received numerous awards from various periodicals since its 2006 opening and is listed on Condé Nast Traveler "Gold List" and Travel + Leisure as one of the best hotels of 2012.Centrally located within easy walking distance of Seattle's major attractions, a respite at Hotel 1000 makes you feel as coddled as a film star and as happy as a Seattleite.")
![ If you were filming a Hollywood rom-com in Seattle, then at least one character would live on this bucolic island, just across Elliott Bay from the city's waterfront.According to one fourth-generation local, the 35-minute ferry ride serves as "decompression time" from the big city - and there's no question that the ride across the water rewards photographers with resplendent vistas of the Seattle skyline ringed by snow-capped mountains. Home to a number of notable authors, politicians, actors, and musicians, Bainbridge Island has been voted by several periodicals as one of the nation's best places to live. There are many good (and tasty) reasons to board a ferry to Bainbridge Island - but certainly one of the best is the insanely quaint and quirky Blackbird Bakery. Since 1999, Blackbird Bakery has been both a bakery and an unofficial community center, and on weekends, you can expect to find at least two booths occupied with cribbage players, while the bakery buzzes with activity as the door bangs open and shut.Calling Central Casting: one character in that rom-com is a baker at Blackbird Bakery. (Insider tip: Helen's French Roll, a buttery muffin rolled in cinnamon sugar is sinfully delicious.) For a lively Bainbridge Island brunch, consider Cafe Nola, which has been featured on Food Network and does a commendable job at packaging the island's charms into a bistro setting that serves classic cocktails and local fare with a European twist. Truffle cheese fries, for example, and a Dungeness crab melt will make you toast to the joys of Bainbridge Island. ](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/c7/f3/c7f30bb152fa829aba7b1615d20602de.jpg?itok=3mw8Sgxj " If you were filming a Hollywood rom-com in Seattle, then at least one character would live on this bucolic island, just across Elliott Bay from the city's waterfront.According to one fourth-generation local, the 35-minute ferry ride serves as "decompression time" from the big city - and there's no question that the ride across the water rewards photographers with resplendent vistas of the Seattle skyline ringed by snow-capped mountains. Home to a number of notable authors, politicians, actors, and musicians, Bainbridge Island has been voted by several periodicals as one of the nation's best places to live. There are many good (and tasty) reasons to board a ferry to Bainbridge Island - but certainly one of the best is the insanely quaint and quirky Blackbird Bakery. Since 1999, Blackbird Bakery has been both a bakery and an unofficial community center, and on weekends, you can expect to find at least two booths occupied with cribbage players, while the bakery buzzes with activity as the door bangs open and shut.Calling Central Casting: one character in that rom-com is a baker at Blackbird Bakery. (Insider tip: Helen's French Roll, a buttery muffin rolled in cinnamon sugar is sinfully delicious.) For a lively Bainbridge Island brunch, consider Cafe Nola, which has been featured on Food Network and does a commendable job at packaging the island's charms into a bistro setting that serves classic cocktails and local fare with a European twist. Truffle cheese fries, for example, and a Dungeness crab melt will make you toast to the joys of Bainbridge Island. ")
![ If you still recall with fondness the scene in E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" when Fern and Henry Fussy ride the Ferris wheel and stop at the top, then the newly-opened Seattle Great Wheel has your name on it.Built in less than a year and opened to the public in the summer of 2012, the Seattle Great Wheel is the largest observation wheel on the West Coast with 42 fully-enclosed gondolas that soar into the air high above Elliott Bay.Located along the Alaskan Way on Pier 57, Seattle's historic 1896 Gold Rush pier, the Seattle Great Wheel is illuminated in the evenings with enough psychedelic LED lights to resurrect Jimi Hendrix.For those fearful of gale force winds, Seattle Great Wheel shuts down if winds reach 55 MPH or higher - which means that yes, Seattle Great Wheel might be more of a thrill ride on windy evenings.And not to worry, each gondola can hold up to 1300 pounds - so you're safe, even after eating a dozen of Seattle's lip-smacking Mighty-O Donuts.And if, like Fern and Henry Fussy, you find Ferris wheels romantic, the Seattle Great Wheel is perfect for sunset marriage proposals - and especially in the luxury gondola outfitted with leather bucket seats and a glass floor. ](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/5d/ba/5dba3445976bdc37842ac30b7f665bfa.jpg?itok=mII_H0xB " If you still recall with fondness the scene in E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" when Fern and Henry Fussy ride the Ferris wheel and stop at the top, then the newly-opened Seattle Great Wheel has your name on it.Built in less than a year and opened to the public in the summer of 2012, the Seattle Great Wheel is the largest observation wheel on the West Coast with 42 fully-enclosed gondolas that soar into the air high above Elliott Bay.Located along the Alaskan Way on Pier 57, Seattle's historic 1896 Gold Rush pier, the Seattle Great Wheel is illuminated in the evenings with enough psychedelic LED lights to resurrect Jimi Hendrix.For those fearful of gale force winds, Seattle Great Wheel shuts down if winds reach 55 MPH or higher - which means that yes, Seattle Great Wheel might be more of a thrill ride on windy evenings.And not to worry, each gondola can hold up to 1300 pounds - so you're safe, even after eating a dozen of Seattle's lip-smacking Mighty-O Donuts.And if, like Fern and Henry Fussy, you find Ferris wheels romantic, the Seattle Great Wheel is perfect for sunset marriage proposals - and especially in the luxury gondola outfitted with leather bucket seats and a glass floor. ")
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