Seattle

Astrologers say that Seattle is a Scorpio town, fluid, enigmatic and defined by water. To the west lies saltwater Puget Sound; to the east, freshwater Lake Washington; in the middle, Lake Union. Everywhere, the focus is water, from our heritage to our future. Odyssey, the Maritime Discovery Center--The Seattle Aquarium on the downtown waterfront--the Center for Wooden Boats--waterfront parks-the waterfall fountains of Harbor Steps linking the waterfront to First Avenue just above. Seattle's robust maritime heritage began when the Klondike Gold Rush established it as a major Pacific port in the 1890s, and it is still going strong. Fisherman's Terminal is a working commercial fishing port, the Port of Seattle is vital to marine trade, and the urban waterfront is booming with commercial, retail and tourist ventures. Ferries crossing Puget Sound and seaplanes lifting off from Lake Union support an island culture in the San Juans, on Vashon and Bainbridge, and two floating bridges spanning Lake Washington carry travelers east to west. Always listed in "Most Romantic Things to Do in Seattle" is taking a ferry ride ... anywhere.

In 1986, the Pike Place Market Foundation decided to place a piggy bank at the market's entrance. Fifteen years later, Rachel--the bronze pig created by local artist Georgia Gerber and modeled after her neighbor's late pig--has collected over $100,000. The nation's oldest continually working farmer's market (since 1907), Pike Place is a tribute to the Seattleites who saved it from corporate takeover in the early '70s. With customary pluck, they established guiding principles that remain true to the market's agrarian roots and maintain its integrity. The result is a jubilant, open-air celebration of fresh regional fruits and vegetables, seasonal flowers, herbs, seafood, spices, cheeses, hand-crafted work by artisans, eclectic shops, and fine restaurants and eateries--many with views of ferry and freighter traffic on Elliott Bay. Here in this revered nine-acre community with its cracked walkways and uneven cobblestone streets, the scent of sweet peas mingles with Dungeness crabs and spicy teas, street musicians compete with "free sample!" vendors, and weird things make their appearance: bottom-dwelling monkfish and rubber-necked geoducks. A piscatorial highlight: Pike Place Fish, where world-famous fishmongers have elevated salmon-slinging to new heights.

Accommodations

Mayflower Park Hotel