A trip to Seattle may not seem like the best way to enjoy a vacation, with the almost constant, gray drizzle of the Seattle skies and an average of only 55 sunny days a year. Add to that the fact that Seattle is known for the dissatisfied, angst-filled sounds of grunge music, a.k.a. Seattle Sound, and you may wonder why anyone would choose to visit let alone live here. But Seattleites are resilient in the face of all this gray grunge, and a trip to their city is sure to make you fall in love with its bustling waterways, beautiful landscapes, surplus of outdoor activities and laid back attitude.

The first thing to do on a gray Seattle morning is drink a big cup of coffee to wake you up and get you going. Seattle is the coffee capital of America and even drinking Starbucks here is a native experience, as Seattle is home to the internationally acclaimed coffee shop chain. Then you can shoot up the Space Needle for the best views of Seattle or wander out to Puget Sound to watch the boats criss cross its busy waterway. You can find lunch at Pike Place Market, where the super-popular, super-fresh salmon, apples and coffee are sure to satisfy your hunger and give you an authentic taste of Seattle. Then there are still the unique museums, fresh seafood restaurants, lakes, the bay and nearby Cascade Range and Olympic Mountains to discover.