You can go to almost any city in the world and get a cup of Starbucks, but only Seattle, Washington owns the bragging rights of saying it is home to the world’s leading retailer of specialty coffee.

It all began in a little coffee shop next to Pike Place Market in 1971, and to this day, visitors come from all over to stand in the birthplace of their beloved coffee bean provider. But the coffee tour does not end there, Seattle is also known for the original chains, Seattle’s Best and Tully’s, as well as amazing local coffee shops all around town. Enjoy the artistic lattes, strong aromas, and unique settings of Zeitgeist Coffee (Pioneer Square), Uptown Espresso (Belltown), or Cafe Ladro (downtown).

Once the caffeine kicks in, head over to Lake Union to enjoy the bourbon corn chowder at Duke’s Chowderhouse and soak in the beautiful view from the harbor. The South Lake Union Trolley will then drop you off downtown next to the Pacific Place mall for some good shopping (Seattle is also the original home of the clothing retail store, Nordstroms). There is plenty to do downtown and all around the friendly city of Seattle including a trip up the Space Needle (built for the 1962 World’s Fair); a day at the Pacific Science Center (complete with IMAX theater and planetarium); and the uniquely constructed EMP (Experience Music Project). Regardless of the season, interesting exhibitions are constantly on display at each venue.

After a full day of exploring, satisfy your appetite with fresh salt and pepper crab at the Flying Fish restaurant or roasted garlic rigatoni at the Pink Door. For more options, walk around Pioneer Square, an area loaded with restaurants and bars. The young night life crowd can be found in the fun bars and clubs on University Avenue, located next to the University of Washington.

Real Traveler, Sarah, had fun visiting Seattle, she shared:

“We started by walking through the Pike Place Market, although our real goal was to find the Thai restaurant buried in all the twists and turns of the market. The market was really vibrant, with stalls selling all kinds of foods, fish and flowers.

After lunch, we walked up (and I mean up several very, very steep hills) to check out the new Seattle library, which is really crazy. Its a very modern building, made of steel and glass, designed by Rem Koolhaas. My favorite part was the Meeting Room level, which is all red and pretty trippy.From the library we went down to the Smith Tower, which was the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi for 50 years, from 1914 to 1964. We rode an old-fashioned, manually operated elevator to the Observation Deck to get views of Seattle.

Next we headed off to Pioneer Square, which is the original city. Now its a lot of galleries and stores, which makes it fun to walk around.”

For an espresso trip to the Pacific Northwest, visit Seattle, Washington and take full advantage of the wide array of tourist attractions.

To start planning your trip, visit:

Seattle Hotels
Seattle Restaurants
Seattle Attractions

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The winter season brings with it cold weather and the desire for hot beverages and cozy settings. This week, we will let coffee take us around the world to find the best cup of joe and great cities where it can be found.

Amsterdam, Netherlands is the world capital of coffee shops. With over 300 coffee shops and cafes to choose from, you can decide which is best for you. Young travelers usually search for the shops that offer legal “herbs”, but most coffee shops offer much more than that. Locals enjoy the relaxed settings and warm environments conducive to enjoying a coffee and a good book in the afternoon. To complement these great coffee shops are delicious bakeries–Taart van m’n Tante is a well-reviewed colorfully decorated café with large, ornate cakes luring you in the windows and centered at each table to be enjoyed.

Once you’re ready to start the day, walk through beautiful Vondelpark (complete with lakes, mystical trees, and beautiful buildings and hotels), visit the Van Gogh museum (housing the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world) and Rikjsmuseum (displaying Dutch art and history), take a historical tour of the Anne Frank house (walk on the same floors where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis), and bicycle along Amsterdam’s numerous canals to get the full tour.

Realtraveler cessna152 gives a detailed description of the Van Gogh museum collection. He says:

“The next morning we took a tram to the Van Gogh Museum. The exhibit covered one floor and led us through a complete history of the great man’s work, starting with paintings that looked nothing like what I’d expected. His early work was clearly of the traditional type, showing quite realistic scenes of various descriptions. Before long though we were gawping at the work he became famous for, including The Potato Eaters and the world-famous Sunflowers.”

Walking the city will allow you to find great little neighborhoods and a relaxed and eclectic Amsterdamian culture. Walk into a street art fair, world music shop, unique clothing boutique, or dimly lit restaurant on your city tour.

Discover Amsterdam as other realtravelers had and find the beauty and warmth within it. Sus and Pete did and reflected this:

“Amsterdam is an amazing city, we had no idea how beautiful it would be. There is a Venice like canal system that flows though the city with a number of small bridges connecting the streets. Because the streets are so small almost everyone gets around on old bicycles. We spent hours walking the many canals and found time to visit the Heineken Brewery and the Van Gogh Museum. We really had a blast.”

Enjoy the aged, beautiful buildings, deep canals, rich wooden interiors and friendly crowd as you make your way to the coffee shop capital.

To plan your visit to Amsterdam, visit:

Amsterdam Hotels
Amsterdam Attractions
Coffee shop guide: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/sep/26/amsterdam.travelfoodanddrink?page=3

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