Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Space Needle still thrives 45 years later. It isn't inexpensive for families, though (tickets for ages 14 and up cost $16; youths $8, and seniors $14), but it is great with its observation deck/restaurant on top and gift shop at the bottom.

As the Seattle Visitor Bureau proclaims, "You can't go to Paris without stopping by the Eiffel Tower. And you can't visit Seattle without checking out the view from the world-famous Space Needle."

"Seattle's ever-futuristic civic icon is loved by visitors and locals alike," Blandford said. "No longer one of the tallest observation towers in the world, the Space Needle is often distinguished by its interesting architecture. And, the needle symbolizes an important growth period in Seattle during the late 1950s and early 1960s."

Seattle Center covers 74 acres and features a small amusement park. There's also the Experience Music Project next to the Needle. You can't miss this weird structure. This is actually two museums in one — a tribute to American pop music and a Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.

(The Seattle Center is connected to the central business district via the Seattle Center Monorail, which takes just 90 seconds one way.)

Seattle isn't Seattle if you don't visit its waterfront (aquarium and more) and also take at least one ferry in the area. The Washington State Ferry system is the largest of its kind in the United States.

The San Juan Islands and Victoria, Vancouver Island, in Canada, are the gems in a long string of ferry boat possibilities, where you can take your vehicle along. (Go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries for more information.)

Other not-to-be overlooked downtown Seattle features include:

— Pike Place Market (200 businesses, 190 craftsmen and 120 farmer booths) celebrates its centennial (Aug. 17). It's one of the oldest continuously operated farmers markets in the country. (See www.pikeplacemarket.org for more details.).

— Seattle's 20-block downtown historic district offers guided Underground Tours, the Klondike Goldrush Museum and plenty of art galleries and book stores.

—Museum of Flight — from the Wright Brothers to outer space. (See www.museumofflight.org.)

Even if you don't care for the urban experience of congested downtown Seattle, there are plenty of less crowded features to enjoy in the surrounding area.

Snoqualmie Falls Park, 29 miles east of Seattle, is among the best. Just six miles north of I-90 in the community of Snoqualmie, near North Bend, this 270-foot water drop is kind of a "Niagara Falls of the West."