Queen Anne
Seattle is known for its stunning views, and perhaps no neighborhood in the city has as many sweeping vistas as Queen Anne.
People around the world are familiar with images of the Space Needle set against downtown skyscrapers with majestic Mount Rainier, while Queen Anne's west side is home to spectacular views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The eastern slope gaze out at the rugged Cascade range.
Queen Anne Hill rises an abrupt 456 feet above Puget Sound, and derives its name from a style of architecture popular in the 1880s. The “Queen” in the neighborhood’s name is appropriate, in light of its reputation as one of the city's most popular (and expensive) neighborhoods. Residents enjoy proximity to downtown and many of the city's cultural and recreational centers.
The south end of Queen Anne is home to Seattle Center, the Space Needle, the Experience Music Project museum and Key Arena (home of the NBA's Sonics). Seattle Center was the site of the 1962 World's Fair, and tourists can still ride the city's monorail for the short ride to the downtown shopping district.
The south side of Queen Anne’s hill is dominated by restaurants, bars and shops that cater to the residents of nearby apartments, as well visitors arriving from elsewhere for Sonics games and events at Seattle Center, like the popular Bumbershoot Music Festival.
The shopping district at the very top of Queen Anne features upscale grocery stores, swank restaurants and businesses that cater to the affluent residents who live nearby.