Seattle

From the gold rush to Boeing and Amazon, Washington’s alpha city has always punched above its weight class. Set in a land of evergreens—and protected by snowcapped peaks—it encompasses coves, lakes and waterways. Liberal and high-tech, it often feels Scandinavian: That’s no surprise, maybe, since Nordic people settled there en masse a century ago. Don’t miss the epic views of the skyline, Puget Sound and snowy Mount Rainier.