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If Seattle is a boom and bust town, it certainly felt the boom in a magnitude-6.8 earthquake on the morning of February 28, 2001 (see Pioneer Square). Workers escaped their offices, if they could, to see the earth rolling, pavements cracking, and cars violently swaying. The region suffered more than $1 billion in damages.

With rooms organized by country, this museum illustrates the links between Scandinavian people in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1980, it’s the only museum in the United States to revere the legacy of immigrants from five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. It also enlightens visitors with rotating and permanent exhibits such as colorful Old World textiles, rare china, books and bibles, woodworking tools, and carved wooden ale bowls. There is also a music library.

John W. Nordstrom’s (see John Nordstrom (1871–1963)) shoe store, opened with his Alaska Gold Rush earnings in 1901, is now synonymous with impeccable service and quality merchandise. Hunting for fine apparel, elegant shoes, exquisite handbags, or other fashion accessories can be exhausting, so step into the in-store spa and salon for an unusual experience.

A stroll along First and Second Avenues in the Belltown area leads to this ultrahip shopping destination, but you may witness remnants of some institutions along the way. Bushell’s Auction, which has been in business since 1906, always has something of value for the right buyer.

Seattle’s neighbor, Tacoma, was the original terminus of 1873’s Northern Pacific Railroad, linking the region to the rest of the country. By 1893, another transcontinental railroad, the Great Northern Railway, extended into Seattle, eventually supplanting Tacoma as the Puget Sound region’s main rail depot.

A free May celebration of the Pacific NW’s ethnic music, dance, and arts and crafts, Folk-life is a magnet for all the old (and new) hippies in the region. Given the diversity of Seattle’s Pacific Rim population, it’s virtually a festival of and for the world.

Rent kayaks or paddle along the Canal.

Founded by the dedicated Carter Family Marionettes in 1986, this puppet center offers a museum, archive and library, and over 250 annual performances. The troupe tours and also sponsors educational outreach programs worldwide.

One of Seattle’s lesser known attractions opened in 1998. The center offers a perfect rainy day escape for families with children, as hands-on exhibits give kids a real feel of a maritime city. Captain a ferry, container ship, or a tugboat, or learn about the fishing industry.

Bellevue sometimes gets a bad rap from more city-slicked Seattleites. It’s a classic suburb, as well as one of the state’s largest cities. But there is an area that speaks of its former life as a small town. Head to Old Bellevue and its restored Main Street for the antidote to freeway interchanges and big box stores, especially if you like buying antiques.