Seattle Meeting Plan Guide Fall/Winter 2008-2009 - (Page 7) THE REAL THING Perhaps what attendees and planners enjoy most about Seattle is that it’s a refreshingly low-key, unpretentious city and home to down-to-earth people who have chosen Seattle as home for its dramatic setting, friendly culture and independent spirit. Known for their amiability, Seattleites are at the heart of what makes this a warm and welcoming, yet engagingly urbane city. They’ve created arts, dining, shopping and cultural experiences that rival any other city in originality — all while maintaining a laid-back attitude. There’s no gimmick to Seattle. Just a genuineness that’ll win you over instantly and make doing business here a pleasure. METRONATURAL Seattle blurs the lines between city and nature. For starters, our convention center, located downtown, is quite literally right in the middle of it all — a few blocks in one direction and you hit a posh department store, a short cab ride in another and you can rent a kayak and paddle into Elliott Bay. Even among the city’s sleek skyscrapers, where the buzz of business is a constant, plant life seems to spring from every available plot of earth and offer sanctuary. And just minutes from the city center are lush forests and a sophisticated wine country — the ideal team-building escapes. All of this combines to create a sense of harmony — the feeling that you’re getting away from it all, yet you’re right in the thick of it. What better setting for dynamic, creative meetings and conventions? Clockwise from top left: ©iStockphoto, ©Shutterstock/Harry Hu, ©Shutterstock/Jaimie Duplass, ©Aurora Photos/Chuck Pefley WE LIKE TO STAY FIT… • No. 4 fittest city in America —Self magazine, Dec. 2007 • No. 1 for bicycling in North America among cities with a population greater than 500,000 —Bicycling magazine, Nov. 2001 • America’s Best City for Healthy Living —Cooking Light magazine, Dec. 2007 • Second-Cleanest U.S. City —Forbes magazine, March 2008 • Seattle is one of only a handful of U.S. cities that are home to a top-tier opera company, ballet and symphony • Seattle Symphony is one of the world’s most recorded orchestras, represented on more than 100 recordings and recognized with 11 Grammy nominations • Seattle Opera has the highest per capita attendance per opera of any major U.S. opera company • The Seattle International Film Festival, held annually mid-May to mid-June, is the largest film festival in the nation • The Seattle-Tacoma area has more artsrelated businesses and organizations per capita than any other U.S. metropolitan area. —2004 study by American for the Arts, Washington, D.C. • Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet has the highest per capita dance attendance in the U.S. • Art journalist Robin Updike states that most curators call Seattle the nation’s glass art capital and one of the world’s most important glass centers —American Style magazine, Spring 2003 WE LOVE THE ARTS… • No. 6 arts destination in the United States (in big city category) —American Style magazine, April 2008 WELCOME TO SEATTLE 7
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