CNN shines spotlight on Seattle and Capitol Hill

CNN's My City_My Life profile series spotlights "the world's coolest cities with the celebrities who know them best."  This month: Seattle, which includes a few references to our favorite neighborhood. 

Where to be seen: Capitol Hill hit the jackpot in this category. [#]

"Cha Cha Lounge (1013 Pike Street) is a quasi dive bar decorated with images of Mexican wrestlers. Brash and bohemian, it's crammed full of hipsters hell-bent on having a good time. The drinks are reasonably priced, the Margaritas potent and happy hour lasts for the whole of Sunday and Monday. So it's best not to make any plans for Tuesday."

"Chop Suey (1325 East Madison) -- a hip, and often unbearably hot, place to check out up-and-coming bands and DJs."

"The Elysian Brewing Company (1221 East Pike Street) and Elliot Bay Brewery and Pub (4720 California Avenue SW) are both worth checking out. Get there early to work your way through their impressive range of ales."

Where to shop: "For something more cutting edge, Capitol Hill and Belltown are full of funky boutiques and vintage clothing stores. Crossroads Trading Company (325 Broadway Avenue E and 4300 University Way) is a good option for second-hand threads." [#]

What to see: "Finally, make time to stroll around the Capitol Hill and Fremont neighborhoods for a taste of the non-conformist "alternative Seattle" that brought the world Grunge and made plaid shirts fashionable."

Where to eat: Not quite Capitol Hill, but close. "Dinner in Seattle means picking from a huge selection of quality dining spots. Crush (2319 East Madison Street) is still talk of the town." [#]

Free spirit: "If you spend some time in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill or Fremont, the self-proclaimed "Center of the Universe," you'll find there's still plenty of the native free spirit in evidence." [#]

Already noted elsewhere, but it deserves a repeat: the "celebrity" contribution to the CNN spotlight on Seattle comes from Scott of Central District News.  Go Scott! (CNN didn't mean Quincy Jones is the Seattle celebrity, did they?)

But Scott, why did you have to let the cat out of the bag for all the world to read? "One thing you might have heard about Seattle is the weather, often described as a pervasively wet, gray, dreariness. It's mostly a lie. Or it's at least a half-truth that has been told over the years to keep people like me from moving here permanently." [#] O Scott, you shouldn't have.