Seattle is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States, a chilled-out West Coast metropolis cradled between two mountain ranges, resting right on the sparkling waters of Puget Sound, and watched over approvingly by the ridiculously majestic Mount Rainier. Far from the prevailing stereotype of a grey and rainy city, Seattle is an outdoors asylum for the nature-crazy with blue skies, clear air, and plenty of fresh green everything. All around the region you will find fantastic natural hideaways that are ideal for hiking, camping, biking, sailing, and rock climbing. The Pacific Northwest is nothing less than spectacular in the warm summer and fall seasons, making the weekend of Decibel Festival an ideal time to visit the Emerald City and explore its many treasures.
Seattle enjoys a thriving arts community with Seattleites encouraging and supporting eclectic creation in all genres of expression. The arts and in particular the electronic scene are backed by the city’s lead position on the cutting edge of technology, giving artists here the tools, the know-how, and the competitive buzz of inspiration to help them propel and direct the technological arts into the future. Microsoft, Adobe, Google, Amazon, Boeing, and of course Starbucks all call the area home as does an abundance of galleries, museums, theaters, live music venues, recording facilities, music retailers, radio stations, and film production companies. Seattle has more arts-related businesses per capita than any other major U.S. city as well as more bookstores, library cards, and college graduates, making it the most literate and educated city in the nation. The film industry is also heavily supported here and hosts the annual Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most attended film festival in the country.
Seattle is composed of number of unique neighborhoods and each district boasts a personal charm and is well loved by its inhabitants. The most colorful, genuine, and gritty area of the city is Capitol Hill, site of the annual Decibel Festival. The Hill is known for being extremely accepting of all people and welcomes a diverse cross-section of subcultures, freaks, geeks, hipsters, wanderers, musicians, artists, and even late local boy Jimi Hendrix in statue form. Art and especially music are a huge focus in the neighborhood; all live music venues are within walking distance from each other, making weekend nights a veritable parade of partygoers bouncing from one club to another. From divey rock bars to dark drum and bass clubs to too-cool-for-school hipster hangouts, each venue has a distinct personality and many feature live music or DJs almost every night of the week. Besides music venues, you'll find plenty of coffee shops, Internet cafes, music stores, restaurants, and tons of shopping, particularly of the vintage clothing variety. For a break from the more urban aspects of Capitol Hill, Cal Anderson Park provides a great place for recreation (softball, ultimate Frisbee, kickball, dodgeball) and Volunteer Park offers a wide breath of fresh air, housing both its own conservatory as well as the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
The Emerald City is one of the greenest in America not only for the ridiculous year-round natural green state of the city and it’s environs but also for it’s lead position in the push towards a sustainable future. The neighborhood of Fremont was the first in world to have curbside recycling pickup, Seattle was the first U.S. city to cut greenhouse emissions enough to meet the targets if the international Kyoto treaty aimed to combat global warming, and the city is deeply committed to creating a sustainable future that we may all continue to enjoy the natural gifts of the fresh green Pacific Northwest.
We look forward to welcoming you to Seattle and Capitol Hill during Decibel this year! Enjoy our beautiful city, wander the streets, hike in the mountains, soak in all the green, drop your jaw at the stunning Mount Rainier, and drink mad amounts of espresso. Welcome to Seattle!
Shuttles are a good bet to and from the airport, as the taxi service does not operate at a fixed price and can vary from $40-$50 depending on your delivery spot. Shuttle Express has the only 24-hour door-to-door service. The fare from the airport to downtown is $20 and you'll want to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance.
The cheapest way into town is via Seattle Metro Transit; bus #174 travels right to downtown Seattle for around $2 and goes through a sweet graffiti rail yard.
Decibel highly encourages sustainable transportation: walk, bike, bus, and carpool to events whenever you can. Almost all showcases are within walking distance on Capitol Hill, and by taking the ankle-train you also get a deeper taste and feel for the city that you cannot acquire zooming by in a car.
Most hotels will also offer a free walking/tourist map of the downtown area.
12th Avenue Bicycles (206 323 1631) –Capitol Hill
Bikestation Seattle (206 332 9795)- Downtown
For Seattle bike maps, check out: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaps.htm
Seattle has no subway or light-rail, however our bus system is one of the best in the country. For more information, visit the Metro King County Bus System Trip Planner or call 206.553.300
Easy Street Records
20 Mercer Street, 98109
Wall of Sound
315 E Pine St, 98122
Sonic Boom Records
514 15th Ave E, 98112
Zion's Gate Records
1100 E Pike St, 98122
Platinum Records
915 E Pike St, 98122
Everyday Music
1604 Broadway, 98122
Atlas
1515 Broadway, 98122
Rock Paper Scissors
1524 E. Olive Way, 98122
Crossroads
325 Broadway E, 98102
Goods
1112 E Pike St, 98101
Ian
401 E Pine St, 98122
Edie's
319 E Pine St, 98122
Urban Outfitters
401 Broadway Ave E, 98102
ZebraClub
421 E Pine St, 98122
Red Light Vintage Clothing
312 Broadway Ave E, 98102
Trendy Wendy Boutique
211 Broadway Ave E, 98102
Elysian Brewing Co.
1221 E Pike St, 98122
Dick's Drive-In Restaurant (Oldest fast food restaurant in the state!)
115 Broadway E, 98102
Crave
1621 12th Ave, 98122
Six Arms
300 E Pine St, 98122
Pechora’s
1401 E Madison St, 98122
Coastal Kitchen
429 15th Ave E, 98112
Broadway Grill
314 Broadway Ave E, 98122
Monsoon
615 9th Ave E, 98122
Pike Street Fish Fry
925 E Pike St, 98122
Volunteer Park
1247 15th Ave E
Cal Anderson Park
1635 11th Ave
Roanoke Park
950 E Roanoke St
Washington Park Arboretum
2300 Arboretum Drive East, 98112
Bauhaus Books & Coffee
301 E Pine St, 98122
B & O Espresso
204 Belmont Ave E, 98102
Caffe Vita Roasting Co.
1005 E Pike St, 98122
Espresso Vivace Roasteria
901 East Denny Way, 98122
Victrola
411 15th Ave E, 98112
Seattle Asian Art Museum
1400 East Prospect Street, Volunteer Park, 98112
Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Ave, 98104
Blue Bottle Gallery
415 East Pine St, 98122
Henry Art Gallery
4100 15th Ave NE, 98195
BLVD Gallery
2316 Second Avenue, 98121
Art/Not Terminal
2045 Westlake Ave, 98121
Experience Music Project (EMP) and Science Fiction Museum
Seattle Center, 325 5th Ave N, 98109
Seattle Art Museum
1300 First Avenue, 98101
Seattle/King County Convention and Visitors Bureau
206.461.5800
520 Pike St. Suite 1300, 98101
Seattle Visitor Center
206.461.5840
Washington Tourism Development Division
360.725.5050
Australian Embassy (1601 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202 797 3000).
British Consulate (Suite 3001, 900 Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98164, 206 622 9255).
Canadian Consulate General (412 Plaza 600 Building Seattle, WA 98101, 206 443-1777).
Consulate General of Japan (601 Union Street, Suite 500 Seattle, WA 98101, 206 682-9107).
Consulate of Mexico (2132 Third Avenue Seattle WA 98121, 206 448-8435).
Consulate of General Germany (600 University St Ste 2500 Seattle WA 98101, 206 682-4312).