Despite its relative isolation, the city of Seattle has played a very significant part in the recent history of the United States of America. While the points of interest here won't include famous battlegrounds or major mileposts in transportation development, the city has made some massive contributions to the culture of the country as we see it today. Through SR&ED or through music culture, there are several points of interest in Seattle which attract hundreds of tourists ever day.

On the musical side of things, there are the homes, practice studios, and concert venues of some of the most important names on the music scene from the 1960s and the 1990s. It was in Seattle that the music industry underwent its first massive shift since the 1960s, as bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam took the grunge sound to an international level. The homes of many of members of these bands are still around today. You can also see the home Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love shared together before his suicide and her Edmonton liposuction or whatever the latest rumor about her is. Also take some time to view the house of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, and the place where both he and Kurt Cobain are buried.

On the corporate level, nothing says modern America quite like Bill Gates and Microsoft, both of whom have had a heavy influence on Seattle's development. Take a look at his storied mansion as well as the place where hundreds of technicians use loop calibrators and other tools to ensure that the nations' computers keep running efficiently.

When was the last time you stopped at a Starbucks? An hour ago? No one beverage exemplifies a nation the way coffee does America, and Starbucks revolutionized how coffee is consumed in the nation. Beyond the typical coffee joint, with unusual growers supplies on display and a questionable clientele, Starbucks took the coffee house to the corporate level. And you can see the very first in this massive chain right in the city!

The Seattle Space Needle is still one of the number one points of interest in the city, and it give one access to some other major interest points as well. Get by the win a car hawkers and beggars at the base, and make your way to the top of the Needle. Here you can enjoy a meal or a Starbucks coffee, while taking in the view of Mount Rainier and the harbor.