First time in the USA

Seattle is a very modern city; after all, it was completely rebuilt after a fire about a hundred years ago. By the way, I strongly advise against visiting the city's underground: the only things you'll see are a heap of earth, rotten wood and various other rusty, mouldy objects. Luckily, as well as being very beautiful, the city is also very lively both day and night. From the Space Needle you can admire the city skyline (not to be missed); this structure can also be reached on foot, about 20 minutes from the city centre. The Space Needle is open to the public in the evening too. Worth visiting are the city market, the music museum and also the American football stadium. Public transport is efficient, and for a short stretch there's also the elevated metro.

Leaving Seattle I suggest an excursion to Deception Park: it's a couple of hours' drive but it's worth it, because if you love trekking, besides the chance to admire a fine panorama, you can immerse yourself in nature. I went inside Fort Casey, a former American military base built to counter a possible Japanese attack and also used as a mooring for warships. Leaving the big cities you discover another America: immense spaces, structures built in the middle of nowhere, cultivated and uncultivated fields that seem never to end.