The ‘Emerald City’ home to the world’s first Starbucks and bizarre chewing gum attraction

WHEN agony uncle Frasier Crane uttered “Goodnight Seattle” for the last time in the finale of his long-running sitcom, it was the end of an era.

That was in 2004, and radio psychiatrist Frasier had been one of Seattle’s most famous residents for a decade.

Seattle’s majestic and iconic city skylineGetty

.A painting of guitar legend Hendrix at Kimpton Palladian hotel[/caption]

But much has happened since then in the Emerald City, a vibrant metropolis packed with sights, culture and world-class food.

Kelsey Grammer’s character may have moved out but millions of millennials have moved in, lured by the thriving tech industries and stunning natural scenery.

On a family tour of the Pacific Northwest, we arrived in Seattle, Washington, with little knowledge of the place other than it being the birthplace of grunge music and synonymous with great coffee.

We based ourselves at the Kimpton Palladian in Belltown, a stylish boutique hotel with a quirky rock ’n’ roll vibe.

Beds have cushions depicting celebs as military oil paintings.

There’s even a Sub Pop suite, dedicated to the Seattle record label that brought Nirvana and Soundgarden to the masses.

First sightseeing stop was the iconic Space Needle, 600ft centrepiece of the city’s famous skyline.

It’s a great place to get your bearings, with views of Downtown, the Olympic and Cascade mountains, Puget Sound and towards Canada.

Next door is the Museum of Pop Culture, a must for music fans and film buffs.

There are artefacts and instruments from famed Seattle acts such as Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix — including what’s left of the guitar Jimi torched at the Monterey Pop Festival, and the Stratocaster he played at Woodstock.

We could have spent a whole day in the immersive Sound Lab where even those with zero talent can play along to famous tracks on real instruments, but we got bumped off the drumkit by a far more promising eight-year-old.

Horror fans will love the gallery of props from classic movies like Friday The 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Next morning we explored Pike Place Market, a sprawling foodie heaven.

There’s so much to taste, we booked a guide through Show Me Seattle Food Tours.

Our guide, Maleah, took us to a selection of the market’s 500-plus traders, who handed out samples of specialities like clam chowder, cheddar biscuit and fried rockfish.

There were also stops at the original Starbucks, established in 1971, and the famous Gum Wall where so many visitors stuck used chewing gum, market bosses gave up removing it and turned it into a tourist attraction.

Hipster’s paradise

The stench of spitty spearmint is less appetising than the rest of the market, though.

To appreciate the Seattle skyline you need to hit the water, and one of our highlights was catching a ferry across Elliott Bay to West Seattle.

Here the vibe is more Californian, with golden sands and stunning sunsets.

We hired Lime bikes at the ferry terminal and cycled to Alki Beach, where there’s a parade of laid-back restaurants with mesmerising views.

A trip to the Pacific Northwest isn’t complete without stopping in Portland, Oregon, Seattle’s rival for Greatest Northwest City, three-and-a-half hours south by train.

Smaller than Seattle but arguably cooler, it’s a hipster’s paradise with craft breweries, artisan food, vintage clothes stores and coffee shops on almost every corner.

SuppliedJimi Hendrix’s torched guitar is on display[/caption]

Visit the grunge Nirvana exhibitSupplied

We stayed at the Kimpton Vintage hotel, an easy walk from the main dining and shopping areas.

Two minutes away is Powell’s City of Books, the world’s largest independent book shop, housing four million titles and spanning an entire block.

It’s easy to lose an afternoon wandering around the vast space, which has 3,500 different sections.

The best meal of our trip was at Portland City Grill, on the 30th floor of an office block and offering great views as well as spectacular steaks and seafood.

The scenery of the Pacific Northwest is some of the most dramatic in the US.

Washington and Oregon are less popular with tourists than the other West Coast state, California, but the landscapes are no less spectacular, with peaks like Mount Hood and Mount Rainier and several national parks providing an invigorating escape from the big cities.

You might even see the fabled Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, said to roam the region’s forests and mountains, sometimes appearing in unconvincing video footage.

Just don’t expect to see Frasier . . .