What's so great about Seattle or the Pacific Northwest? Well, there are so many things to describe, but one of my favorites is the magical beauty of Seattle as you approach it aboard one of the many ferries that criss-cross the Puget Sound and Elliot Bay on any spring, summer, or fall evening. I first discovered this by accident, as I was living out west of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula (another amazing environment of mountains and rainforests), and I happened to be coming into Seattle on a ferry just at sunset. With the beautiful sunset behind me and the lights coming on in the city in front of me, it was easy to see why Seattle is known as "the Emerald City" -- I even seem to remember a full moon rising to the southeast -- amazing!