Taxis rank up outside most hotels and landmarks and can also be hailed on the street. Yellow Gray Top Cab (Tel: 206 622 6500), Far West Taxi (Tel: 206 622 1717) and Orange Cab (Tel: 206 522 8800) are the major names if you want to book ahead or be picked up.

Metro Transit provides clean and reliable bus service throughout Seattle. Fares are $1.25-$2, depending on length of ride. Metro's Free Ride service operates between 6am and 7pm within the central 144 city blocks, which are bounded by Bell St (north), S Jackson St (south), Alaskan Way (west) and Sixth Ave (east). The Waterfront Streetcar, also operated by Metro, is a sheer delight and offers an atmospheric ride from the northern waterfront down to Pioneer Square. Several stops are made along the way. Seattle Centre visitors are served by the Seattle Centre Monorail, a futuristic remnant of the 1962 World's Fair. The speedy 90-second ride drops you off at Downtown's Westlake centre every 15 minutes.

Light traffic and clean air make Seattle a wonderful city for cycling, jogging and rollerblading, so it comes as no surprise that there are some excellent routes for all three sports around Green Lake and along the 20-km Burke-Gilman Trail. In addition, the Myrtle Edwards Trail, along Seattle's Downtown waterfront, makes for a scenic workout. Gregg's Green Lake Cycle centre rents out bikes per day or week from 7007 Woodlawn Ave, NE (Tel: 206 523 1822); alternatively, Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals is more centrally located at 1230 Western Ave (tel: 206 341 9994)