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== '''Seattle''' ==
[[File:Seattle skyline.jpg|thumb|240px|left|Downtown Seattle skyline as seen from West Seattle.]]
Seattle is the largest city in the State of Washington and one of the largest on the West Coast of North America. With a population of roughly 600,000 people and a metro population of 3 million, it is the 24th most populated city in the United States. It is situation situated on the beautiful Puget Sound. Seattle is just a few hours east of the Olympic Nation Forest, home to some of the world's largest temperate rain forests, and is also about 1 1/2 hours west of the Cascade Mountain Range. Seattle is served by many different transit agencies ([http://transit.metrokc.gov King County Metro] is the main transit agency in the city, along with [http://www.soundtransit.org Sound Transit]/[http://www.commtrans.org Snohomish County Community Transit]/[http://www.piercetransit.org Pierce County Transit]/[http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries Washington State Ferries]) offering buses, trains, light rail (starting in June 2009), street cars, and ferries. One bonus for weary travelers is the downtown ride free area, which serves all of downtown Seattle until 7pm daily. All buses are free of charge in the ride free area.
There is plenty to do and see in Seattle if you are not just passing through.. Of course you will want to visit the world famous Pike Place Market or Seattle Center, but those are not the only attractions for travelers. Seattle is very welcoming to travelers as it is a city of transplants. Venture out of downtown and you will be very happy that you did. Take a bus out to Wallingford and see Gas Works Park on Lake Union or head on over to Fremont (the center of the known Universe) and visit the Troll under the Aurora Bridge. Sample the delicious (and cheap!) foods in the International District and lounge around in one of the city's many parks.
=== Capitol Hill ===
[[File:Capitol_Hill.png|thumb|200px|left|Location of Capitol Hill in the city of Seattle.]][[File:caphill-calanderson.jpg|thumb|240px|right|A partial view of Capitol Hill with Cal Anderson Park in the foreground and Downtown in the background.]]
Now, the University District is not the only place in Seattle to find hitch hikers, buskers, and the like. Capitol Hill is another area of town frequented by hitch hikers. Capitol Hill is the city's second most densely populated neighborhood, center of gay rights, and home to many Seattle artists, musicians and travelers. Due to it's diversity and wealth of parks, Capitol Hill is an ideal place for hitch hikers to crash, get a bite to eat, get a drink, or just hang out. The proximity to downtown is also hard to beat. A multitude of bus lines (including an Owl bus) run through Capitol Hill and LINK Central Link light rail (Coming in June of 2009) is a 10 minute walk down the hill. The First Hill Streetcar will be arriving on Capitol Hill in 2012 and the University Link light rail line will be following in 2016. Adjacent First Hill also has world class medical facilities, including Harborview Medical Center (The Northwest's only Level 1 trauma center).
[[File:Dicks.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Dick's Drive-in on Broadway.]]
The main thoroughfares on Capitol Hill are Broadway/15th Ave (going North/South) and Pike St/Pine St/Denny Way/E John St/Madison St (Going East/West). Your best bet to score some cheap food is on Broadway. Many hitch hikers and buskers hang out in front of [http://www.ddir.com Dick's Drive-In] on Broadway. Cheap burgers and open til 2 am. The best parks to sleep in would be Volunteer Park (Located in a very affluent part of Capitol Hill) and Interlaken Park. Ask any local and they can point you in the right direction.
There are generally two options when hitchhiking out of Seattle:
[[File:4thand5th.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Southbound I-5 onramp at NE 45th St and 5th Ave NE.]]
*You can take a [http://transit.metrokc.gov bus, BRT (starting 2010)], [http://www.soundtransit.org express bus, light rail or train] out to a suburb (Federal Way in the South is good and Everett in the north is good as well) and try to hitchhike from there. This is the most common way out, since hitchhiking out of big cities is not popular. However, trying to hitchhike out of a low-income or high-crime suburb or city (such as Tacoma or White Center) may be even harder than hitchhiking out of Seattle city-proper.
*There are exceptional on-ramps to I-5 in the University District, from within Seattle. [[User:amylin| amylin]] got a ride from Seattle to [[Portland]] from the on-ramp to I-5 South at NE 45th St & 5th Ave. There is a busy intersection at this point, in which vehicles stop and make turns onto the on-ramp, from 3 directions. There is even a nice spot for vehicles to pull into and pick up hitchhikers! The onramp going North at this same location is also recommended, and many hikers use it to get to [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]] (There is also a Vancouver, Washington. To minimize confusion all road signs for Vancouver, British Columbia are labeled "Vancouver, B.C."). The only drawback to this location is that there are frequently homeless people, who beg for food or money, nearby, and drivers may be reluctant to pick up hitchhikers in the presence of so many "unpresentable" people.
