The Capitol Hill neighborhood is part of a long ridge that overlooks downtown Seattle. ´The Hill, as it is known by the locals, originally got its name from early settlers when it was still the planned site for the Washington state capitol. Capitol Hill has a reputation as the heart of hip Seattle. No neighborhood in the city has a more active sidewalk scene, day or night, than on Broadway, Capitol Hill's believe-it-or-not version of Main Street. A stroll down Broadway reveals a wide diversity of people, with couples walking dogs, punks hanging out on street corners, techies who commute to work across Lake Washington buying groceries and, in the evenings, club-goers from all over Seattle and Bellevue visiting the scene for a night out. Shopping in the numerous retail stores and boutiques offers everything from African art to used and vintage clothing. A few art galleries dot East Pike and Pine Streets along with music stores specializing in hip-hop, dance, gothic and industrial, or rare used records. This community figures prominently in nightlife and entertainment with many taverns hosting live music and with numerous fringe theatres.
Capitol Hill is also home to two of the city's best-known movie theaters, the Harvard Exit and the Egyptian Theatre. The Broadway Performance Hall, located on the campus of Seattle Central Community College, also hosts a variety of lectures, performances, and films. Besides the inevitable large Seattle-based chains--Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffeeand Tully's Coffee--Capitol Hill has been home to some of the city's most prominent locally owned coffeehouses. Present-day coffeehouses on the Hill include the local chains Cafe Ladro, Cafe Vita, Top Pot Doughnuts,Bauhaus Coffee, Vivace, Fuel Coffee, Kaladi Brothers, and Victrola Coffee & Art.
Homes on Capitol Hill cover the gamut from modest motel-like condominium buildings to ´Millionaire Row,' home of some of the city's grandest and most venerable mansions. These homes are joined by numerous whimsical tudor-styled condominium/coop buildings that are characterized by their tudor stucco facades and turret stairways. The Depression was responsible for some of Capitol Hill's notable modernist architecture seen in the stark lines of the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park and the austere architecture of St. Mark's Cathedral.
There are several parks on Capitol Hill, including Volunteer Park, where you can climb the water tower, the highest point on Capitol Hill, and get one of the best views of the city and the old mansions around the park. A recent addition to Capitol Hill is beautiful Cal Anderson Park which houses a water reservoir, inverted fountain, playground, wading pool, wide green lawns, gravel jogging path and sports playfields.
In addition, educational institutions enliven this neighborhood's life. Seattle University, Seattle Community College and Cornish College of the Arts are all located here.
