皆さま、こんにちは！
今日はPEGLのEric先生をご紹介します。
Eric先生はSeattle出身です。
Seattleといえば、マリナーズのイチロー選手
を見に行かれた方もいらっしゃるのでは？
Eric先生からSeattleの紹介をお届けします。
Seattle – The Emerald City
It’s hard to know where to begin when you are describing Seattle.
Should I talk about the amazing nature to be found both within the city and just a few miles away? Should I talk about the diverse culture, cuisine, and entertainment? Or should I talk about the notable contribution Seattle has made to the business world? Well…I guess I’ll talk about all three!
Music and Culture
The Seattle area is home to a thriving music, dance and theatre scene.
After all, this is the city responsible for Grunge!
In addition to great live houses for all genres of music and world-class ballet and opera companies,
Seattle has an excellent collection of art galleries, and museums,
including the Experience Music Project (EMP),
a one-of-a-kind music museum dedicated to my favorite music, Rock n’ Roll.
Designed by world-famous architect Frank Gerry, the EMP features exhibitions
about legendary musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Nirvana,
as well as concerts and an interactive music room.
It is truly one of the most unique museums in the world.
As for the food…WOW!
Being on the water, as well as our close proximity to Canada and Alaska,
means that we have some of the freshest, most delicious seafood in the world, and you can find it all at the Fisherman’s Market. Be sure to watch the hard working fish vendors throw the fish. 
They’re pros!
Trust me, if you visit Seattle, make sure to try the salmon. You’ll be happy you did.
Besides the wonderful seafood, Seattle’s large Asian population means that we are never short on great Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cuisine.
In fact, Seattleites sometimes joke that we have more Thai restaurants than Thailand does! And for you beer lovers there are several local breweries in the area, including Red Hook, which makes the world-famous ESB (Extra Strong Bitter) which you can even find in Japan, if you look hard enough.
It is very hard to choose just a few places to mention when it comes to nature in and around Seattle, and the North West as a whole. There is just so much of it! To begin with, the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is home to over 250 species of endangered birds, mammals and fish. Even more fish can be found at The Seattle Aquarium, which has many interesting and beautiful exhibits, and even offers whale watching cruises around the San Juan Islands.
If you enjoy hiking and exploring nature, Volunteer Park is one of the most interesting parks in the United States, with five different houses on the conservatory representing five distinct environments, from jungle to desert.
For those people visiting Seattle but missing Japan, the Japanese Tea Garden might be to your liking. On the third Saturday of every month at 1:30 PM, a Japanese tea ceremony is staged in this beautiful garden.
If you’ve ever walked into a Lawson’s and bought a “Starbucks Mt. Rainier” coffee, the jewel in the crown of Seattle’s nature. But until you see it in person, you can’t imagine how beautiful it is. Hiking and camping, as well as more extreme sports like mountain climbing are just outside your backyard.
There are many beautiful pictures you can find on the internet, but I hope that someday you’ll be able to see it with your own eyes. It’s worth a trip to Seattle just to visit Mt. Rainier.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a post about Seattle if I didn’t mention some of the most important companies that do business here.
Starbucks
was started in Seattle and is a source of pride for Seattle coffee lovers around the world.
For those techies out there, Microsoft is headquartered outside of Seattle and its founder and CEO, Bill Gates, was born and raised here.
If you’ve ever flown, chances are you were in a plane made by one of the oldest and most important companies in Seattle, Boeing. 
And lastly, my personal favorite: NINTENDO!! It’s a Japanese company but its headquarters are in Seattle so video game fans around the world know the city as a source for some of the most interesting and exciting video games ever created.
As you can see, Seattle is a great city with lots to do and see, and a great history of cultural and economic contributions. If you ever have the chance to go, I hope you will explore the many wonderful aspects of this beautiful area and I’m sure you will enjoy every minute of it!
ぜひEric先生のレッスンを受けてみて下さいね！
事務局・岡田