City: Seattle

Summertime has a delightfully transformative effect on Seattle. Sailboats swarm Lake Union, and bicycles pack the urban Burke-Gilman Trail as Mount Rainier towers over the horizon. This year, the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1962 World’s Fair with new exhibitions. Washington-born glass artist Dale Chihuly’s work will be displayed in a custom-built glass house at the base of the Space Needle beginning May 21; a giant Ferris wheel with gondola-style pods will open on Pier 57 by the Fourth of July. Stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle (just blocks from the Pike Place Market and Olympic Sculpture Park). Its rooftop infinity pool has a panoramic view of Elliott Bay, and its downstairs restaurant ART hosts a popular late-night happy hour from 9 to 11 P.M. (rooms, from $345; 99 Union St.; 206-749-7000).