The coffee-loving, cloud-covered, grunge-inventing metropolis that is Seattle has its own little slice of southern California in West Seattle’s Alki Beach. Minus the fact that you’d need the tolerance of a polar bear to swim in Puget Sound, Alki Beach has all the makings of a great summer hangout. Radios blare and sunscreen makes an appearance as locals try to soak up the sun’s precious rays. Colorful cottages, houses and businesses line one side of the 2-and-a-half-mile stretch, and the beach and a sidewalk filled with runners, cyclists and skaters are on the other side. Reserve a picnic table or bring a blanket and a book for the ultimate people-watching afternoon. Feel like being active? Join one of the many volleyball games or Frisbee tosses, or walk across the street to one of the great coffee shops or fish and chip joints. Enjoy the stunning view of the Seattle skyline from across Puget Sound and watch the boats and ferries passing through. The sun doesn’t last long in Seattle, so if you’ve got it, use it.