Seattle - not just rated #1 for delicious coffee!

I recently went to Seattle for the first time and it was a breath of fresh air. Literally. The city was ranked this year with the #1 top air quality in the U.S. And that's not all - in fact it was rated as this year's top "large" (population over 250,000) city in the U.S by NRDC in their Smarter Cities rankings. Let me break it down - #1 in air quality (achieved because they use hydoelectric plants to produce 90% of its power), green building, and energy production and conservation :) And some other not so shoddy grades in green space, recycling and overall standard of living, to name a few. Out of 9 criteria and put up against 75 other large cities this environmentally savvy city is I think, a model to aspire to. Seattle's Mayor Nickels has introduced global warming initiatives that provide incentives to carpool, and be more energy efficient, and the city offers a FREE Carbon Coach training program to allow citizens to educate and teach others how to reduce their emissions. What a fabulous idea!
The city's environmental record, along with its plethora of independent coffee shops, large farmers markets, friendly people and delicious food has made me a #1 fan.
A couple of my favorite food finds while I was there (recommended for when you visit) :
The Crumpet Shop - these spongy, porous muffin/pancake-y wonders can be topped with everything from nutella to eggs and ham to marmite and they are a wonderful texture, slightly crunchy, chewy and soft. Amazing. And the staff is super friendly.
Salumi - salami, salami, all kinds of peppered and fennel and sweet salami. Lines are always long, this place has the Bourdain stamp and the sandwiches are delish, but could use a little more salami.

Now what will it take for DC to be a top ten Smart City next year? They were only #31 this year. Interested to see how smart your city is? See rankings here.