Dried smoked salmon.
Fresh roasted Coffee beans.
Microbrew (Elysian?).
Cedar branch.
a recent SIFF film on DVD.
Tom Douglas food on a Dale Chihuly glass plate.
An unused umbrella.

Are you any good with a camera? When I was living on the other coast, I mostly missed the intagibles of our region; the weird laidbackness of dress, the particular landscape, the rhythms of life, the gray and blueness of everything. Not stuff you can see on postcards. Like people waiting for the bus in the rain with no umbrellas. Or old ladies wearing fish hats, and cat sweatshirts for no discernable reason. Earnestly funny political signs in windows with art installations in the front yard. Giant trees in the middle of the city. Ferries (I really missed ferries). Cars plastered with esoteric bumperstickers. Maybe you could walk around snapping pictures of things that seem iconically Northwest, and put them in an scrapbook with little written observations.

Creativity is the best way to impress the right boys, in my opinion. Good luck to you!

A bag o weed. If he smokes. I'm sure that if he does he's sick to death of the crap that's largely available back east.

a nice pinot. PNW pinots are awesome.

Smoked salmon.

A dvd of drugstore cowboy.

a collection fo various local snacks like tim's Cascade chips, Jones soda, etc.

A live King Samon.

Is he from Seattle? I've always kinda liked the line drawings of local landmarks by that guy with the gallery downstairs in Pike Place--they're classier than the kitschy paintings elsewhere.

If he's from the country, a framed photo of "his" local mountain or of blackberry leaves/vines/whatever. Assuming he likes that sort of thing.

A gloomy-colored hoodie. An all-expenses-paid trip to the nearest thrift store. A bag of good apples. PNW wine.

I also like the Rev's coffee and microbrew ideas.

I love the cedar branch idea. Seward Park has a pottery studio; you could get him a little handmade vase in PNW reminiscent colors and put cedar branches from the interior of the park in there. So romantic. And I love the beer idea also - it is the way to a man's heart, after all. Definitely the Elysian. (Good Job, Rev - love it).

I think the care package suggested by the good Rev is right on. A fun touch might be to make a photo album taking photos at each place you go while gathering the goodies. (maybe even take along a cutout of him to use in the photos? or maybe a blank cutout implying he could be there next time?? hmmm.).
Having a photo of you at each place you go (with fish tossers at Pike Place Market? a barista at Vivace? etc) will make the gift even more personal. And maybe next year, you'll BOTH get to come to Seattle...

(Oh, and do they have Frangos where you're exiled? Those have some Seattle history and could make a nice sharable treat when you get back too)

Theo Chocolate, the original Phinney aka Fantasy Flavor line, is whimsical and delicious. Bonus it's fair trade & organic chocolate. Head into the retail store and find all sorts of yummy goodies (Monday-Sunday 10AM-6:30PM). That and perhaps a bag of Stumptown Coffee beans.

Knit him a Jayne hat! It combines both our incredible local geekery and the need for a hat.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=19076.20