I also live in Seattle, and I agree that a wider tire helps. I typically use 32mm tires on my road bikes and those work fine for me, but I want to try 35s once I wear out a set.

I use different tires depending on their use. For riding pleasure I love Compass tires, but Panaracer Paselas are a good (less expensive) choice. I use Gatorskins for durability. They are not as pleasant to ride but tend to shrug off debris better than the Compass and Pasela tires do.