Downtown Seattle

Understand

After the Great Fire of 1889, Seattle's business district moved northward from Pioneer Square, just in time for the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 to cement Seattle as the commercial center of the region. The geography of downtown transformed, as several of the hills around downtown were regraded, sluiced into Elliott Bay to create flat land for Seattle's explosive growth in the early 1900s. Most level ground in central Seattle today was once either a hillside or a tidal flat. The oldest buildings in downtown were built shortly after the Great Fire, but much of Seattle's skyline emerged since the 1960s, filling out the space between Smith Tower and the Space Needle at the district's boundaries.

Getting there

By car Getting in by car is not recommended, due to the congestion and parking problems, but if you have to, these are the main routes to get in:

Interstate 5 (I-5) northbound: exit either onto James Street (Exit 164) or Seneca Street (Exit 165, on the left side of the road). I-5 southbound: exit onto Stewart Street (Exit 166), Union Street (Exit 165B) or James Street (Exit 165A). State Route 99 (SR-99) northbound: exit onto Alaskan Way S. SR-99 southbound: exit onto Denny Way/Downtown. Interstate 90 (I-90) from the Eastside: continue straight onto the 4th Avenue S exit, then turn left towards Downtown, or exit onto I-5 north and follow the I-5 northbound directions. State Route 520 (SR-520) from the Eastside: exit onto I-5 south and follow the I-5 southbound directions.

By ferry 1 Washington State Ferries (WSF) offer service from Pier 52 of the Seattle waterfront (also known as Colman Dock) to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, which makes for a very fun and scenic ride. Additionally, the 2 King County Water Taxi offers service between Pier 50 on the downtown Seattle waterfront and Seacrest Park in West Seattle and to Vashon Island, with amazing views of the city. Fare is $4.75 for adults ($4 with an ORCA card), $2 for seniors/disabled, $4.75 youth ages 6-18 ($3 with an ORCA card), free for children 5 and under. 3 Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry offers passenger-only ferry service from Pier 50 of the Seattle waterfront to Bremerton, Southworth and Kingston where passengers connect to Kitsap Transit buses on the other side. For going to Port Orchard or Annapolis passengers would transfer to Kitsap Transit's other foot ferry in Bremerton. Washington State Ferries is the only option for going to Bainbridge Island. They go faster than the larger Washington State Ferries. The nearest bus stop into downtown from the ferry terminal is across the street (Alaskan Way S) from the ferry terminal for Rapid Ride C & H, 21, 56, 57, 113, 125. Outbound buses going towards Westwo

Getting around

Seattle's downtown is compact and dense. The street grid is skewed from the rest of the city, aligned with the waterfront instead of cardinal directions. Avenues (running NW to SE, parallel to the waterfront) are hill-free and can easily be walked. However, streets (running NE to SW) can be extremely steep. To help with the steep hills, many office towers have public escalators from one side of the block to the other. Buses run up and down the avenues nearly constantly, especially along 3rd Ave, which is closed to personal vehicles. Most routes are straight through downtown, so when your feet are tired, hop onto the next bus for a few blocks. A rule of thumb to remember the downtown street names, from Yesler Way to Westlake Park, is the mnemonic "Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest", as the streets are named as six first-letter pairs of these words (Jefferson & James, Cherry & Columbia, Marion & Madison, Spring & Seneca, University & Union, Pike & Pine).

See

1 Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave. Opens 30 minutes before sunrise, closes 30 minutes after sunset. 9 acres (3.6 hectares) of green space on Seattle’s waterfront with a collection of monumental sculptures. Free. (updated Mar 2025) 2 Seattle Art Museum (SAM), 100 University St (at 1st Ave), ☏ +1 206 654-3100, [email protected]. Tu W F-Su 10AM-5PM, Th 10AM-9PM, closed M. The museum displays a good assortment of art from the Pacific Northwest and around the world. Though the permanent exhibitions only occasionally delve deeply into a specific subject (such as the enormous variety of pieces in the porcelain room), extensive special exhibitions fill the gap. Tours available. Suggested admission: $19.50 adult, $17.50 senior/military, $2.50 students/youth, children 12 and under free. Admission is free on first Thursday of the month. (updated Jun 2023)

3 Seattle Public Library-Central Library (Seattle Central Library), 1000 4th Ave, ☏ +1 206 386-4636. M-Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM. A dramatic glass and steel structure in the heart of Downtown, designed by Rem Koolhaas. This is not an average public library and has become a tourist destination in its own right. A popular way to experience the unique architecture of the building is to take an elevator to the 10th floor, the highest observation deck in the building. From here you can walk down to the main floor through the Book Spiral; the core of the structure which organizes the library's books in one continuous path organized by the Dewey decimal system. Free. (updated Jun 2023) 4 Sky View Observatory (Columbia Center), 701 5th Ave (Take an elevator to the 40th floor, then another elevator to the right to the 73rd floor.), ☏ +1 206 386-5564. Daily 10AM-8PM (check website for extended summer hours and special hours for holidays). This observatory sits on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Center, one of the tallest buildings on the West Coast and the tallest public observation deck in the Pacif

Do

1 Argosy Cruises, 1101 Alaskan Way, Pier 55. Cruise times vary by season. Offers special dinner and sightseeing cruises. The most common tour visitors take is the hour-long journey on Elliott Bay, which gives you an excellent view not just of the Space Needle and the Downtown skyline, but the freight harbor to the south as well. Prices vary according to your itinerary; $23.75 for harbor cruise. (updated Jun 2023) 2 Seattle Convention Center (formerly the Washington State Convention Center), 705 Pike St. The largest events space in the state, and the host of PAX West, Emerald City Comic Con, Sakura-Con, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, and many others. The 414,722 ft² (38,528.9 m2) Arch building spans across Pike Street, 8th Avenue, and I-5. The 573,770 ft² (53,305 m2) Summit building, opened in 2023, is a block north. (updated Feb 2025)

Entertainment 3 Benaroya Hall, 200 University St (at 2nd Ave), ☏ +1 206 215-4800. Free tours offered Tuesday and Friday at noon and 1PM. An aesthetically and acoustically beautiful new concert hall. The official home of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, it also houses other classical and performing arts roadshows. 4 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave (between Union and University Streets on 5th Avenue), ☏ +1 206-625-1900, [email protected]. The main Seattle venue for t