Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Slowing down the rhythm a notch on a weekend summer's afternoon on
Alki
Settling down for an afternoon of serious drinking in a redbricked
Georgetown
Hanging out in the bakeries and record shops of
the Junction
, West Seattle's di-
minutive downtown.
Explore: Georgetown & West Seattle
Located south of downtown and Pioneer Square, the neighborhoods of Georgetown and
West Seattle feel more detached, cut off from the city center by the glassy expanse of
Elliott Bay and the boxy warehouse district of SoDo. Since transport connections to
and from downtown are better than those between the neighborhoods themselves,
they're often visited separately. Georgetown can be incorporated with a visit to the Mu-
seum of Flight, while West Seattle works as a pleasant summer weekend beach sortie.
Located 3 miles south of Seattle proper, Georgetown is an old neighborhood with a
scrappy yet independent artistic sensibility that's recently been deemed cool. Once you
get here (regular buses from downtown take 25 minutes), navigation is easy. Most of
Georgetown's pubs, hip bars, funky shops and restaurants are clustered on Airport Way
S.
There are plenty of Seattleites who would more likely visit Hawaii than spend a day
catching rays in West Seattle. But, although this island-like enclave might feel as if it's
halfway to Honolulu in the minds of many, it's actually only - ahem - 15 minutes from
downtown by water taxi. Not that everyone dismisses it. Indeed, among a certain type
of Seattleite, West Seattle beckons like a proverbial Coney Island, courtesy of sandy
Alki Beach, the city's best excuse to get undressed in public and pretend you're in Cali-
fornia.
Spread over a hilly peninsula, the neighborhood spins on two hubs: the de facto
downtown called 'the Junction' at the intersection of California Ave and SW Alaska St,
whose indie record store and bakery alone are worth the visit, and the famous beach
and its promenade. Free shuttles from the water-taxi dock connect with both.
