Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Seeing how nine suspended cars can be made into spectacular modern art at
Riding on the
Bainbridge Island ferry
just for the hell of it (and admiring the
amazing views).
Viewing Seattle's ongoing waterfront regeneration from the brand new
Seattle
Joining the line for a cheap take-out pastry at Pike Place Market baking phenomen-
Explore: Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
You don't have to search long to find Seattle's soul: head directly to Pike Place Market
and throw away any map you might have acquired; your nose, eyes and ears are the
only compasses you'll need here.
It's particularly important to get to the market early if you want to avoid that cattle-
truck feeling (40,000 visitors per day!): weekdays and before 10am on weekends are
best. That said, many enjoy the organized chaos of the arcades at Saturday lunchtime.
The waterfront is more weather dependent; a sunny weekend afternoon finds it swarm-
ing, while on a misty weekday morning you'll have the place pretty much to yourself.
Downtown Seattle, though impressive from a distance, is a bit of an anomaly. Instead
of being the beating heart of the city, it's a fairly quiet, functional business district adja-
cent to Seattle's twin hearts: Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. What most people
mean by 'downtown' is the collection of office buildings, hotels and retail shops
between 2nd and 7th Aves. It's best to visit on a weekday, when throngs of people are
working and shopping in the area. At night and on weekends it can feel rather desolate.
Downtown is home to much of the city's important architecture - follow the Down-
town Architecture walking tour (
Click here
)
for a closer look. Seattle's retail heaven ex-
tends from the corner of 5th Ave and Pike St a few blocks in all directions. A block
north, on 5th Ave at Pine St, is the flagship store of Nordstrom, the national clothing re-
tailer that got its start in Seattle. Just to the west is Westlake Center.
