Seattle - Washington State - page 121

Navy, FAO Schwarz, Barneys New York. These and many others now have stores
in Seattle, so if you forgot to pick up that dress in Chicago or those running shoes
in New York, have no fear—you can find them here.
Seattle does, however, have one last bastion of local merchandising, Pike
Place Market. Whether shopping is your passion or an occasional indulgence,
you shouldn't miss this historic market, which is one of Seattle's top tourist
attractions. Once the city's main produce market (and quite a few produce stalls
remain), this sprawling collection of buildings is today filled with hundreds of
unusual shops. See also the listing for Pike Place Market on p. 104.
THE SHOPPING SCENE
Although Seattle is a city of neighborhoods, many of which have great little
shops, the heart of the Seattle shopping scene is the corner of Pine Street and
Fifth Avenue. Within 2 blocks of this intersection are two major department
stores (Nordstrom and The Bon Marché) and two upscale urban shopping malls
(Westlake Center and Pacific Place). There's even a sky bridge between Nord-
strom and Pacific Place to make shopping that much easier. Fanning out east
and south from this intersection are blocks of upscale stores that have begun to
take on a very familiar look. Small local shops are rapidly being replaced by
national and international boutiques and megastores. Here in this neighborhood
you'll now find Ann Taylor, Barneys New York, NIKETOWN, Gap, MaxMara,
Banana Republic, and FAO Schwarz. However, you'll still find a few local inde-
pendents in the neighborhood as well.
The city's main tourist shopping district is the Pike Place Market neighbor-
hood. Here you'll find dozens of T-shirt and souvenir shops, as well as import
shops and stores appealing to teenagers and 20-somethings. Pike Place Market
is a fascinating warren of cubbyholes that pass for shops. While produce isn't
usually something you stock up on while on vacation, several market shops sell
ethnic cooking supplies that are less perishable than a dozen oysters or a king
salmon. You may not find anything here you really need, but it's fun to look (at
least that's what millions of Seattle visitors each year seem to think).
Just west of Pike Place Market is the Seattle waterfront, where you'll find
many more gift and souvenir shops.
South of downtown, in the historic Pioneer Square area, is the city's great-
est concentration of art galleries, some of which specialize in Native American
art. This neighborhood has several antiques stores but is also home to a dozen
or more bars and attracts a lot of homeless people.
As the center of both the gay community and the city's youth culture, Capi-
tol Hill has the most eclectic selection of shops in Seattle. Beads, imports, CDs,
vintage clothing, politically correct merchandise, and gay-oriented goods fill the
shops along Broadway. Capitol Hill's main shopping plaza is the Broadway Mar-
ket, which has lots of small shops.
The Fremont neighborhood just north of Lake Union is filled with retro stores
selling vintage clothing, mid-century furniture and collectibles, and curious crafts.
As of this writing, however, the neighborhood is undergoing a fairly rapid gentri-
fication that is forcing out many of the smaller and more unusual shops.
A couple of miles east of Fremont is the Wallingford neighborhood, which is
anchored by an old school building that has been converted into a shopping
arcade with interesting crafts, fashions, and gifts.
The University District, also in north Seattle, has everything necessary to
support a student population and also goes upscale at the University Village
shopping center.