Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
phenomenal growth for more than a decade, and this has created traffic-conges-
tion problems. Here are some guidelines to help you find your way around.
MAIN ARTERIES & STREETS
Three interstate highways serve Seattle.
Seattle's main artery is I-5, which runs through the middle of the city. Take the
James Street exit west if you're heading for the Pioneer Square area, take the
Seneca Street exit for Pike Place Market, or take the Olive Way exit for Capitol
Hill. I-405 is the city's north-south bypass and travels up the east shore of Lake
Washington through Bellevue and Kirkland (Seattle's high-tech corridor). I-90
comes in from the east, crossing one of the city's two floating bridges, and ends
at the south end of downtown.
Downtown is roughly defined as extending from the stadium district just
south of the Pioneer Square neighborhood on the south, to Denny Way on the
north, and from Elliott Bay on the west to I-5 on the east. Within this area, most
avenues are numbered, whereas streets have names. Exceptions to this rule are
the first two roads parallel to the waterfront (Alaskan Way and Western Ave.)
and avenues east of Ninth Avenue.
Many downtown streets and avenues are one-way. Spring, Pike, and Marion
streets are all one-way eastbound, while Seneca, Pine, and Madison streets are all
one-way westbound. Second and Fifth avenues are both one-way southbound,
while Fourth and Sixth avenues are one-way northbound. First Avenue and
Third Avenue are both two-way streets.
To get from downtown to Capitol Hill, take Pike Street or Olive Way. Madi-
son Street, Yesler Way, or South Jackson Street will get you over to Lake Wash-
ington on the east side of Seattle. If you are heading north across town, Westlake
Avenue will take you to the Fremont neighborhood, and Eastlake Avenue will
take you to the University District. These two roads diverge at the south end of
Lake Union. To get to the arboretum from downtown, take Madison Street.
FINDING AN ADDRESS
After you become familiar with the streets and
neighborhoods of Seattle, there is really only one important thing to remember:
Pay attention to the compass point of an address. Most downtown streets have
no directional designation attached to them, but when you cross I-5 going east,
most streets and avenues are designated “East.” South of Yesler Way, which runs
through Pioneer Square, streets are designated “South.” West of Queen Anne
Avenue, streets are designated “West.” The University District is designated
“NE” (Northeast), and the Ballard neighborhood, “NW” (Northwest). So if
you're looking for an address on First Avenue South, head south of Yesler Way.
Another helpful hint is that odd-numbered addresses are likely to be on the
west and south sides of streets, whereas even-numbered addresses will be on the
east and north. Also, in the downtown area, address numbers increase by 100
Remembering Seattle's Streets
Locals use an irreverent little mnemonic device for remembering the
names of Seattle's downtown streets, and since most visitors spend much
of their time downtown, this phrase could be useful to you as well. It goes
like this: “Jesus Christ made Seattle under protest.” This stands for all the
downtown east-west streets between Yesler Way and Olive Way/Stewart
Street—Jefferson, James, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring,
Seneca, University, Union, Pike, Pine.
