The Neighborhoods

The Waterfront

What Fisherman's Wharf is to San Francisco, the waterfront is to Seattle. Stretching along Alaskan Way from Yesler Way, in the south, to Bay Street, Myrtle Edwards Park, and the Olympic Sculpture Park, in the north, the waterfront is Seattle's most popular and touristy destination. Tacky gift shops, candy stores selling fudge and saltwater taffy, sidewalk T-shirt vendors, overpriced restaurants, and walk-up counters serving greasy fish and chips -- they're all here. Why bother fighting the jostling crowds? Well, for one thing, this is where you'll find the Seattle Aquarium, the kid-oriented Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center, and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, which is king of the tacky gift shops and as fun as a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. Ferries to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, as well as several different boat tours, also operate from the waterfront. Oh, and then there's the view, that incomparable view across Elliott Bay to the Olympic Mountains. So, stay focused and stay out of the shopping arcades inside the piers (unless, of course, you really need salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like the Space Needle).

You'll find the Washington State Ferries terminal at Pier 52, which is at the south end of the waterfront near Pioneer Square. (A ferry ride makes for a cheap cruise.) Pier 55 has excursion boats offering harbor cruises and trips to Tillicum Village on Blake Island. At Pier 56, cruise boats leave for trips through the Chittenden (Ballard) Locks to Lake Union. At Pier 57 you'll find the Bay Pavilion, which has a vintage carousel and a video arcade to keep the kids busy.

Pier 59 is home to the Seattle Aquarium and a small waterfront park. If you continue up the waterfront, you'll find Pier 66, also called the Bell Street Pier, which has a rooftop park. This is the site of the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center , which is dedicated to the history of shipping and fishing in Puget Sound. Anthony's, one of the best seafood restaurants on the waterfront, is also on this pier. At Pier 67 is The Edgewater hotel, a great place to take in the sunset over a drink or dinner.

Next door, at Pier 69, you can see the dock for the ferries that ply the waters between Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia. Just north of this pier is the Olympic Sculpture Park and the grassy Myrtle Edwards Park, which together make all the waterfront schlock worth enduring, a nice finale to the waterfront. Myrtle Edwards Park has a popular bicycling-and-skating trail and is a great spot for a sunset stroll or a picnic. The Olympic Sculpture Park, which covers a hillside overlooking the north end of the waterfront, is my new favorite spot in Seattle, offering not only monumental sculptures, but gardens of native plants and superb views of the Seattle skyline, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains.

Pike Place Market to Pioneer Square

Pike Place Market and the Pioneer Square historic district lie at opposite ends of First Avenue; midway between the two is the Seattle Art Museum.

The Pioneer Square area, with its historic buildings, interesting shops, museum, and Underground Tour, is well worth a morning or afternoon of exploration.

Seattle Center & Lake Union

Built in 1962 for the World's Fair, Seattle Center is today not only the site of Seattle's famous Space Needle but also a cultural and entertainment park that doubles as the city's favorite festival grounds. Within Seattle Center's boundaries, you'll find the Experience Music Project (EMP), the Science Fiction Museum, the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Children's Museum, the Seattle Children's Theatre, Key Arena (home of the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics), the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, the Intiman Theatre, the Bagley Wright Theatre, a children's amusement park, and a fountain that's a favorite summertime hangout. The "Especially for Kids" section lists further details on Seattle Center attractions that young travelers will enjoy. Not far away, you'll find Lake Union, with a couple of nautical attractions.

The International District

Seattle today boasts of its strategic location on the Pacific Rim, but its ties to Asia are nothing new. This is evident in the International District, Seattle's main Asian neighborhood, which is centered between Fifth Avenue South and 12th Avenue South (between S. Washington St. and S. Lane St.). Called both Chinatown and the International District (because so many Asian nationalities have made this area home), the neighborhood has been the center of the city's Asian communities for more than a century. You can learn about the district's history at the Wing Luke Asian Museum , where you can also pick up a walking-tour map of the area.

At the corner of Maynard Avenue South and South King Street is Hing Hay Park, the site of an ornate and colorful pavilion given to Seattle by the city of Taipei, Taiwan.

The I.D. has many restaurants, import stores, and food markets. The huge Uwajimaya is all of these rolled into one.

First Hill (Pill Hill) & Capitol Hill

Seattle is justly proud of its parks, and Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill at 14th Avenue East and East Prospect Street (drive north on Broadway and watch for signs) is one of the most popular. Here you'll find not only acres of lawns, groves of trees, and huge old rhododendrons, but also an old water tower that provides one of the best panoramas in the city. A winding staircase leads to the top of the water tower, from which you get 360-degree views. The observatory level also has an interesting exhibit about the Olmsted Brothers and the system of parks they designed for Seattle. To find the water tower, park near the Seattle Asian Art Museum if you can; then walk back out of the parking lot to where the road splits. The view from directly in front of the museum, by Isamu Noguchi's Black Sun sculpture, isn't bad either.

North Seattle (Including Ballard, Fremont, Montlake & The U District)

The Fremont District, which begins at the north end of the Fremont Bridge--near the intersection of Fremont Avenue North and North 36th Street--is one of Seattle's funkiest and most unusual neighborhoods. Even livelier, though not nearly as eclectic or artistic, the University District (known locally as the U District) has loads of cheap restaurants and the types of shops you would associate with a college-age clientele. But the main attractions for visitors are the two excellent museums on the university campus and the nearby Museum of History and Industry, which is just across the Montlake Bridge from the U District.

Parking Tip -- Parking on the University of Washington campus is expensive on weekdays and Saturday mornings, so try to visit the Burke Museum or Henry Art Gallery on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday, when parking is free.