Pioneer Square is the oldest part of downtown Seattle. Located just south of the modern city core, it's an attractive, fairly pedestrian-friendly area during the day with many art galleries, and full of lively bars and taverns at night.

Get in

Most city buses that go to downtown Seattle from other parts terminate in or pass through Pioneer Square. From central downtown, it's about a five-minute walk due south down hill toward the stadiums.

See

• Pioneer Square proper is just a small corner park that's often occupied by homeless folks, but generally safe during the day.
• Occidental Park

Do

Pioneer Square is very rich in history.

• The Art Walk is almost synonymous with Pioneer Square and takes place on the first Thursday of every month. Galleries are open until 9PM. Show up early for the free wine and hor d'hoevres.

• The Underground tour starts at Pioneer Square. On June 6, 1889, a great fire burned down most of downtown Seattle. The city was rebuilt atop the remnants of old Seattle, giving rise to a complex underground tunnel system which housed the old downtown. Take a trip sub-level from the rest of Seattle.

• The Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit, 117 S. Main Street, just east of First Avenue, is a key attraction in the Pioneer Square area. It is the Seattle branch of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park [1] (Other units are in Alaska). Open 9 to 5 daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. The Seattle unit highlights the city's key role as the "Gateway to the Gold Fields" in supplying most of the Klondike stampeders of 1897 - 1898. National Park Service Rangers and volunteers staff the Seattle unit. They can provide information and perspective not only on the Gold Rush but also on Seattle's past and present. The Seattle unit contains many artifacts and historical photographs related to the Gold Rush. Movies about the Gold Rush (27 minutes), Seattle (15 minutes) and the Chilkoot Pass (15 minutes) are shown upon request except in summer when they're shown on a regular schedule. Rangers also conduct free walking tours of the Pioneer Square area in the summer. They also demonstrate gold panning for school groups. The Seattle unit is scheduled to move in January, 2006, to the historic former Cadillac Hotel building at Second Avenue and South Jackson Street, about two blocks from its present location. Information at www.nps.gov/klse/

• Smith Tower, 506 Second Avenue, [2]. is probably the only tall building left in Seattle where uniformed attendants operate the elevators. Instead of stepping into a metal box with no view, you'll observe the different floors and peer into offices as you ascend or descend. How many people under the age of, say, 20 or so have ever had that experience? Smith Tower, named for the typewriter and firearms manufacturer L. C. Smith, stands 42 stories (522 feet; 160 meters) and was the tallest building in the United States west of New York when it was completed in 1914. An outdoor observation deck on the 35th floor wraps completely around the four sides of the tower, providing panoramic views of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, including Mt. Rainier, as well as of Elliott Bay, downtown Seattle, and Pioneer Square.

• Waterfall Garden, Second Avenue at S. Main Steet. This small, tranquil park features a 22-foot high waterfall cascading over natural granite boulders. The park occupies the site where two 19-year olds, James Casey and Claude Ryan, began a messenger service in 1907 in the basement of a tavern. That messenger service grew up to become United Parcel Service. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, started by James Casey and his siblings in honor of their mother, created the park and maintains it "in honor of the men and women of United Parcel Service."

Eat

• Trattoria Mitchelli, 84 Yesler Way. A longtime Seattle favorite with good pizzas and pasta. Open until 4 AM, it's hands-down the best place for recuperating after a pub crawl.
• Grand Central Bakery, in the arcade between 1st Avenue and Occidental Park, just off South Jackson, [3]. One of the best sources for artisan bread in Seattle, this place offers an excellent lunch, cafeteria style (but stylish!). Not open on Sundays.

Drink

Coffee

• Zeitgeist, Second Avenue Extension and Jackson Street (and three other locations in the city), [4]. Elegant and arty.
• Elliot Bay Books Cafe at South Main St. and First Avenue South is known for the ability to plunder the books in the store and proofread them before buying while sipping on a Latte. It is a great experience surrounded by all the bookshelves in the basement of the store.

Coffee/Wine/Beer

• All City Coffee, 4th Avenue South, Prefontaine Place South and South Washington Street, [5]. A great artsy coffee/wine/beer shop together in a fabulous corner setting in an up and coming artist loft building.