Seattle/Pioneer Square-International District

It is easy to get here from the Downtown hotels – the walk is short, and any bus traveling south from Downtown will get you to within a few blocks of your destination. There are a few pay parking lots, and limited street parking is available too. Often the best parking bet are the metered spaces under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which are usually overlooked by all but the locals. Occidental Street, which sits between 1st and 2nd Avenues, is closed to cars between Washington and Jackson Streets and forms a pedestrian mall lined with galleries and shops.
The Central Link Light Rail stops at Pioneer Square Station at James Street/3rd Avenue (a few blocks north of the main neighborhood) and at International District Station at Jackson Street/5th Avenue.
The First Hill Streetcar line runs along Jackson Street through the area, connecting the district to First Hill and Capitol Hill.
King Street Station, served by Amtrak and Sounder commuter rail, sits directly in the center of the area at 4th and Jackson.

• Grand Opera House

• Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park - Seattle Unit

  phone: +1 206- 220-4240
  address: 319 2nd Ave S
  A key attraction in the Pioneer Square area, this is the Seattle branch of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the remainder of which is in Alaska. The site highlights the city's key role as the "Gateway to the Gold Fields" for most of the Klondike stampeders of 1897-1898. National Park Service Rangers and volunteers staff the museum and can provide information and perspective not only on the gold rush but also on Seattle's past. The museum contains many artifacts and historical photographs related to the Gold Rush, and movies about the gold rush and Seattle's history 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 and demonstrate gold panning to school groups.

• Seattle Buddhist Church

  address: 1427 S Main St
  In the summer the community hosts a Japanese bon odori festival on the street out front.

• Smith Tower

  phone: +1 206 622-4004
  address: 506 2nd Ave
  Built in 1914, the Smith Tower was Seattle's first skyscraper, and the tallest building on the West Coast for nearly half a century before being overtaken by the Space Needle. Uniformed attendants operate the old copper and brass elevators from which you can peer into the different floors and offices as you ascend, an experience most people today have probably only witnessed in old movies. The outdoor Observatory 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. The interior of the 35th floor contains a speakeasy-themed bar, formerly known as the Chinese Room for its ornately carved ceiling and a number of decorative flourishes imported from China in the early 20th century. There is a 40 minute self-guided tour (separate admission fee) about Seattle's history from the 1920s and beyond that is available.

• Theatre Off Jackson

  phone: +1 206-340-1049
  address: 409 7th Ave S
  Theatre Off Jackson is a professional and sustainable arts venue presenting cutting-edge theatrical productions from the heart of the international district.

• Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience

  phone: +1 206 623-5124
  address: 719 S King St
  The first Smithsonian affiliate in the Pacific Northwest, this museum features exhibits and programs related to pan-Asian American art, history, and culture as well as historic and neighborhood walking tours. Tours are included with admission but are first-come-first-served. They are open until 8PM on the first Thursday of the month.

Parks

• Hing Hay Park

  phone: +1 206 684-4075
  address: 423 Maynard Ave S
  A small park in the center of Chinatown. Though you're not too likely to see old folks doing tai chi or playing checkers, it still has character.

• Occidental Park

  phone: +1 206 684-4075
  address: Occidental Ave between Main St and Washington St
  This urban park is best known for its four totem poles carved by local artist Duane Pasco. It also has bocce courts, ping pong and foosball tables.

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

• Waterfall Garden

  address: 2nd Ave at S Main St
  This small, tranquil park features a 22-foot high waterfall cascading over 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, which eventually grew up to become United Parcel Service (UPS). 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."

• Art WalkThe 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 hors d'oeuvres.

• Seattle Pinball Museum

  phone: +1 206 623-0759
  address: 508 Maynard Ave S
  A pinball machine museum where all the machines are on free play once you pay admission. There is soda and beer available.

• Venus Karaoke

  address: 601 S King St, Ste 102
  One of the few karaoke rooms in the city. Rented by the hour, with a good selection of Cantonese, Mandarin, and English songs. Open late, with two bars upstairs.

Underground tours

Seattle's oldest neighborhood has a hidden history: after being destroyed by a fire in 1889, large parts of the city were regraded, simultaneously solving the problems of steep hills, tidal flooding, and sanitation by raising what is now Pioneer Square by one story, creating the Seattle Underground.
Today, two companies run multiple tours through different sections of the Underground, with informative commentary about Seattle's history.
You will have to go up and down several flights of old stairs, and walk over some uneven terrain in poor lighting; choose footwear appropriately.

• Bill Speidel's Underground Tour

  phone: +1 206 682-4646
  address: 614 1st Ave
  The original Underground tour. Tours last 75 minutes, including a 15 minute introduction.

• Bill Speidel's Underground Paranormal Experience

  phone: +1 206 682-4646
  address: 614 1st Ave
  Search for ghosts and other paranormal activity at night. Tours last 90 minutes; arrive 15 minutes early to borrow and get trained on paranormal detection equipment.

• Bill Speidel's Underworld Tour

  phone: +1 206 682-4646
  address: 614 1st Ave
  An adults-only tour with a focus on the red-light district. Admission include a cocktail. 21 and older.

• Beneath the Streets

  phone: +1 206 624-1237
  address: 102 Cherry St
  Groups are limited to 25 people for a more personal experience. Tours last 60 minutes. Spanish language tours available by appointment.

• Beneath the Streets' Red Light District Tour

  phone: +1 206 624-1237
  address: 102 Cherry St
  An adults-only tour with a focus on the "underside" of underground history: prostitution, gambling, drinking and vice. 18 and older. Tours last 90 minutes.

• Uwajimaya Village

  address: 513 S Weller St
  The commercial, if not cultural, hub of the International District is Uwajimaya Village, a huge Japanese supermarket with many smaller eateries and a branch of the Kinokuniya bookstore. If you need anything at all from Japan while in Seattle, this is the place to find it.

• Kinokuniya

  phone: +1 206 587-2477
  address: 525 S Weller St
  A branch of the international Japanese bookstore, crammed full of books from and about Japan as well as other merchandise. Stationery, plushies, K-pop CDs, and calligraphy supplies are just a few of the things you can find in the jam-packed aisles here.

• Uwajimaya

  phone: +1 206 624-6248
  address: 600 5th Ave S
  An enormous and well-known Asian supermarket, in business for over 90 years. The grocery store offers specialty items for almost all forms of Asian cooking. They have great produce, though not always the best prices. But most importantly, they have obscure items like kaffir lime leaves or entire lotus roots, labeled in English. An area on the side has Asian kitchen appliances like rice cookers, kitchenwares including a lot of Asian cookware, dishware, and utensils, and other home goods and supplies.

Most of the older businesses in the International District are, of course, Chinese, and there are a few general stores where you can pick up good woks and other imported items. Over in Little Saigon, the Viet Wah supermarket has Asian foods for a lot cheaper than Uwajimaya.

True to its name, the International District has a great variety of ethnic cuisines. While tourists and most non-Asian Seattleites stick to the large Chinese restaurants, the smaller places serve mostly locals and offer a quite authentic atmosphere as well as food. Chinese seafood restaurants are a Seattle institution popular with locals, many with live seafood tanks; they're not particularly elegant, but the food is great (if a bit venturesome for some tastes). And while most of Seattle's immigrant Japanese population has long since moved out to the suburbs (as have the upscale sushi bars), a few restaurants still stick it out in the area. Some places, especially the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, only accept cash as payment.

Budget

• Fort St. George

  phone: +1 206 382-0662
  address: 601 S King St
  A restaurant/bar that serves Japanese-style Western foods like spaghetti and curry rice. Popular with exchange students and occasional Seattle Mariners.

• Green Leaf

  phone: +1 206 340-1388
  address: 418 8th Ave S
  A popular Vietnamese restaurant.

• Phnom Penh Noodle House

  phone: +1 206 748-9825
  address: 660 S King St
  Cambodian noodles and rice dishes which are considerably more exciting than Al Gore, who appears in a photo with the owner.

• Pho Bac

  phone: +1 206 323-4387
  address: 1240 S Jackson St
  An odd, red boat-shaped shack serving Vietnamese noodle soup. Don't ask for a menu; the only choices are regular or large, and what kind of beef you want.

• Saigon Deli

  phone: +1 206 322-3700
  address: 1237 S Jackson St
  This deli serves one of the best banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) in Seattle. Crisp baguette filled with your choice of protein (meat or tofu), mayo, freshly pickled do chua (carrot and daikon), cucumber, cilantro and hot chilies, all for $3 or less! They also serve a variety of other Vietnamese delicacies.

• Song Phang Kong

  phone: +1 206-323-1782
  address: 1017 S Jackson St
  A small Laotian and Thai restaurant with large portions and cheap prices.

• Tat's Delicatessen

  phone: +1 206 264-8287
  address: 159 Yesler Way
  East Coast style deli specializing in hoagies, including the delightful pastrami (dubbed Tastrami) and Philly cheesesteak with more varieties of cheese and wit's.

• Uwajimaya Village Food Court

  phone: +1 206 624-6248
  address: 600 5th Ave S
  The food court at Uwajimaya, and the accompanying Uwajimaya grocery store, deserve special mention. The food court offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, ranging from Hawaiian BBQ to Hong Kong style baked goods, and everything in-between, though the Thai offerings are not so good. The Chinese steam tables offer reliable, Western-style treats in large quantities for cheap. The Korean establishment, Shilla Korean BBQ, is probably the best out of the entire court, with very reasonable prices and large portions. There aren't any real Japanese offerings, but just inside the grocery store, the deli to the right has plenty of sushi and other Japanese lunch items available, including some excellent bento meal sets that disappear quickly.

• World Pizza

  phone: +1 206 682-4161
  address: 672 S King St
  Very good vegetarian pizza place with many different kinds of vegetarian pizza (a tasty vegan pizza is also available; call ahead to request it). The place also serves espresso, wine and Manny's Pale Ale on tap. World Pizza's signature pizza features roasted potatoes, garlic, rosemary and Gorgonzola. Happy hour Monday to Friday from 3PM to 6PM featuring $2.75 slices, and $2.50 bottles of Rainier beer.

Chinese

For a cheap eat, try a dim sum lunch. Roving servers bring steam carts of exotic (e.g., chicken feet) but often delicious food, then stamp your meal ticket for each dish. When you're done, take your ticket up to the register and pay. If you aren't a complete master of chopsticks, bring your own fork for the slippery shrimp and rice noodles, because the staff will rarely get around to bringing you one. If you're not getting what you want, or you don't see it, ask the staff - you may have to be a little aggressive.

• Boiling Point

  phone: +1 206 737-8506
  address: 608 S Weller St
  Hotpot style dining with your very own seemingly large pot and soup, with as much add-ons as you want. They also offer macaron ice cream.

• Canton Won Ton House

  phone: +1 206 682-5080
  address: 608 S Weller St
  Hong Kong-style noodle soup and congee (jook); great with a side order of Chinese donuts (you tiau). Very inexpensive.

• Henry's Taiwan

  address: 502 S King St
  Order the Locomotive Bento Box: cheap, large portions, and tasty.

• Jade Garden

  phone: +1 206 622-8181
  address: 424 7th Ave S
  Local favorite for dim sum. While very popular, don't let the seemingly long wait for a table sway you the line usually takes less than 30 minutes.

• Purple Dot Cafe

  phone: +1 206 622 028
  address: 515 Maynard Ave S
  This is not a fusion restaurant, but rather a Macau style restaurant. Whic explains why you can order your Hong Kong style dishes with spaghetti and cream sauce. Purple Dot is open until really late on the weekends, where packs of 80 lb. red-faced co-eds can be spotted stumbling around in their glittery halter tops. The restaurant's decor may remind one of a Hong Kong style Mickey Mouse Club, with its colorful curved furnishings and fiesta patterned carpet. But at Purple Dot, the draw for authentic food overpowers the teeny bopper atmosphere, as during the day there are just as many families as there are clubbers at night. Wash down the cajun chicken wings with an iced lemon tea, or stick to Cantonese soul food like jook and wonton mein.

• Sichuanese Cuisine

  phone: +1 206 720-1690
  address: 1048 S Jackson St
  The name in Chinese is Lao Sichuan (Old Sichuan Restaurant). Great dry-fried beans with chicken. Simpler hotpot than at Seven Stars Pepper, with tasty dumplings.

• Szechuan Noodle Bowl

  phone: +1 206 623-4198
  address: 420 8th Ave S
  The name of the shop in Chinese means "Great King of Beef Noodles". Hole-in-the wall place. Limited selection of spicy noodle soups. Also provides dumplings.

• Tai Tung

  phone: +1 206-622-7372
  address: 655 S King St
  This restaurant has been open since 1935 and is now the oldest Chinese restaurant in Seattle. It is run and owned by Harry Chan, who is the 3rd generation to continuously operate the restaurant.

Mid-range

• Fuji Sushi

  phone: +1 206 624-1201
  address: 520 S Main St
  Open for lunch, just around the corner from Maneki. Smaller pieces and a bit pricer, but fresh and tasty.

• Grand Central Bakery

  phone: +1 206 622-3644
  address: 214 1st Ave S
  One of the best sources of artisan bread in Seattle, this place offers an excellent lunch, cafeteria style (but stylish!).

• Kaname Izakaya and Shochu Bar

  phone: +1 206 682-1828
  address: 610 S Jackson St
  Family-run pub with a homely menu and atmosphere. Get your favorite Japanese entrées like tempura, teriyaki, donburi, noodles, and sushi (or an obento with an assortment of everything), or have some beer or shochu and linger for a while ordering small plates.

• Maneki

  phone: +1 206 622-2631
  address: 306 6th Ave S
  Very good sushi, as well as many non-sushi Japanese dishes. The restaurant claims to be at least 100 years old, although it has moved since its estimated founding date in 1904, and is considerably smaller than the grand space it occupied prior to World War II. Their sushi pieces are very large, and their prices are very reasonable. It is highly suggested to reserve on the day before you wish to eat here.

• The New Orleans

  phone: +1 206 622-2563
  address: 114 1st Ave S
  Great gumbo and jambalaya, but the real winner is the fried oyster po-boy sandwich. Great lunch spot on the cheap.

• Salumi

  phone: +1 206 621-8772
  address: 309 3rd Ave S
  This is the place to eat lunch in Pioneer Square. There is often a line that can take over an hour to get through. Salami sandwiches on artisan bread... can't beat it.

• Seven Stars Pepper

  address: 1207 S Jackson St, Suite 211 (Ding How Plaza)
  A local hotpot with great hand-shaven dandan noodles and chonggin hot chicken.

• Tamarind Tree

  phone: +1 206 860-1404
  address: 1036 S Jackson St
  It's worth the awkward crawl through Seattle's steepest and most congested parking lot to relax with a Tamarind Soda next to the cool contemporary-style fountain. Tamarind Tree is an anomaly in Little Saigon, to say the least. Three Vietnamese brothers created an atmosphere that feels like it should be located in a Belltown Hotel rather than a Vietnamese ghetto, and the place packs in more flavors for under $9 than any other restaurant. Try the fish paste with bacon, or the seven courses of beef. High quality service, sauces, and appetizers, served up artfully at Little Saigon prices. Try the spring rolls with a side of fresh peanut sauce.

Bubble tea

Bubble tea arrived in the International District in the late 90s. Places here originally served it in basic plastic cups with dome lids, though now all the bubble tea cafes in the district vacuum seal the tops of each cup with semi-permanent plastic covers.

• Ambrosia

  phone: +1 206 623-9028
  address: 619 S King St
  This was Seattle's first bubble tea establishment. Well known for its long lines and the curt Taiwanese "bubbletea nazi" that ran the cash register. Other bubble tea cafes followed suit, thus thinning out Ambrosia's clientele.

• Gossip Espresso & Tea

  phone: +1 206 624-5402
  address: 651 S King St
  This prime corner storefront used to be Seattle's oldest meat market. Gossip is now a popular hangout for neighborhood teens. A spiral staircase leads to a second level lounge where the original ornate ceiling panels still exist. Cash only, also has karaoke downstairs.

• Oasis Tea Zone

  phone: +1 206 447-8098
  address: 519 6th Ave S
  Pool tables, Ikea furniture, and music videos entertain a mostly younger crowd. Oasis is known for its more fragrant-tasting bubble teas; specifically, they make fruit teas with real fruit.

• Blackball Taiwanese Dessert

  phone: +1 206 538-0596
  address: 651 S King St
  Small cafe serving bubble tea, grass jelly and ices in the Taiwanese style. One of the few shops to offer a choice in terms of the amount of brown sugar syrup in the tea. A U.S. outpost of a well-known Taiwanese chain.

Coffee

• Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee House

  phone: +1 206 515-4000
  address: 607 S Main St
  The result of a unique renovation, Panama Hotel is both a teahouse and historical museum. Fine tea connoisseurs appreciate the wide selection of quality teas. The Panama Hotel once housed the personal belongings of interned Japanese Americans who had to sell their homes and abandon their businesses. The belongings that were never claimed, including pieces of furniture and a piano, are on display here.

• Trabant Coffee & Chai

  address: 602 2nd Ave
  Independently owned, the shop also doubles as an art space. This is a true Seattle coffee shop with modern design, great espresso, a Clover coffee brewer, and competition-level baristas. Want to learn more about coffee? These people love answering questions. You may even stumble into an impromptu tasting!

• Zeitgeist

  address: 171 S Jackson St
  Elegant and arty.

Nightclubs

• Flatstick Pub

  phone: +1 206 682-0608
  address: 240 Second Ave
  Pub with an underground put put course

• The Last Supper Club

  address: 124 S Washington St
  One of the most popular nightclubs in Seattle, ideal for singles. The DJs usually spin hip-hop on Friday nights and dance/techno on Saturday nights.

• Best Western Plus Pioneer Square

  phone: +1 206 340-1234
  address: 77 Yesler Way
  Built in 1920 and refurbished a number of times, it's the most decent hotel in the Pioneer Square area. Rooms are compact but breakfast are generous and it's close to the King Street station and the stadiums.

• Courtyard Seattle Downtown/Pioneer Square

  phone: +1 206 625-1111
  address: 612 2nd Ave
  Hotel located in the historic Alaska Building, just around the corner from Pioneer Square.

• Hostelling International Seattle

  phone: +1 206 622-5443
  address: 520 S King St
  Offers free breakfast, free wifi. Excellent common areas including a library, tv room, computer room and clean, spacious kitchen facilities. The location isn't the greatest, given the grit outside, but it is near everything and just a block from King Street Station.

• Panama Hotel

  phone: +1 206 223-9242
  address: 605 1/2 S Main St
  Private, old-fashioned rooms, modest but clean, with bathrooms down the hall. Very relaxing tea and coffee house (see above), with free wireless internet connections. On the street level.

• Basic Cut Barbershop

  address: 616 S Jackson St
  Tucked into the partial second floor of a small store is one of the cheapest barbershops in the city. Kim (i.e. Lan) is quick but thorough and she's very nice.

The nature of this area (homeless and crime) means that there are no public toilets in the area. So, unless you're planning on visiting a restaurant or an attraction, considering making a stop before you arrive here.

Pioneer Square and Occidental Park, as with many parts of the downtown area, are best avoided at night, since they get shady when the beggars, the homeless, and possible crime abound. The International District is noticeably safer, especially the area between 4th Avenue S and Interstate 5, but watch out for drunks after midnight.

The City of Seattle provides free wi-fi access in Occidental Park. Use the SSID "seattlewifi".

• Seattle Public LibraryAll branches of the Seattle Public Library have open wireless, using the SSID spl-public. Public computers with Internet access and basic office software are available for up to 90 minutes at a time, but require either a SPL library card or a temporary pass available from the circulation desk.

• International District/Chinatown Branch

  phone: +1 206-386-1300
  address: 713 8th Ave S