DK Travel : Seattle : Downtown : Places of interest

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Monorail

In May 2004, Monorail services were suspended due to a fire on one of the original trains. Hopefully in the not-too-distant future you’ll be able to hop aboard once again to experience the future of mass transit from the perspective of engineers who built the elevated rail as an attraction for the 1962 World’s Fair. The Monorail travels speedily and nonstop for 1.2 miles (2 km) between Seattle Center and Westlake Center. (see Monorail & Monorail.
Pike Place Market

There is no other attraction in Seattle that shows so many different qualities of a city and its people. Anyone descending on the Market to stroll by innumerable stalls of seafood, fresh produce, crafts, and flower bouquets can feel the rapid pulse of a scene that’s all about hard work and hustle. Today, the Market is famous for its salmon-throwing fishmongers and street musicians who entertain tourists daily.

Elliott Bay Book Company

Fish-flinging fishmongers
Pioneer Square

Find art galleries, intricate Victorian architecture, bookstores, and cafés in a constantly changing National Historic District. Pioneer Square’s 20-block neighborhood became Seattle’s commercial center during the boom years of logging, fishing, railroads, and Klondike Gold Rush economies. An exclusive 90-minute underground tour (see Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour) offers a lively look at the 19th-century storefronts that were periodically flooded by tides from Elliott Bay until street levels were raised. Key sights include the Smith Tower, Elliott Bay Book Co. and Café, and an art walk on the first Thursday night of each month.
Rendezvous

This bar houses the miniscule Jewel Box Theater, a 1926-era private movie screening room, while the remodeled bar draws hipsters and condo dwellers.
Seattle Art Museum

Designed by Venturi Scott Brown and Associates, the imposing sandstone and limestone edifice houses an enviable permanent collection of about 23,000 pieces. The African collection inspires with traditional sculpture, masks, textiles, basketry, and decorative arts. In 1991, Seattle Art Museum acquired the John Hauberg Collection, one of the most prized examples of Northwest Coastal Native American art, comprising nearly 200 artifacts from British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.
Sub Pop World Headquarters

The local record label created by Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt in the mid-1980s signed bands such as Nirvana and Soundgarden that put Seattle on the rock music map worldwide.
Summer Nights at the Pier

On summer nights this outdoor concert stage at Pier 66 features artists renowned for their contributions to rock, blues, jazz, and folk music.
TopPot Doughnuts

Take a hiatus from healthful dining and grab a few doughnuts from this stylish cafe’ that welcomes loungers sipping coffee and dipping tasty treats.
Washington State Convention Center/Freeway Park

Straddling Interstate 5 in a miraculous feat of engineering, the Washington State Convention Center is located within easy walking distance of the city’s best shops, hotels, and restaurants. Marvel at the center’s 90-ft (27-m) wide glass canopy bridge that frames views to Elliott Bay and to the historic Pike-Pine neighborhood. Adjoining is Freeway Park, where blossoms delight visitors in spring and waterfalls mask the sounds of traffic flowing on all sides.
Waterfront Station

For a picturesque journey while heading to Pioneer Square or the International District, board the waterfront streetcar. There’re stations near Belltown at the foot of Vine and Bell Streets, near Piers 66, 67, and 69.