Seattle's birthplace retains the grit of its 'Skid Row' roots with red-brick architecture and a rambunctious street life tempered by art galleries and locavore restaurants. The International District's legacy as home to many of the city's southeast Asian immigrant communities makes for unique shopping and exquisite dining, while SoDo (south of downtown) is an austere warehouse district that's attracting new distilleries and dispensaries.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo.
Museum
Eloquently run by the US National Park Service, this wonderful museum has exhibits, photos and news clippings from the 1897 Klondike gold rush, when a Seattle-on-steroids acted as a fueling depot for prospectors bound for the Yukon in Canada. Entry would cost $20 anywhere else; in Seattle it’s free!
Area
Many important architectural heirlooms are concentrated in Pioneer Square, the district that sprang up in the wake of the 1889 Great Fire. Instantly recognizable by its handsome redbrick buildings, the neighborhood's predominant architectural style is Richardsonian Romanesque, strongly influenced by America's Chicago School.
Landmark
One of the pillars upon which Seattle built its early fortunes, the old Great Northern Railroad depot, was given a much-needed face-lift in the early 2010s after decades of neglect. Serving as the western terminus of the famous Empire Builder train that runs cross-country between Seattle and Chicago, the station building was designed to imitate St Mark's bell tower in Venice.
Street
Seattle claims its Yesler Way was the basis for the term ‘skid road’, which became 'skid row' – logs would ‘skid’ down the steeply sloped road linking a logging area above town to Henry Yesler’s mill.
Park
Once a rather rough-and-tumble place, Occidental Park has undergone a recent renaissance thanks largely to a partnership between the City of Seattle and a couple of non-profit groups. Following an urban-renewal campaign in 2015, the park has been outfitted with attractive seating, outdoor games (including chess and table football), licensed buskers and a regular posse of food carts.
Museum
Founded by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen (1953–2018), this place will evoke heavy nostalgia in anyone who can remember the world pre-internet. Hosted in a nondescript commercial building in industrial SoDo and little known even among locals, it’s well worth checking out for its host of antediluvian computers with their blinking green cursors and black, app-free screens. Some of them are large enough to fill an average-sized student bedroom.
Landmark
This decorative iron pergola in Pioneer Square Park was built in 1909 to serve as an entryway to an underground lavatory and to shelter those waiting for the cable car that went up and down Yesler Way. The reportedly elaborate restroom eventually closed due to serious plumbing problems at high tide. In January 2001, the pergola was leveled by a wayward truck, but it was restored and put back where it belongs the following year, looking as good as new.
Museum
The beautiful Wing Luke museum examines Asia Pacific American culture, focusing on prickly issues such as Chinese settlement in the 1880s and Japanese internment camps during WWII. Recent temporary exhibits include 'A Day in the Life of Bruce Lee.' There are also art exhibits and a preserved immigrant apartment. Guided tours are available; the first Thursday of the month is free (with extended hours until 8pm).
Square
If you need a tranquil spot to rest while wandering the ID, Hing Hay Park lends a little breathing space to this otherwise austere district. The traditional Chinese pavilion was a gift from the people of Taipei. On Saturdays in August you can catch a free outdoor movie here beginning at sunset. Also look out for Asian dance and licensed buskers.