Downtown & Pike Place

Downtown is the easiest area for sightseeing and transit, and it works best as a daytime base. After dark, rideshares are the more comfortable choice.

Downtown covers the waterfront, Pike Place Market, the shopping core around Westlake and the museums along First and Second Avenues, and most first-time visitors spend a good part of their trip here. Pike Place Market and the waterfront are busy from morning through evening, with crowds, street performers and plenty of cafes, and they feel comfortable. That changes within a few blocks. The area around Third Avenue and Pine Street, parts of Pioneer Square and some transit stops have open drug use, people in crisis and sometimes aggressive behavior. Use the market, the waterfront and the major hotels as anchors, walk during the day, and take a rideshare instead of walking through the core after dark. Pickpocketing is a real risk in the market crowds.