Pioneer Square in Seattle, Washington

Pioneer Square is the historic district of Seattle, Washington and it is B-E-A-utiful. The turn-of-the-century architecture peeks stands proud and the several ivy covered buildings add even more character.

Pioneer Square isn’t actually one particular square. It is an area of several blocks encompassing the heart of old Seattle. Every first Thursday of the month there is a free tour of the art galleries held in the early evening, so if your trip offers the chance – take it.

Bill Speidel offers an Underground Tour of the original Seattle streets, which are now found below the surface. This tour seems to be the biggest attraction in the area. While it sounds entertaining, I did not have the opportunity to take the tour on this trip. I have high hopes to join the company for a happy-hour session very soon.

Pioneer Square is filled with restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries and book stores, as well as, sadly, homeless shelters.

I was not aware of the large homeless population residing in Seattle until I made this trip. It is evident everyplace you look downtown. I had the chance to check out several bookstores in the area, including Elliott Bay Book Company and the Seattle Mystery Bookstore.

Occidental Park has several interesting totem poles if you HAVE to see one while you’re in the area (I did). There was live music playing adjacent to the tourist information center and a pretty strong police force for the middle of the day when I made my visit. Otherwise, I probably would have been uncomfortable there. It was quite pretty and I’m glad I made the trip.

Useless bit of trivia from the website: The term “skid row” originated in Pioneer Square – when timber would be slid down Yesler to a steam powered mill on the Seattle waterfront. That being said, be aware of your surroundings and follow the classic advice of “don’t walk down that dark alley by yourself at 2:00 am.” In addition, the bus is okay during the day but may not be a great idea for late night travel.

To get there, <a href="Seattle, Washington Public Transportation“>take the bus or use the street parking. There are a few parking structures in the area, or park down the hill under the Alaskan Way Viaduct near the waterfront.