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Downtown Seattle, Seattle

Downtown Seattle tips and photos posted by real travelers and Seattle locals.
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Downtown Seattle: General list of things to do in Seattle
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  • lennywoods
  • Updated By lennywoods on September 10, 2004
  • Seattle Page by lennywoods
  • fire in capitol hill - not a normal occurence - Seattle
    fire in capitol hill -
    not a normal occurence
    by lennywoods
    Things to do here:
    - Day trip to Mt. Rainier if you have a car
    - See a Mariners baseball game
    - Take the Underground Tour
    - Go to the Hiram Chittendam 'Ballard' Locks and watch the salmon migrating upstream through a window in the water, stay for the gardens as well
    - Visit Alki and/or Golden Gardens Beaches
    - Space Needle and the Seattle Center fountain
    - Take a ferry to anywhere (San Juan Islands, if you have more than a weekend)
    - Pike Place Market for the freshest fish, flowers, vegetables, and crafts
    - The original Starbucks store, opened in 1971 across from Pike Place Market
    - Visit the neighborhoods of Fremont, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne. Fremont is young, vibrant, and full of colorful hippies. Capitol HIll is also you and vibrant, with an eclectic group of people ranging from goths, young professionals, gays, punks, artists, etc. Lower and Upper Queen Anne are a bit more 'grown-up' and have great bars and eateries.

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  • Address: Seattle, WA
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    Downtown Seattle: Donate your pennies/coins to the pigs in Seattle!
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  • joiwatani
  • Updated By joiwatani on November 23, 2008
  • Seattle Page by joiwatani
  • This pig is waiting for your donation on 4th Ave - Seattle
    This pig is waiting for your
    donation on 4th Ave
    by joiwatani, 1 more photos
    Yes, there are so many pigs in the sidewalks of Seattle. It seems like every corner in the city has a pig -from the Westlake Center on 4th Avenue to the Pike Place Market. These beautifully hand-painted pigs adorn the streets for people to give donation!

    Can you believe that one pig name Rachelle located at the Pike Place Market has raised over $120,000 in her lifetime? The donation goes to the Market's services for low income people. In honor of the Market's Centernnial, 100 of her cousins have adorned by local artists.

  • Address: Sidewalks of the City of Seattle
  • Directions: Most sidewalks on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle and the Pike Place Market.
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    Downtown Seattle: Catch the Ferry at Dusk.
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  • tylercdurden2004
  • By tylercdurden2004 on June 3, 2004
  • Seattle Page by tylercdurden2004
  • You can catch the inner harbour ferry to one of the small island just off Seattle about an hours ride. Apparently its best when you go just before dusk so you can see the sun setting over the Olympic Mountains and then hang out on one of the islands for a quick bite to eat before heading back to Seattle where you can see the whole city lit up at night. Supposed to be real nice. Fairly cheap as well as I think its about $10 US round trip for foot passengers.

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  • Address: Ferry is down at the Piers in Downtown Seattle.
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    Downtown Seattle: Space Needle - Southern View
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  • tpal
  • Updated By tpal on March 12, 2005
  • Seattle Page by tpal
  • Downtown Seattle - Seattle
    by tpal
    This is the view of Seattle looking south from the Space Needle. The skyline obviously has one of those "New Urban Center" looks where nothing looks older than yesterday...not too many art deco spires here. The look seemed interestingly enhanced by the the steam rising from the buildings. You see, we visited during one of the coldest Januarys on record (lucky us...we're from Buffalo!) and so the combination of early morning light and cold atmosphere set off downtown with a cool bluish sophistication.

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    Downtown Seattle: The Elephant Car Wash
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  • Erin74
  • By Erin74 on March 30, 2004
  • Seattle Page by Erin74
  • The neon sign at the Elephant Car Wash, Seattle - Seattle
    The neon sign at the
    Elephant Car Wash,
    Seattle
    by Erin74
    The Elephant Car Wash is a famous Seattle landmark and something you'll enjoy seeing when you visit the city. The car wash has been in existence since 1951 and the rotating, neon elephant sign is now famous through the area. There are actually eight Elephant Car Washes throughout Washington State, but the most famous of them is located on Battery Street in downtown Seattle. The Elephant Car Wash sign has been featured on television shows and in magazine articles and commercials. It's a great photo opportunity!

    The Elephant Car Wash is open even on the many rainy days in Seattle. Locals come by just to have their car interiors vacuumed, even when it's raining.

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  • Address: 616 Battery Street; Seattle
  • Phone: 206- 441- 6776
  • Website: http://www.elephantcarwash.com/
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    Downtown Seattle: The Monorail
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  • cheap_tourist
  • Updated By cheap_tourist on October 25, 2009
  • Seattle Page by cheap_tourist
  • Seattle's Monorail - Seattle
    Seattle's Monorail
    by cheap_tourist
    Seattle's Monorail is a very short line. Its terminal points (Seattle Center and Westlake Center Mall) are its only two stops. Round-trip adult fare is $4.

    The Monorail takes you to the Experience Music Project and the Space Needle which are among the numerous attractions found in Seattle Center.

    The Monorail is more than 40 years old. It was built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

    It was out of service for some time because of a fire. It is now back in business. For schedule and fare information, please click on the link below to go to the monorail's web site.

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  • Address: Westlake Center Mall, Fifth and Pine Streets
  • Phone: 206-905-2620
  • Website: http://www.seattlemonorail.com
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    Downtown Seattle: Columbia Towers - What A View!
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  • RickinDutch
  • Updated By RickinDutch on March 3, 2006
  • Seattle Page by RickinDutch
  • Columbia Towers - Seattle
    Columbia Towers
    by RickinDutch,
    2 more photos
    For years I would head to Seattle and meet a client from Japan and they would host a magnificent reception on the 76th floor of the Columbia Towers. The view and the spread were always superb. It is a members only club - The Columbia Tower Club. Also famous for their women's bathroom - each stall looks out over the city.

    So if you're not a member you can still get up to the 72nd floor observation deck. The view of city, sea and mountains is unsurpassed. Sometime the clouds are below you!

    Just the elevator ride alone is a thrill if you're a small town guy like me. The building is 967' tall, the tallest building in the Pacific Northwest.

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  • Address: Corner of Columbia and 4th
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    Downtown Seattle: Seattle at Night is a fotog orgy
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  • davequ
  • Updated By davequ on June 10, 2005
  • Seattle Page by davequ
  • city view - Seattle
    city view
    by davequ
    I think Seattle has one of the better night city skylines around.

    You can look north towards the needle, or south towards a night city vista.

    Both are very fine.... this view is from Westin south tower facing south into the city

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  • Directions: foto taken looking south into the city from room 2961 in south tower of the Seattle Westin Hotel.
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    Downtown Seattle: Columbia Center / Bank of America observation deck
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  • glabah
  • Updated By glabah on July 8, 2009
  • Seattle Page by glabah
  • View of Mt. Rainier from Columbia Center Sky View - Seattle
    View of Mt. Rainier from
    Columbia Center Sky View
    by glabah, 4 more photos
    When it was built, the Space Needle was certainly the dominant feature of the Seattle skyline. However, over the past 40 years, many newer and very tall buildings have been built in Seattle.

    The tallest structure in Seattle today, and at one time the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, is located on the southern end of downtown, but still right in the core of Seattle. When it was first completed, it was called the "Columbia Center" and that is the name that is still used on a number of maps. It went through a period where it was known as the "Seafirst Center" when Seafirst Bank owned it, and there was some effort to refer to it as the Bank of America Tower when that bank took over Seafirst. Bank Of America Tower created the nickname "BOAT". Giving up in defeat, Bank of America determined they would go back to the original Columbia Center name, which is what many in Seattle never stopped calling it.

    "Skyview" refers to the observation deck on the 73rd floor of the building. It costs $5 to get in. There is also a "Sky Lobby" which is actually a Starbucks coffee house located on the 40th floor. Don't get confused with where the signs are telling you to go! The view from the "Sky Lobby" is quite terrible!

    In the center of the building are a set of elevators that go to the 40th floor. If you take those up to the 40th floor, you need to follow the signs to elevators that continue on to the 73rd floor. There is no set of public elevators that serve all floors.

    It is possilble to see east, south, and west from here, and to a limited extent the northwest, but there is no full 360 degree view as offices on the north side of the floor block that part of the building. However, it is possible to see Mount Rainer, the Olympic Peninsula and Olypmic Mountians, and much of downtown Seattle as well as parts of the Cascades.

    This is a much less expensive view point than the top of the Space Needle, and provides views that are not possible in the Space Needle today due to the size of the buildings downtown. Watch the hours! The Skyview doesn't open until mid-morning.

    In the main lobby of the building, be sure to take a look at the two odd modern art sculptures that are located there, if you have an interest in art.

    I have put a few more photos from the Columbia Center Skyview into a Seattle Travelogue so that you can see what you missed, should you visit on a cloudy or hazy or smoggy day.

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  • Address: 701 5th Avenue, Seattle
  • Directions: Parking around the structure is a pain. Many buses serve this area, and it is within the free transit area. I suggest walking from the nearest bus stop.
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    Downtown Seattle: Downtown Seattle
  • Tip Rating:
  • Ewingjr98
  • Updated By Ewingjr98 on November 28, 2007
  • Seattle Page by Ewingjr98
  • Columbia Center - tallest building in the city - Seattle
    Columbia Center - tallest
    building in the city
    by Ewingjr98,
    4 more photos
    Seattle's downtown is comprised of eight key neighborhoods: Belltown, Waterfront, Pioneer Square, the International District, and the Central Business District are the main areas frequented by tourists, and Denny Triangle, First Hill and Pike/Pine are a little more quiet and off the beaten path.

    The Central Business District is the heart of the modern city and is home to a high concentration of hotels, stores and malls, and high-rise office buildings. We stayed in the CBD at the Red Lion Hotel, and it was a great central location with easy walking access to all of the downtown areas we wanted to visit. The CBD area is home to the Columbia Center (the 2nd tallest building on the West Coast) and the historic First United Methodist Church dating back to 1907.

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  • Directions: Between Interstate-5 and the waterfront
  • Website: http://www.downtownseattle.com/
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