Seattle
Belltown & South Lake Union
Andrea Leopardi / Unsplash
Space Needle, Amazon's campus, and Chihuly Garden — Seattle's tech epicentre and most modern face.
Belltown sits just north of Pike Place, a formerly gritty neighbourhood now thoroughly gentrified and home to some of Seattle's best restaurants. South Lake Union to the east is Amazon's world headquarters — a corporate campus inserted into an urban neighbourhood, complete with the famous Amazon Spheres and a dense ring of new construction. The Seattle Center, Space Needle, and Chihuly Garden of Glass are on the northern edge of this zone, making it the most visitor-infrastructure-heavy part of the city.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Space Needle and Chihuly Garden of Glass walkable from most hotels in this zone — two of Seattle's most distinctive experiences
- ↑South Lake Union has Seattle's best new restaurant scene: Amazon-fuelled spending power has attracted serious chefs
- ↑Seattle Center campus hosts WinterFest (Dec), Bite of Seattle (Jul), and Bumbershoot (Aug/Sep) — major events on the doorstep
What you sacrifice
- ↓South Lake Union is visibly corporate: Amazon's presence has homogenised parts of the neighbourhood
- ↓Fewer independent local businesses than Capitol Hill or Fremont — the area skews toward chain restaurants and expense-account dining
- ↓Traffic around Amazon campus is severe during weekday commute hours
Best for
Avoid if
Other Seattle neighbourhoods
The market, the waterfront, and Seattle's creative LGBTQ+ heart — the city's most essential two neighbourhoods.
The self-proclaimed centre of the universe — hipster Fremont troll, Sunday market, and Gasworks Park on Lake Union.
Scandinavian fishing village roots, the Sunday farmers market, and Discovery Park's wild bluff trails above Puget Sound.
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