Pioneer Square for Visitors? (Seattle: crime, hotel, restaurants)

[princesspolamalu]

As I continue my research for my upcoming vacation to Seattle I was wondering about the Pioneer Square area. I keep hearing that it is a place to stay away from at night. Its ok during the day if you are part of a guided tour. Is the area that bad? Is there crime or just homeless population? I believe I heard about an NFL player being stabbed in that area but I am not certain. I guess a better question would be is the area really worth checking out in comparison to the risk.

[ness]

I'ts one of my favorite parts of Seattle and I didn't feel like I was in danger at all. I've only been there during the day, though. I think it is worth checking out.

[princesspolamalu]

thank you for the pictures......looks like the area is very nice at least during the day.

[scirocco22]

Definitely worth checking out. It's not bad at all especially during the day. You'll feel fine walking around exploring the area during the daylight hours. There's lots of hustle-bustle with business people walking around too. You just have to be aware of your surroundings just like any other big city's downtown areas.

Pioneer Square is part of the free ride area that I talked about in the DM I wrote to you so you can hop on any bus and as long as you get off at or before Jackson Street, it's free during the day.

Remember too that a lot of business and government offices are located in or near Pioneer Square too. In fact, the main Metro bus adminstrative offices and their customer service center is located in the area at 2nd and Jackson.

And that incident you were referring to involving the football player, from what I can recall, was early in the morning ...like around the time the bars close at 2:00 am. Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong on that.


edit: here's a related article on the Milam/Hablin incident ...and yes, it was early in the morning. Suspect charged in '05 shooting death

[loves2quilt]

Pioneer Square is a cool place to visit. I've never felt in danger down there, particularly during the day. The problems I've heard about at night seem to have to do with bar fights and so on. There are a large number of homeless people down there and I've been hit up for a hand out but no one has ever been threatening or scary.

[SunRunnerKel]

Pioneer Square is safe to visit during the day, but I wouldn't stick around after dark. In the 1990s, PS after dark was a haven for heroin dealers. One would think the city would try to clear out the illegal drug dealers (and perhaps they have to an extent), but it's still not an area you would want to find yourself in late at night.

[Pugetsoundman]

My wife and I were down there for a day last week. We enjoyed it and felt perfectly safe. We returned in the evening for a meet the author at the bookstore. Walking back to our car was a bit nervy. No problems but we did have to walk past quite a few pretty scuzzy looking men which made my wife a bit nervous. We would go back but would try to park closer after dark.

[CarolynJGriffin]

You certainly don't need a tour in Pioneer Square during the day. It's an interesting and fun place to see. Go on the underground tour and visit some of the very old bars and restaurants. Lots of fun shops and antique shops. Close to the water. Don't let people scare you off but if you go at night be sure you are with several people and leave cash and good stuff at hotel.

[pesha]

I have lunch there often, and yes, there are lots of homeless folks around, but if you're used to big cities, it won't feel strange. At night, esp. on weekends, there are lots of ppl going to nearby bars, so I would be okay walking there.

[lprock22]

I was just in Seattle for about a week in the beginning of the month and spent four nights in Pioneer Square having a great time. Its a nightlife area with lots of bars and you have to consider the reality of that...people go out get messed up and sometimes their worst comes out. I didn't experience anything like this though. I had a great time, check out Fado's Irish Pub BTW, and walked...er...stumbled a couple nights back to my hotel about a mile and a half away. I'm from LA and I found it to be much tamer than Hollywood on a saturday night.