I searched but couldn't find any threads more recent than 8-10 years on this topic, so I wanted to ask again!

I'm in downtown Seattle this week on business, staying at the Grand Hyatt (directly across Pike from the convention center). It's my second time in town but first in quite awhile. I've been in big cities before and am perfectly fine walking around downtown during the day. In the evenings, would it be safe for a 34-year-old likely solo female to be walking to other neighborhoods like Belltown, Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square to do a little sightseeing? Specifically I thought about walking to the public library (which I'm sure would be fine), Elliott Bay Books, maybe eating at Local 360 in Belltown, and doing the underground tour. I'm totally fine with public transit as well, but some of these places seem so close I might as well just walk - but I didn't want to decide that naively and end up alone on a street that I don't need to be walking on.

Any solo-traveler-friendly restaurant suggestions in the area would also be very welcome!

How late do you intend to be doing this? I stayed not too far from there (the Mayflower) and did walk to/from Belltown for dinner at night and that's fine. I didn't walk to Pioneer Square even in the daytime, too far for me, I took a bus. I don't think I even went to Capitol Hill for any reason, so can't speak to that. I think the Pioneer Sq area did seem a bit dicier than where I was staying, can't be more explicit than that, in terms of people around on some streets, more "bums", sketchy people, homeless encampments, etc around. I didn't go there at night, I think there is nightlife there for young people.

Thanks for the info, Christina! That's good to know about Belltown. I don't plan to be out terribly late - definitely more along the lines of dinner rather than nightlife. Our conference stuff starts at 8:30am so it needs to be semi-early nights (plus I'm not that into "nightlife" in general! ha! old soul over here).

Pioneer Square would mainly be for the underground tour, which I could do in the late afternoon/early evening hours and take public transit to (I'd forgotten when I was posting about the Link stopping there, so plenty of transit options).

Seattle is safe. By some measures it is one of the ten safest big cities in the US: http://www.infoplease.com/us/cities/...us-cities.html

If you are concerned about "street people," they tend to be most conspicuous in the area bordered by Pine (north), University (south), Fourth Avenue (east), and First Avenue (west). However, I'm in this area often, and I've never encountered a problem with anybody there.

HTtY

HTTY - I'm not concerned about that except in the rare circumstance that I get hassled. I've rarely experienced that anywhere, though, and would expect the same here. Thanks!

It stays light out until after 8:30pm, and I'm sure that gives you plenty enough time to strategize and plan your walking so as to not be chancing it in less-populated areas after dark.

Maybe spend one evening roaming around Broadway (up the hill from you). While there are sure to be crazies all over up there, at most any hour, their mere numbers will likely assure your safety among them. IF inclined to stay up there after dark, then take a bus down the hill toward your hotel ($2.50).

If anything in/near Seattle Center catches your fancy, then use the Monorail coming back after dark, and you should be fine that way too. (investigate the area of "Lower Queen Anne" (west and northwest of Seattle Center(Space Needle grounds) ))

You should generally be fine... though if avoiding 3rd avenue beyond a couple of blocks north of Macy's, and avoiding the Pioneer Square area on most nights, you might boost your chances of steady comfort.

Make it a habit of walking on the main foot-traffic corridors after dark, even if it means going a couple of blocks out of the way.

You probably won't experience so much as a hint of concern the whole while.

Click my name and go to my seattle thread. There are helpful comments about safety.

We just returned a couple weeks ago. No problems. Indeed, I thought: These are the most passive panhandlers we've ever come across. Also, if you have earbuds in your ears and they don't even bother bugging you (for the most part). We stayed up the street from you at the Homestead Suites. There was a homeless encampment in a small park across the street. Didn't affect us though.

Granted we weren't out late late. Probably until dusk. It seemed most streets downhill from your hotel will have lots of foot traffic.

<would it be safe for a 34-year-old likely solo female to be walking to other neighborhoods like Belltown, Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square to do a little sightseeing?>

It's fine. I live here. Work in Pioneer Square, live on Capitol Hill, previous job was in Belltown.

Some of those the distances is a bit much and/or uphill (downtown to Capitol Hill) so you might want to use Metro bus routes for some of those jaunts.

suze, in Seattle

Here's a newish restaurant in Pioneer Square I like a lot:
http://cascoantiguoseattle.com/

Among the taverns in Pioneer Square I like this one best:
http://mccoysfirehouse.com/

For a bit more upscale I'd be comfortable dining solo here:
http://www.intermezzocarmine.com/

Along with The Underground Tour (which is a hoot) stop by the Klondike Museum, it's free and only takes 15-20 mins to walk thru, about the Gold Rush years in Seattle.

Elliott Bay Bookstore is great. There's a café right in the store, but also other fun places nearby including:

http://lostlakecafe.com/
http://www.vivapoquitos.com/
http://quinnspubseattle.com/

A few blocks further and more upscale my favorite is:
http://www.restaurantzoe.com/

Thanks, everyone - this is awesome and makes me feel more secure about walking around! suze, thanks so much for those restaurant recs - I'll definitely check them out.

Last night I walked from the convention center over to Elliott Bay, then ate dinner at Oddfellows down the block and walked back. No problems at all. Thanks, y'all!

Oooh, you did good! Oddfellows looks like a very fun spot (haven't been myself but it's always crowded, I sometimes work out at Mode of Fitness, a studio right across the street from the bookstore).

Ha! Thanks for the affirmation, Suze. Oddfellows was really good! I had the mussels and risotto fries with romesco (odd combo, perhaps, but I really wanted the fries!). I got there early enough that it wasn't too crowded and sat at a table instead of the bar, although by the time I left it was pretty busy.

Went to Etta's with a coworker last night and had the salmon - salmon was on the Seattle to-eat list, so that box is checked! Hoping to do the underground tour tomorrow late afternoon after my conference obligations are done.

Just wanted to do a final update for anyone else from out of town searching for info later. I walked all over downtown as far south as the public library (which is incredible), through Belltown and Capitol Hill. No problems at all. There were more people loitering on the streets in Belltown tonight than I'd seen in other areas (I was on Bell between 1st and 3rd), and they were more vocal (mostly arguments among themselves), but I never felt threatened or bothered. The sun sets so late right now that I wasn't usually out much past dark, so my experience may not apply to later, but it certainly felt safe!

I never did make it to the underground tour/Pioneer Square - I just didn't feel like it today, and took the bus out to Discovery Park instead. Beautiful - I wish I'd had more time there! I did get to see the market, the library, Westlake Park, and Elliott Bay Books in addition to Discovery while I was here, and drank a lot of coffee from Caffe Ladro at 8th & Pine, which I loved (great coffee, friendly baristas and I loved the music - I'm staying at the Grand Hyatt and it was super convenient).

I ate at Oddfellows Cafe, Etta's, Cantina Lena, the Tap House Grill, a Hawaiian food truck called Sam Choy Poke (I think), Zaina's (gyros), and tonight at Bell & Whete. (I tried Local 360 first - I'd read about it online, and then a girl at the bus stop suggested it too - but there was a 45-minute wait for a table and not even one seat at the bar. So the hostess suggested their sister restaurant Bell & Whete up the street, and I didn't feel like making any more decisions, so I went. ) Everywhere was good. The Tap House is kind of generic, but good food. Oddfellows was probably my favorite sit-down meal; Zaina's was really good for takeout/fast, though not particularly Seattle-y. Honorable mention to the hibiscus tea at Cantina Lena. I love that stuff.

Thanks again to everyone for the info - y'all made me feel secure about exploring the city as much as I could!

Thanks for this update.

Thanks for your trip report, I love to read about Seattle thru the eyes of visitors.

Yup you got the name right:
http://www.samchoyspoke.com/

"...There were more people loitering on the streets in Belltown tonight than I'd seen in other areas (I was on Bell between 1st and 3rd), and they were more vocal (mostly arguments among themselves)..."


It is "safe", by most standards used for large cities across North America (in large part because we have so many hills, and because those who can afford to pay for the views want to live on the hills, which keeps Seattle from having vast concentrations of poor neighborhoods that never end, and never stop sprawling).


Your line above is why I mentioned "3rd avenue beyond a couple of blocks north of Macy's". I am not against walking in that area when needed - it just... isn't flush with grand reasons for tourists to visit.

Yep, NorthwestMale, I was pretty much only in that area for the food. Local 360 had been on my list of possibilities, and a girl I chatted with at the bus stop recommended it, so I wanted to give it a shot. Like I said, I had no problems at all, but wouldn't have had reason to go over there without that specific destination in mind. Makes sense about the hills.