Learn how to use the Seattle Transit system and your U-PASS on a tour of one of Seattle's iconic neighborhoods. Have issues or questions? Call or text us at 206-207-5564.  

The U-PASS is a bus pass plus more. Loaded right onto the Husky Card, the U-PASS provides members with unlimited rides on regional buses, commuter trains, light rail and water taxis as well as full fare coverage on vanpools. 

• How to get there: Take the light rail from the U District Station or University of Washington Station. Get off at the Westlake Station*. 

• How to get back: Take the light rail from the University Street Station. Get off at the University of Washington Station. 

*Be sure to tap on and off at the light rail! 

Downtown Seattle is the city's beating heart, flush with global bites, quintessential Seattle attractions, and cultural hubs. Skyscrapers overlook Elliott Bay while shoppers buy local crafts and produce in vibrant Pike Place Market, with its eclectic restaurants and food stalls, or hit big-name stores like Nordstrom. The busy Central Waterfront has a giant Ferris wheel and the Seattle Aquarium, and cultural attractions in the wider area include the Seattle Art Museum and the 1928 Paramount Theatre. 

Tour Description: 

1. Pike Place Market: Its nine acres and 104 years of operation encompass thousands of unique and interesting stories — stories of immigration, internment, gentrification and urban renewal — that explain why Pike Place Market is called "The Soul of Seattle." Pike Place Market is a huge tourist attraction with over 600 vendors, so see what it’s all about!  

   • The Gum Wall: The wall is by the box office for the Market Theater. The tradition began around 1993 when patrons of the theater stuck gum to the wall and placed coins in the gum blobs. Theater workers scraped the gum away twice, but eventually gave up after market officials deemed the gum wall a tourist attraction around 1999. Some people created small works of art out of gum. In 2015, the Gum Wall was scraped down completely, and gum is now being re-added to the wall.  

   • Rachel the Piggy Bank: The mascot of Pike Place Market! Money put in her supports social services in Pike Place. Supposedly, if you rub her snout and make a donation, you’ll have good luck!  

   • Pike Place Fish Market: A world famous fish market, known for throwing fish! If you buy a fish, the employees with throw it all around before presenting it to you. And watch out for the rockfish they have rigged up… 

2. The Original Starbucks: Starbucks first opened its doors on March 30, 1971 at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. It was an understated debut – a 1,000-square-foot mercantile space manned by a single employee – but it had plenty of special touches. Hand-built fixtures. A long wall boasting more than 30 varieties of whole-bean coffee. An enticing Siren in the window logo. Even with its unassuming original sign, it’s easy to spot – just look for the line out the door. 

3. Westlake Center: Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, Westlake Center is a four-story, glass enclosed retail pavilion (with a Food Court on the Upper Level) offering a mix of national reputation retailers and a unique selection of the finest quality regional merchandise; the Center offers a high-energy, one-of-a-kind urban shopping environment. 

4. Seattle Great Wheel: This Ferris wheel is one of the icons of Seattle on Pier 57. During the 15-minute ride, you can enjoy wonderful views of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, West Seattle, and the surrounding scenery. Purchase tickets here. 

More Fun Places to Explore: 

• Wings Over Washington: Take a ride in the state-of-the-art "flying theater" that will transport you on an aerial adventure above one of America's most scenic and beautiful states, Washington. Once you are strapped into your theater seat, you will experience an amazing journey as a "spirit eagle" sweeps you upward into flight across the state of Washington. You will see amazing sights and experience the smells of Washington. Purchase tickets here. 

• Seattle Aquarium: The Seattle Aquarium is a nationally recognized aquatic educational center built in 1977 by the City of Seattle on Pier 59. The aquarium provides fun and exciting ways to see, touch and explore the underwater world of the northwest and beyond. Purchase tickets here. 

• Seattle Art Museum: The Seattle Art Museum, located one block from Pike Place Market, features global art collections, temporary installations, and exhibitions from around the world that bridge cultures and centuries. Purchase tickets here.  

• Frye Art Museum: Frye is the city’s only free art museum. The Founding Collection of primarily late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century European art was gifted by prominent early-twentieth-century Seattle business leaders and art collectors Charles and Emma Frye. Today, the Frye reflects Seattle's evolving identity through exhibitions, programs, and community engagement, showcasing local and global artists who are exploring the issues of our time as well as contemporary scholarship on historical subject matter.  

• GameWorks: An entertainment destination that offers the biggest selection of arcade games, prizes, 100+ esports titles, and a modern American menu from The Works Kitchen  

• Pacific Place: Pacific Place is an upscale shopping with five floors, the uppermost of which features an 11-screen AMC Theatre and various restaurants. 

• Benaroya Hall: Home of Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall features two versatile auditoriums, a stunning Grand Lobby and an elegant private function room. The hall also hundreds of other events every year, including company meetings, lectures, concerts, fundraising auctions, holiday parties, and even weddings and receptions.   

• Seattle Public Library (SPL): The SPL started in 1891, and has since grown from a single reading room in Pioneer Square to a world-class Library system with 27 locations. One of these locations, the University Branch, is located a short walk or bus ride away from campus.  

• Moore Theatre: Moore Theatre is an 1,800-seat performing arts venue in Seattle, Washington, United States, located two blocks away from Pike Place Market at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street. It opened in 1907 and is Seattle's oldest active theater, hosting a variety of theatrical productions, concerts and lectures 

• Pioneer Square: Pioneer Square is a historic district and neighborhood. There you will find a Park Service museum, an observation tower, and a vintage streetcar, in addition to many of Seattle’s bookstores, and quite a few art galleries, coffee shops, and restaurants. 

  • Pioneer Place Park: The iron pergola that sits in this brick park is a landmark in Seattle. Originally built to greet visitors to the 1909 World’s Fair, it heralded the way into a public comfort station, and sheltered people waiting for the street car. The park is also home to a Tlingit totem pole.  

  • Bill Speidel’s Seattle Underground Tour: The Underground tour is the only way to get a glimpse of Seattle before the fire that reshaped the city in 1889. The tours started in the 70s and combine history and humor. The glimpse of the original Seattle is well worth the admission price, even if it is a bit cheesy. There are some steep stairways, so wear good walking shoes. 

  • Klondike Gold Rush National Park: Part of a series of four Park Service museums dedicated to the Yukon gold rush. This small space is dedicated to the process and the journey involved in panning for gold in Alaska around the turn of the century.  

  • Waterfall Garden Park: A great place to bring a cup of coffee, or your lunch, and very popular with area office workers at lunchtime for just that reason. Benches, tables, and potted plants surround a beautiful 22-foot-tall man-made waterfall. An urban oasis, built to commemorate the spot where UPS (United Parcel Service) was founded in 1907. 

  • First Thursday: The first Thursday of every month the galleries in Pioneer Square stay open late and offer a tour to introduce their new shows to the public. Often the artists are on-site for these events, and the restaurants and shops will offer specials as well. In the afternoons preceding the Gallery Walk, Art in the Park is held in Occidental Park. Local arts and crafts can be purchased from a variety of vendors, and often live music can be heard. 

 Food to Try:  

• Piroshky Piroshky: This tiny bakery has grown into a worldwide tourist destination. Blending traditional recipes with PNW flavor, Piroshky Piroshky hand makes 32 different piroshkies daily, both savory and sweet. 

• Beecher’s: Homemade cheese that starts with fresh, pure local milk.  

• Le Panier: A French bakery that serves fresh, seasonal, good food. 

• Mee Sum Pastry: This joint started its life as a humble bubble tea shop back in 2007. But it’s grown into one of Pike Place’s most popular eateries. Mee Sum is best known for its pork buns. 

• Pasta Casalinga: An authentic Italian restaurant that’s known for homemade pasta and a laid-back atmosphere with a rotation of dishes each week based on the availability of seasonal ingredients. 

Map: