Seattle/South

South Seattle occupies a broad swath of the city between I-5 to the west and Lake Washington to the east. Though often overshadowed by flashier neighborhoods, continued development, and the introduction of Seattle's first light rail line are raising its profile.

The area contains numerous neighborhoods with their own distinct characteristics, including:
 * Beacon Hill — A mostly residential neighborhood with a stop on the light rail and a variety of parks, restaurants and bars, as well as commanding views of the mountains and Downtown.
 * Columbia City — Once a forgotten part of the city left to decay, Columbia City has been revitalized. Known mostly only by locals, Columbia City is a quiet gem that offers great restaurants, bars, live entertainment, movie theaters, art galleries, and shops. Also, be sure to explore the Columbia City Library, an updated Carnegie library.
 * Mount Baker — Classic tree-lined streets with stately bungalows mark this mostly residential neighborhood on the shore of Lake Washington.
 * Othello — A bustling multi-cultural neighborhood with its own light rail station offing a wide variety of shops and restaurants.
 * Rainier Valley — Home to more immigrants than any other neighborhood in Seattle. Small shops and restaurants abound, particularly African and East Asian.
 * Seward Park — A local park that's also the name for this neighborhood along Lake Washington south of Mount Baker.
 * South Seattle — In addition to the area, "South Seattle" can also refer to a small residential neighborhood west of Mt. Baker.

By car
Rainier Ave S. and Martin Luther King Jr. Way are the two main thoroughfares that run north and south through the district. Interstates 5 and 90 is the major highway through Seattle and offers several convenient exits into South Seattle.

By rail

 * The Link light rail is a clean and timely way to travel to South Seattle, with trains running every 10 minutes for most of the day. The line runs from the University of Washington through Downtown to Seatac Airport with several stops in the South Seattle area, including Beacon Hill, Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello and Rainier Beach.

By bus

 * King County Metro bus routes #7 and #42 travel along Rainier and MLK, respectively, with frequent service seven days a week; the 7 is also one of the few routes to operate between 1 and 5AM. The #36 travels the length of Beacon Hill with connections at the Beacon Hill light rail station. East-west bus service is limited to local routes.

By bike
Like most of Seattle, attitudes towards bikers are fairly generous and there is a fair amount of built in bike lanes but some of the hills can be intimidating to unaccustomed cyclists. There are several popular bike trails through south Seattle including Lake Washington Boulevard which is a scenic, approximately 8-mile (13-km) route through Seattle that hugs Lake Washington. There are views of the lake, small sections of rainforest, meadows, and views of the Cascade mountains. From the north end at Coleman Park (just south of Interstate 90)the trail runs all the way to Seward Park in the south. Bike maps can be obtained from the city here.

By boat

 * Seward Park creates a small protected harbor on the north shore that is popular for overnight moorage, especially in the summers.
 * Seward Park creates a small protected harbor on the north shore that is popular for overnight moorage, especially in the summers.

Parks
Designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm in Seattle's early days, park planners across the country recognize Seattle's park system as one of the best preserved and best designed in the United States. More importantly, while many eastern cities have only one or two Olmsted-designed parks, Seattle has an extensive multi-park plan linked by boulevards. It is this legacy that makes Seattle one of the most livable spots in the country including Jefferson and Seward parks in South Seattle.

Buy




Eat
Many diverse ethnic restaurants can be found throughout South Seattle with many gems tucked away in residential areas. However most tend to be centered around three neighborhoods, each with their own nearby light rail stations, Beacon Hill, Columbia City and Othello.

Coffee
Like the rest of Seattle, South Seattle takes its coffee very seriously. Although there are several chain coffee shops like Starbucks, for the genuine experience visit one of these shops to rub elbows with the locals. Many of the establishments listed above (e.g. Tutta Bella, Columbia City Bakery) are also excellent for coffee.

Bars
Seattle is well known for its local craft beers and most pubs carry a variety of local breweries so don't be afraid to ask your server when you want to try something new. Georgetown Brewery is a south Seattle based brewer so look for their varieties such as Manny's and Lucille.

Sleep
Generally a residential area South Seattle does not have a wide variety of places to stay. Visitors not staying with friends tend to find hotels downtown.



Connect
Most coffee shops offer free wifi and all branches of the Seattle Public Library have open wireless, using the SSID spl-public. Public computers with Internet access and basic office software are available for up to an hour at a time, but require either a SPL library card or a temporary pass available from the circulation desk. All services are free.