Occidental Square

Stopped here while trying to figure out our dinner plans and it was such a cute spot to take a load off the feet for a little while. One Unilocaler said it has a European feel to it and that’s exactly spot on. There’s art, tons of chairs and tables, musicians with ping pong tables and magazines to read. Yeah, there’s homeless there but you’re in Seattle so they are kind of everywhere. The guys performing were awesome and they kept telling the story behind the covers they were singing. Very quaint and peaceful.

Always an interesting place and not one I’d usually spend my time at, but this time they had a lot of games. There were two ping pong tables, a sack toss game, a huge chess board, and more. The park is actually quite beautiful with the large moss covered buildings around dusk.
There are a lot of homeless people in the area but they mind their business and don’t seem to bother anyone.
In general I don’t think there is much to do in this park but the addition of the games made it an enjoyable way to spend a summer evening.
Parking around the area is free after 6pm. You should have no problems finding a spot.

Regular homeless hangout, but they’re really mostly harmless, still fun for kids and family to appreciate the statues and artwork throughout park! Watch out for flying pigeon bombs, especially if you’re playing on the giant checkerboard. You can also rent/​drop off your city bike here too. Too bad there’s a new building going up next door in old parking lot, lots of dust & noise! Pre-​game Sounders festivities before every game makes it a super lively hangout. Be sure to check out twinkly lights at night, it’s super romantic to stroll through to nearby eateries at night!

This was one of the first places I came across on my trip to US and it’s actually one of the main reasons why I’ve fallen in love with Seattle.
The whole place is really quaint with large trees around the plaza. We were fortunate to be there on a sunny day & there were many people gathered around just to have fun & socialise. There was a church putting up a great song performance, and we spotted 2 men engaged in a game of chess on an oversized board. We also had fun exploring the Grand Central Building just beside (vine-​covered & looking like a dazzling old European building) with its beautiful bakery (try the quiche!) and shops within
During our visit, we didn’t experience anything unpleasant or once felt unsafe. Only after googling about it post-​trip did I come across comments about it being not safe. Yes, Pioneer Square may not be one of the safest areas in Seattle anymore. Yes, there may be homeless people around. But exercise more discretion and street wisdom & you’ll find it isn’t that bad.

I think the single word for this park would be «Community».
You have a lot of people give this park a wide berth, or hold their purses tighter and walk a little faster. They’ll hide their cameras in their sleeves, and – upon leaving – pat their pocket to make sure their wallet is still there. Even as a new tourist, you notice this sort of thing.
Honestly, I think every place in the world should have a place like this. I’m not talking about the clean, in-​laid brick sidewalk, or the towering art sculptures between the oaks and maples. I’m talking about a place where anyone, down-​on-​their-​luck or not, can go and join a group/​community. You don’t look in your neighbour’s bowl to see if they have more than you, only to see if they have enough.
Buy someone a sandwich instead of hitting up the SAM. I guarantee it’s a better experience than a museum.

This park is pleasant in a European plaza sort of way: in the old section of downtown, no grass, big old shade trees and a little hut with tourist info. There are always a lot of homeless and/​or downtrodden people in the park, so I would probably not recommend it if you wear a lot of flashy expensive accessories that attract attention. Fortunately for me, I dress more like a homeless person than a fashionable one, so I’ve never been approached or had any trouble from the vagrants there.
It is a great plaza in the true sense of a public space that gives citizens a place to hang out in a busy area of town. During the day there are some nice cafes on the park and nearby, and at night there are lots of bars nearby including the Comedy Underground which borders the park itself.
If the park had some grass, better/​more art, and fewer vagrants I would give it more stars.

Charm, Culture, History, Ocean Air… just a few words that come to mind when I think about Occidental Square. This is one of my favorite parks in the City — it has so much potential and it will continue to evolve with the neighborhood. Grab a sandwich at Grand Central, Elliot Bay Café, Tats, Delicatus, or one of the many other local retailers and go sit in the Park for lunch. Very relaxing and highly recommended!

Ick, ick, ick. You’ll want an umbrella or a hat to venture into Occcidental Square, or risk getting an unwelcome surprise from one of the hoards of seagulls that congregate here anytime there are people about with food to be snitched!
It’s too bad this park isn’t better kept, because it has nice bocce ball pits and some neat Native American art. But there isn’t much else to sell it, besides the First Thursday art market every month May through December, and the fact that it is the starting point for the «March to the Match» before most home Sounders games. It sits across from an empty parking lot and is surrounded by several other empty storefronts… kinda sad.

Well, I have plenty of fun memories dancing in the clubs around this park, but no, I don’t spend any time in the park, day or night. Yes, there’s lots of homeless people, but I’ve never seen them harrass anyone. Unforunately, now that the Elliot Bay Book Company moved to the Hill, there’s even less reason for tourists to come down here. One nice thing about this park is the Artwalk in the summertime. Lots of galleries are around here and the park hosts several tents.

Do not, under ANY circumstances, unravel the outrageous amounts of cling wrap protecting your so-​so stupidly over-​priced «very veggie deluxe» sandwich from Elliot Bay Café at this «park.» The gulls will swarm you, stalk you, and screech at you to get your sandwich. I swear they would sneak up behind you and surprise you if they did not have some unignorable biological mandate to screech every three seconds. One tried. It did!
Seriously, the last time I spent any time in this park was years ago. And there were benches. It was the middle of a busy summer day, and there were probably a couple hundred tourists & shoppers hanging out, sitting at tables (which were in evidence but locked up for the season), but there were also benches. What the hell happened to the benches? Were they taken out in the city’s effort to move all of its homeless people and drug dealers to Victor Steinbrueck Park (which still has benches, and a view)?
This park does have two things going for it, though: 1) a unique view of downtown; 2) the Seattle firefighters memorial.

Not all homeless people are drug addicts or inherently worthless and I’ve rested on benches here with no problem over the years. That said, having kids changes your perspective and I view safety a little differently these days and certainly wouldn’t recommend this as a family spot. It is pretty on a sunny day but you will get hit up for a pocket change.

I wouldn’t recommend hanging out in this park to anyone — it’s the scene of drug busts and homeless people left out in the cold and the rain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else (other than the aforementioned groups) hanging out here…

In the heart of Pioneer Square you find Occidental… not so much a park. Amongst the hustle and bustle you’ll see pigeons and homeless wanderers… not quite a squaters plot, but definitely not a place to wander through after dark. Even when it’s bright out… I’d say avoid the square if you intend on keeping your coin. Occidental Square… it’s a no go. Cheers!