Downtown
The epicenter of the city and indeed the region is downtown Seattle, covering about 1.7 square miles, running north from the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood to Seattle Center and sloping west from Interstate 5 to the waterfront.
Downtown Seattle’s heart consists of a revitalized shopping district encompassing approximately 16 city blocks. The retail area was transformed in the 1990s by a series of redevelopment projects, attracting new customers to many boutique shops and larger destinations such as Nordstrom's flagship store, the upscale Pacific Place shopping center, Macy’s downtown store, Westlake Center and the Meridian block, home to Niketown , the Meridian 16 Landmark Theaters and GameWorks.
After the addition of Pacific Place at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Pine Street the heart of the retail core relocated there from two blocks west and lead to an overall revival in downtown retail. Downtown’s reinvigoration increased foot traffic on many streets in the evenings and weekends, bringing Seattle closer to its ultimate goal of becoming a "24-hour city."
The 1990s also saw a rise in the downtown population and a reduction in crime. However, fallout from homelessness remains a problem in Seattle’s downtown, fomented by the city’s liberal social support programs, and panhandlers still inhabit some parts of downtown
Just east of the retail district, next to the freeway, is the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, a magnificent facility that doubled its exhibition space to more than 205,000 square feet in 2001 through an expansion project that also included the 450-room Elliott Grand Hyatt, the 22-story One Convention Place office tower and a block-long glass canopy over Pike Street.
To the south and west is the business and financial district, with more than 100 towers and smaller buildings containing most of downtown Seattle's 30 million square feet of office space.
The tallest building in the city and the Pacific Northwest is the 76-story, 1.5 million-square-foot Bank of America Tower, at Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street.
The downtown government district is clustered around the intersection of Fourth Avenue and James Street. The area includes such buildings as the King County Courthouse and the 63-story Key Tower, a privately developed building acquired by the city in 1996. The area is undergoing a transformation, with construction of a new City Hall and a new justice center to go along with a new Seattle Central Library several blocks to the north.
The downtown waterfront is populated by piers, featuring stunning views of Elliott Bay and, on clear days, the Olympic Mountains. Restaurants, offices and such destinations as the Seattle Aquarium and the Bell Street Pier cruise ship terminal attract large crowds throughout the year. The Port of Seattle has its headquarters at Pier 69.
Just east of the waterfront, on the other side of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, is the world-famous Pike Place Market, known to locals as simply "The Market." The historic facility dates to 1907 and attracts an estimated 9 million visitors a year with its funky blend of farmers, craftspeople and merchants.
The intersection of University Street and Second Avenue is now the cultural epicenter of downtown and the region with the Seattle Art Museum and Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, facing each other across the street.
Wikipedia write up on Downtown