Occidental Square

Occidental Park, often referred to as Occidental Square, is a vibrant and historic urban park nestled in the heart of Seattle's Pioneer Square district. It serves as a central gathering place and a green oasis amidst the bustling city. Highlights: * Historic Ambiance: Surrounded by charming brick buildings, the park exudes a strong sense of history, reflecting the architectural heritage of Pioneer Square. You'll find a mix of lush greenery, well-maintained gardens, and charming pathways. * Public Art & Memorials: The park is adorned with fascinating sculptures and art installations, including impressive totem poles (donated in 1985 by Richard White, a long-time resident of Pioneer Square) and the Fallen Firefighters Memorial, adding cultural depth to your visit.

One of Seattle's only traditional public squares. Occidental Square is charming, relaxing, and has plenty of ambience. Only 4 stars because there are so few food or retail options nearby, causing it to feel extremely underutilized for how pleasant it is. Also definitely has a presence of tweakers and homeless, but they're not aggressive and I never felt unsafe visiting solo during the daytime.

This was a nice park location that had people stopping to eat lunch, play chess, and enjoy some soccer. My wife and I stopped here on our way back to the train station and it was a good place to take a break for a bit. There were plenty of downtown ambassadors around and keeping an eye on things around the park. People were taking their lunch breaks here to gossip with friends and enjoy the scenery. The trees are nice and the area is very open and inviting. There are seats, a small kids play area, and tables with umbrellas to enjoy. The totems in the park were also cool to enjoy.

Great place to hang out and order food from one of the local restaurants. They have concerts and art walks. Today I purchased some vintage clothes and ate a shrimp carnitas. Down side is the homeless use area to hang out but security is present.

Occidental Square is a beautiful third space where the community clearly enjoys coming together and relaxing. Fun seating, games, and a mini pitch for soccer. What an amazing thing to have access to in the heart of the city.

Was here recently in May walking around Pioneer Square. Saw some nice old buildings but not sure how old as no year was indicated on the buildings

Occidental Square is an absolute gem in the heart of the city. This charming park offers a perfect blend of nature, history, and urban life. Surrounded by beautiful trees, manicured gardens, and sculptures, it’s an ideal spot to unwind, whether you’re enjoying a peaceful moment alone or gathering with friends. The atmosphere is welcoming, with ample seating and plenty of space to relax. Its central location makes it a convenient stop, and there’s always something happening nearby, from local events to street performers. The park’s rich history adds to its appeal, making it not just a green space, but a cultural landmark. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful retreat or a place to people-watch, Occidental Square delivers in every way. A must-visit for anyone exploring the area!

I was excited to go to this park....but it was full of homeless and druggies. We only walked hurried to the waterfall park a block over, that one was much more safe and serene. This park might be fine if there was an event going on, as I saw in pictures, but not for a solo stroll. The NPS Klondike site was cool down the road as well.

This is an area in pioneer square area that has lots of trees but I wasn't sure what was exactly going on here as there were some homeless people gathering and there was open space and then some art stuff.

I love what this place wants to be-a central location for people to congregate, enjoy live music from street performers, participate in yard games or sip on their coffee while people-watching. It's obvious that this is what it was intended for. However, we found it to be dirty and overrun with people whose intentions might not have been as wholesome. The stale smell of urine hung in the air and there was trash everywhere. I believe that public space should be open to everyone-regardless of their living situation. However, I also believe that illegal activity such as doing drugs, littering or panhandling shouldn't be allowed. Perhaps I visited on an unusual day. There really is a lot of potential here and I'd love to visit again and enjoy what it was meant to be.

Ahhh... the beautiful benefits of walking around a city. You find gems like this. Occidental Square was a cute little plaza in the middle of old Seattle buildings with some tables, chairs, art installations and a ping pong table. A ping pong table complete with a friendly lady waiting for people like us to come and play with her. What a great place to sit while drinking your coffee, watch Seattle traffic pass you by and people-watch.

A mix of millennials on laptops and crackheads openly pissing on a tree. Live music, sponsored by the city, bocci ball, basketball, badminton and drug deals. Hot chicks walking their dogs and sketchers writhing on the concrete in a meth-induced coma, half-clothed. My family actually enjoyed hanging out in a park and the people watching was....uh....interesting.

This area continues to change and gentrify, daily. New and more uppity restaurants and cafes are now established around the square which had been the meeting place for many of our homeless neighbors in the city. The downtown association is working hard to make Occidental Square a place of fun and relaxation for tourists and the community. This season, venture out to find Saturday horse-driven carriage rides, a tent covered space offering hot cocoa (watered down and not worth drinking, but keeps your hands warm), a space to make your own fleece scarves and write letters to Santa (or a Santa in your life). A play area for children has also been set up with play tunnels and a Jenga set.

Occidental Square is a pretty nifty place to hang out, especially during the summer months! There are more than enough tables so you can relax and do some people watching. They also provide games such as foosball, cornhole, chess, and connect four. Often times on the weekends there's live music or some other event going on and with the events comes a variety of food trucks! Several pieces of artwork to ponder, including the buildings themselves. We're slowly but surely tearing all of the historic buildings down in Seattle, so come see them while you still can! A lot of people mention that there are a lot of homeless people in the area, which is true, there are Missions close by. However they keep to themselves and don't really cause any problems.

Occidental Square is a public park in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle. It carries a lot of history and is a cool place to go as long as the sun is out and the security/police are nearby. There's almost always live music on Fridays around lunch playing, of all genres. Different food trucks line up. There are tables and chairs set up all over. All kinds of restaurants are here from Mexican to French. There are many shops ranging from wine to crazy beautiful glass sculptures and art galleries. The sculpture of the firemen remembering those who fought in the great fire is located here. There's a giant outdoor chess game where the pieces are 3' tall along with a basketball court. Great place to people watch.

Like Pioneer Square, this place can be a bit seedy at night. If there's a big event at CenturyLink Field, the square full of sports fans. But if it's a regular cold, March evening, you'll find a lot of vagrants and drunks wandering about.

I'm here now, great place for a small walk gaming and food. Not the cleanest spot but at night it shares a intimate Essence or the holiday home feel. If you visit after 6pm, there is street parking. I also notice during my visit, a security booth. Keep in mind after 6pm there isn't many places open in that square for a restroom and you may have to order to use them.

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 Yelper 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.

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.

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.

Occidental Square has a great old world grounded vibe, like somewhere in London or Germany. There are lots of reasons to go there: The Underground Comedy club, Cherry Street Public House, Zocalo (Mexican food), a whole row of boutiques and restaurants along the main pedestrian promenade that extends south towards CenturyLink Field. The Upstream Festival was held here in May of 2017, and is likely to return in 2018 and onwards. In my experience, it was a good venue for a festival, with lots of outdoors space in the main Occidental Square and along the promenade in boutiques and restaurants, and in the gathering area directly outside of CenturyLink Field. I am glad to see more prosperity and popularity coming to this area of downtown, as it should increase safety and enjoyment of the facilities of this very centrally located pedestrian attraction.

A good place to eat after getting your meal to go. Just so you know, the park is located in Pioneer Square and PS has a number of missions in the area. The is entertainment of various sorts during your visit.

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.

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.

Occidental Square is one of the iconic locations in Seattle that will get you the full Seattle experience in one sitting. They put out games for people to play and socialize at, and during the week you will find food trucks lined up serving up walkable food. It is in the heart of some of the oldest parts of the city, and has nearby the underground tours and several pubs and eateries to sample the local business offerings. While here you will probably happen upon people smoking weed, selling and/or using heroin or just general vagrancy of the Seattle variety. You will also see some sharply dressed suits and business casuals about because this is Seattle, and it is quite the melting pot. They also have various art exhibits on occasion, such as a giant block of ice or a bunch of white boards up littered with the scrawling of visitors and artwork of guests. An excellent place to escape the heat in the summer months. Always worth a detour to visit.

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!

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.

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.

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 Cafe, Tats, Delicatus, or one of the many other local retailers and go sit in the Park for lunch. Very relaxing and highly recommended!

Occidental Park is the heart of Pioneer Square, which is the heart and soul of Seattle. Nowhere else will you discover such a beguiling, colorful cast of characters -- from street musicians to local hipsters and everyone in-between. It's my favorite park in the city, by far, and it's graced by tall trees and first-nation statuary, and there's every kind of food you can imagine within two blocks. Don't miss First Thursday Art Walk, when Occidental Square comes alive with original art, music, and the kind of community gathering that seems to be in short supply, these days. Let's all share the Square!

Keep walking and admire the totems and sweaters on tree trunks. If you sit and watch the bocce ballers and chess players make it short as there is not much to see and you might be sitting on someone's bed. It's a beautiful area with a lot of empty stores.