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This is one of a series of pages guiding you around  Seattle's viewpoints.

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Seattle Viewpoints
Thomas Street Park

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Location
Corner of Bellevue Avenue E. and E. Thomas Street, on the northeast side of downtown.

Admission
Free.

Getting there by car

Click icon to map your route on MapBlast!

Getting there by bus
From downtown, via bus number 14 (Summit).
Board the the eastbound bus at the corner of Pike Street and 4th Avenue.
Alight from the bus at the corner of Summit Avenue E. and E. Thomas Street.  Walk westwards downhill along E. Thomas Street for one block, and you will see the park to your right.
It is about a 10-minute ride each way.
Bus number 14 (Summit) returns to downtown along Bellevue Avenue E.

The walk from Westlake Center, via Olive Way across I-5, is about 20 minutes each way.

Notes and Tips
This is a small, quiet park, surrounded on all sides by mid-size apartment buildings.  It is a pleasant place to stop for a rest, although unfortunately you can't see the views across downtown from any of the seating.  There is a cafe diagonally across on Bellevue Avenue E.  

The Views 
The park is not promoted as viewpoint, for the very understandable reason that the view of the Space Needle is best seen when standing in the middle of E. Thomas Street!  It is a rather interesting angle on the Needle, with the Experience Music Project building providing a splodge of color at its base .

By continuing to walk downhill along E. Thomas Street you will come to Melrose Avenue.  This runs above and parallel to I-5.  All along the Avenue are vistas over the Space Needle, downtown and Lake Union that escape the power-lines from further uphill.  You might bump into other adventurous tourists who have figured the ridge must have a vantage point.

The following photos were taken around midday on an overcast day in early March.  Click on photo for full-size image.

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Above Seattle
by Emmett Watson, Robert W. Cameron (Photographer)
May 1994, Hardcover, 160 pages, (non-fiction). A collection of historical and original aerial photos of the area with captions that tell you what you are seeing from these unusual angles.
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Puget Sound: Sea Between the Mountains
by Tim Thompson (Photographer), Eric Scigliano. September 2000, Hardback, 112 pages, (photo-essay). Take an insider's tour as you meander leisurely through this irresistible region bound by water and weather.
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Seattle (Citylife Pictorial Guide)
by Barbara Sleeper, Mike Sedam (Photographer)
October 1998, Paperback, 96 pages, (non-fiction)
A showcase of the city's attractions in pictures and long captions.
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Best Places Seattle
by Giselle Smith (Editor), Nancy Gellos (Designer). May 1999, Sasquatch Books, 8th edition, Paperback, 482 pages, (guidebook)
Covers Seattle's 200 best restaurants plus romantic night spots, the best accommodations, and information on the city's culture and history.
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Seattle, The Best of Emerald City: An Impertinent Insiders' Guide
by Betty Martin, Don Martin
April 2000, Paperback, 236 pages, (guidebook). "Ten best" lists on everything from bike routes to seafood restaurants, romantic spots to photo angles.
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July 1999, 11th Edition, Sasquatch Books, 320 pages, (guidebook). A guide to sightseeing, walking tours, culture, sports, shopping, restaurants and more.
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Walking Seattle
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March Blessed with a bustling waterfront, charming neighborhoods, a cosmopolitan city center, and a visionary park system, Seattle is a wonderland for the explorer on foot. 19 walks include step-by-step directions, detailed maps, and intriguing descriptions of points of interest along the way.
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Moon Handbooks: Washington
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