"Hey, guys, we're going to Seattle! What would you like to see?"
"Let's go to Pike Place, I've heard a lot about that!"
"Ehh...okay, but we'll have to stick to the inside of the market. Don't wander out, it's not safe!"
"We could go to Pioneer Square!"
"Holy crap, no way! It's scary down there."
"The art museum...?"
"Maybe, first thing in the morning, before things start getting...weird..."
"We could, er, have lunch in the historic International District?"
"Uhm...you're comfortable wielding a knife, right?"
"What about, uhh...the arboretum?"
"The arboretum! What a great idea! We'll go to the Arboretum. See, I told you Seattle is a great place to visit."
Point being: about 90% of the stuff tourists come to see in Seattle is within that hot spot. And it is bigger than 9 square blocks, though it's still only a small part of the city, much less the municipal area.
The previous comment is very misleading. I walk around this area all the time. It really mostly is 3rd between Stewart and Pike. I’ve been mostly avoiding that area for some time now. Everything else is normal big city stuff.
PS: My girlfriend is from NYC and she’s amused about most of the stuff people freak out about here. I wonder if maybe people aren’t used to big city stuff here.
It is not the vast majority of Seattle by land area or population. There's a lot elsewhere to do and see in Seattle that doesn't involve this area. Most of the other troubled areas are considerably safer than this specific location. I live in another troubled area. I'm not thrilled about it, but it is an order of magnitude better than 3rd and Pike.
Anyway, I'd suggest not being in fear of taking the family to Seattle.