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Destination: Pike Place Market
The oldest continuously operated public market in the United States, today the Pike Place Market houses about 600 businesses, ranging from farmers selling the day's fresh produce to artisans making silver jewelry and many restaurants, cafes and eateries.
The Market was founded in 1907 to bring farmers and customers together without the added cost of middlemen. The Market hit its peak in the 1930s when more than 600 farmers had permits to sell (although, soon after, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II drastically cut into that number).
The Market was almost demolished in the 1960s to make way for commercial development, but a group of citizen activists fought to preserve it. In 1971, Seattleites voted to place the market under public ownership.
These days, the Market attracts about nine million people a year. During the summer, the average daily weekday foot traffic through the Market is 27,000; on Saturdays it shoots up to 40,100.
You can keep an eye out for some of the points of interest below, but the chief joys of wandering through the Market are people watching, discovering fabulous food, and taking in the breathtaking views.
Enjoy.
The Meandering Through the Market Tour:
You can't miss the entrance to the Market on First Avenue and Pike Street; a big neon sign next to a big round clock proclaims: "Public Market Center."
There is a tourist-information booth at the entrance, where you can get a list of Market businesses. You can also purchase same-day half-price tickets for arts events at the Ticket/Ticket booth there.
Under the big sign, look at the tiles underneath your feet - the names on the tiles belong to people who donated to the effort to preserve and restore the Market. Rachel the Pig - the bronze piggy bank under the sign - collects donations to fund the Market's social services such as a food bank and health clinic.
Near the entrance are the famous fish throwers, whose rapid banter and fish-tossing antics attract crowds as they sell fish.
Facing the sign, walk to your right and you'll be wandering through the North Arcade--with its vendors sitting at stalls stacked with fresh produce, flavored honey, silver jewelry, and bountiful bouquets of flowers.
At the end of the North Arcade, you'll emerge at Victor Steinbrueck Park, named after the architect who spearheaded the effort to preserve the Market in the 1960s. The Park is an excellent place to catch a view of Elliott Bay and the ferry traffic.
Walk back toward the entrance of the Market by walking along the east side of the Market, outside the North Arcade. Wander in and out of the storefronts; small shops here sell everything from Indian spices to Vietnamese food to ice cream.
Two eateries in the area offering tasty, inexpensive, eat-as-you-walk alternatives are: Mee Sum Pastry (Triangle Building, 1526 Pike Place) - try their curry beef humbow; and Piroshky Piroshky (try the salmon piroshky - a fish-shaped pastry filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese). For a sit-down meal, consider Etta's Seafood and its excellent spice-rubbed salmon.
If you're a kitchenware fanatic, don't miss Sur La Table, chock full of pots, pans and everything else you need to prepare gourmet meals.
Facing the entrance to the Market once again, go to your left toward the Main Arcade and Down Under Shops. There, small shops selling everything from antiques to perfume oils line the hallways for three levels underneath the entrance.
If you're a tea lover, don't miss Market Spice Teas, which sells its own blends as well as dozens of other teas and spices from around the world. If you're a film buff, check out The Alibi Room, an inexpensive cafe with window views over the water where independent filmmaker types tend to gather. One wall has a shelf filled with screenplays.
The buildings attached to and around the Arcades and Down Under are also well worth exploring.
The Sanitary Market building (dubbed "sanitary" because it prohibited horses inside back when the Market was in its first years) houses the Three Girls Bakery and other businesses. The Corner Market features restaurants on its upper levels and a jazz club below. The Economy Market building houses a newsstand, food shops, and restaurants.
Also, be sure to check out Post Alley, with its many small cafes, eateries and shops, including berry pies at Biringer Farm Cafe, and beers at Kell's Irish Restaurant and Pub.
If you're in the mood to wander closer to the waterfront, take the stairs down the Pike Place Hillclimb, or take the downhill veering south from Victor Steinbrueck Park. You'll wind up on Western Ave., home to one of the finest Asian restaurants in the city: The Wild Ginger.
Recommended Restaurants/Cafes/Eateries in the Pike Place Market Area:
Guided Tours:
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No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the famous Pike Place Market, where the sight of fishmongers throwing the day's catch mingles with scents of spices and flowers and sounds of sidewalk musicians.