Sep 8, 2009
Seattle 101: Pike Place Market
Best time to visit: Summer and early in the morning. It will be cool and you don’t need to take elbows from other people.
Tips:Wear comfortable tennis shoes. Not all vendors take credit or debit cards, so bring some cash…
Constructed in 1907, it is one of the continually operated public farmers’ markets in the nation. Although it celebrated its centenial two years ago, this place is pretty well kept. Well, you will smell the fishy smell around the fish vendors but what’s a bit of fishyness after going to a market.
One should start the visit off at Pike Place Fish Market where it is entertaining and fun. You will find their employees singing and giving customers a good scare with the dead Monk fish that is tied to a rope. You can’t miss that stall as you will see everybody wearing their bright orange rubber work suits. You are able to purchase fresh seafood from lobsters (and I mean really big lobsters), crabs, etc…all the way down to a monk fish. They will pack your purchase with dry ice so that you are able to bring it back to where you are going, or it can be shipped to your final destination. If you are looking for fresh seafood, there are numerous vendors selling seafood, so shop around.
Strolling down, you will see a flurry of flowers in vivid colors. Not only does it light up the area with the color contrast, it smells good after the fist stall. I was surprised to see that the flowers there were absurdly cheap. For example, you are able to find 3 stocks of 6 inch blooming sunflowers plus a variety of flowers in a bouquet for $5. When was the last time I bought flowers for $5? Never!!! On our way back to our car, we saw a few people loading a minivan with flowers. I assume that they were either a party planner, or preparing to save a lot of money for their son’s wedding by buying the flowers themselves and doing the flower arrangement.
We passed on the flowers as it did not make any sense to get live flowers while traveling. There were lots of vendors selling vegetables too. They were definitely fresh but the prices were not as compelling at the flowers. We also saw abundant of people selling fresh nuts, arts and craft to everything in between. Checkout the picture we took of a vendor selling fresh peppers. Vibrant colors!
If you get hungry, there are a few food stalls in the market or you can hop across the street and try one of those little shops for some local food. If you are a coffee buff, then you should know that the first Starbucks is located there. Yup, the first Starbucks store. There are numerous coffee establishments around the vicinity and I am sure that you will get the caffeine jolt by the time you leave.
Checkout some of the other places of interest in Seattle that I have visited.
Looking for a place to way in the heart of Seattle, checkout some of Seattle’s last minute hotel deals. You might be able to stay at The Edgewater Hotel, ideally located downtown with a view of shimmering Elliot Bay and the Olympic Mountains.