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When one visits Seattle they are obligated to go to Pike’s Market (or as it is properly called The Public Market.) This is the law. I’m not sure if it is actually written in the city charter or anything but if it isn’t, it should be. After all, it is world famous and was even featured on 60 Minutes several years back. So being the good tourists that we are, we set out to find this Seattle icon. We check the street signs, consult our map and figure we are maybe 4 blocks from our destination. We decide this is a very doable walk. These are not NY city blocks. These are various sized blocks. They do that out here in the west where there are hills & estuaries & other stuff in the way. Our cities sort of grew in spurts depending on how close the current gold strike was so there is generally no real grid pattern to how the streets are laid out. There’s a lot of triangle shaped blocks, too, with matching triangle shaped buildings on them. And towns burned down a lot out here, too, since we build things from wood more often than brick. That doesn’t really have anything to do with how big the blocks are but it does mean that most buildings in western cities are not all that old. Compared to buildings in say London or Vienna or Boston. Of course those cities are much older in the first place, but Seattle is still pretty interesting for a youngster.
So we head downhill toward the Public Market. Did I mention that Seattle is rather hilly? I didn’t know that either. The downhill slant gets appreciably steeper as we progress toward the waterfront. We gawk at the buildings with our heads thrown back at an uncomfortable angle.
Some Famous Bank Building
We are simple country folk so cityscapes are interesting to us. We’re not exactly country bumpkins or anything but none of us have ever lived in a city. We like visiting them, though. And we make an annual trek in December for a weekend in San Francisco to enjoy the holiday atmosphere. So a hilly city with tall buildings is not a new experience for us. We stop & read the menus posted outside every restaurant. There are a lot of inventive uses for salmon on the menus. Fresh Pacific Salmon Mousse on a bed of Steamed Arugala served with Saffron Rice infused with Asian 5 spice and cardamom drizzled with balsamic vinegar reduction sauce accompanied by seven grain whole wheat Pita Toast-$17.00. This is an appetizer. We continue down the hill. About every 6 feet there is a coffee shop. I expected a Starbucks on every corner but I’m amazed at the various other coffee choices. I am probably one of the few people left in the entire Western Hemisphere who has never been to a Starbucks. I swear. It’s not because I don’t drink coffee. On the contrary, I am a coffee snob. I love coffee & can’t start my day without it. I drink my coffee black. I can’t see paying upwards of $4 for a simple cup of coffee. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I’d rather put my coffee money toward a bag of really good fresh roasted estate grown beans and brew up my own each morning. I have this spiffy coffee pot with the grind & brew feature. (Remind me to tell you later how to roast your own coffee beans in that old hot air popcorn popper that you got for Christmas in 1987 that is stashed on the top shelf out in the garage.) Anyway, there are plenty of places to get coffee. And there are lots & lots of little restaurants. There are these interesting pig sculptures all along the sidewalk.
We stop to read the plaques and they all have different names and are sponsored by some business or other. This one is actually at the waterfront and the picture is from later in the week but we neglected to take the camera the first day out. The pigs were all shaped the same but done up diferently. You get the idea.
So we are strolling along admiring the sights.This is our first indication that we are not lost.
That is the roof of the market under that sign. That is one steep hill! We spend at least an hour threading our way down the sidewalk with all the other tourists and a huge lunchtime crowd of locals. The variety of shops & food choices is amazing. We cross the street and enter the old covered market. It is packed with people. We slowly work our way along, examining all the vendor tables with everything from typical tacky junk to handcrafted items made by local artisans. I spot some handmade pins of colorful cartoonish fish & dogs & cats. I like unusual pins & always wear one on my jacket so I make a note to return later and buy something. The building is at least 2 blocks long if not more and it is a riot of color & activity. There are giant tables of fresh cut flowers and fresh produce. There are locally produced wines & vinegars & beer. People are buying huge bouquets and bags of fruit and everyone is trying all the free samples. There are street musicians everywhere. Most are strumming guitars & singing folksongs or bluesy kind of stuff. On one corner there’s even a guy playing a small piano. And of course there are the flying fish.
I always thought the fish place was called Pike’s. It’s not. It’s called The Fresh Fish Store located at Pike’s Market. Pike was this guy that started the whole public market thing 100 years ago. That’s right, people, The Public Market is 100 years old this week. There are all kinds of special events happening to mark the big anniversary. That’s what all those pig sculptures are about. I guess the pig is sort of the symbol, or mascot if you will, of the market. So we join the crowd watching the fellows throw fish to each other & call out their funny remarks. “Four pounds of sturgeon,” one guy yells. They all repeat it together. “Goin’ to Kansas City,” he says. Again they all repeat. Fish fly through the air and people applaud. Now I can say I’ve been to Pike’s Market and seen the fish fly. It’s a great place and I’m so envious. Our paltry little Saturday Farmer’s Market will never seem the same after seeing this place.
We are starving at this point. It’s now mid-afternoon and the crowd is even worse. And we all need to find a bathroom, preferably a relatively clean one equipped with toilet paper and a sink with paper towel dispenser. I hate those air dry contraptions that leave you wiping your still drippy hands on your slacks. There’s lots of booths with take away food but our feet need a rest so we head up the rickety stairs to the dining room at Lowell’s right near the fish place. And restaurants always have bathrooms. It is also packed but rather than wait for a water view table we settle for a table that looks down into the market. We order local beers, Pike’s Pale Ale for Mr.B & DM and Seattle Lager for me. Our perky waitress brings them right away and we peruse the menu. And sip. And wait. And sip some more. And wait some more. Finally Miss Perky returns & takes our order. DM gets the Market Louis, Mr. B orders Fish Taco Salad & I opt for the Dungeness Crab Roll. None are particularly outstanding, but all are decent enough for the price and fill the void in our stomachs. We are sufficiently fortified for the uphill climb back downtown (sounds kind of odd, eh?)
Downtown from the Waterfront
We are running out of steam. DM buys some yummy looking pastries for our breakfast. Choosing a new route, we meander back up to downtown, again admiring the various pig statues & reading more menus. We do a little exploring in the general vicinity of our hotel.
Monorail track running by our hotel
Back at the hotel, we consult the concierge about dinner ideas for tomorrow. His recommendations are all really pricey. Not that we are cheapskates or anything. We are willing to go all out on a few great meals but it’s only day one so it is a little early to be blowing the entire food budget on one meal. He kindly makes our reservation for McCormick & Smicht on Lake Union. We ask him about the bus system. He rattles off a bunch of bus numbers & street names. I’m tired and don’t feel like digging in my purse for paper & pen so I figure I’ll ask again tomorrow. We stop by the lobby bar & get a cocktail to take to our room. We sip our drinks, read through all the brochures & tourism stuff in the room, enjoy our sunset view and are asleep by 10:00.
Up next: Day 2: A ride back to the future and learning the bus system
Click Here
So we head downhill toward the Public Market. Did I mention that Seattle is rather hilly? I didn’t know that either. The downhill slant gets appreciably steeper as we progress toward the waterfront. We gawk at the buildings with our heads thrown back at an uncomfortable angle.
Some Famous Bank Building
We are simple country folk so cityscapes are interesting to us. We’re not exactly country bumpkins or anything but none of us have ever lived in a city. We like visiting them, though. And we make an annual trek in December for a weekend in San Francisco to enjoy the holiday atmosphere. So a hilly city with tall buildings is not a new experience for us. We stop & read the menus posted outside every restaurant. There are a lot of inventive uses for salmon on the menus. Fresh Pacific Salmon Mousse on a bed of Steamed Arugala served with Saffron Rice infused with Asian 5 spice and cardamom drizzled with balsamic vinegar reduction sauce accompanied by seven grain whole wheat Pita Toast-$17.00. This is an appetizer. We continue down the hill. About every 6 feet there is a coffee shop. I expected a Starbucks on every corner but I’m amazed at the various other coffee choices. I am probably one of the few people left in the entire Western Hemisphere who has never been to a Starbucks. I swear. It’s not because I don’t drink coffee. On the contrary, I am a coffee snob. I love coffee & can’t start my day without it. I drink my coffee black. I can’t see paying upwards of $4 for a simple cup of coffee. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I’d rather put my coffee money toward a bag of really good fresh roasted estate grown beans and brew up my own each morning. I have this spiffy coffee pot with the grind & brew feature. (Remind me to tell you later how to roast your own coffee beans in that old hot air popcorn popper that you got for Christmas in 1987 that is stashed on the top shelf out in the garage.) Anyway, there are plenty of places to get coffee. And there are lots & lots of little restaurants. There are these interesting pig sculptures all along the sidewalk.
We stop to read the plaques and they all have different names and are sponsored by some business or other. This one is actually at the waterfront and the picture is from later in the week but we neglected to take the camera the first day out. The pigs were all shaped the same but done up diferently. You get the idea.
So we are strolling along admiring the sights.This is our first indication that we are not lost.
That is the roof of the market under that sign. That is one steep hill! We spend at least an hour threading our way down the sidewalk with all the other tourists and a huge lunchtime crowd of locals. The variety of shops & food choices is amazing. We cross the street and enter the old covered market. It is packed with people. We slowly work our way along, examining all the vendor tables with everything from typical tacky junk to handcrafted items made by local artisans. I spot some handmade pins of colorful cartoonish fish & dogs & cats. I like unusual pins & always wear one on my jacket so I make a note to return later and buy something. The building is at least 2 blocks long if not more and it is a riot of color & activity. There are giant tables of fresh cut flowers and fresh produce. There are locally produced wines & vinegars & beer. People are buying huge bouquets and bags of fruit and everyone is trying all the free samples. There are street musicians everywhere. Most are strumming guitars & singing folksongs or bluesy kind of stuff. On one corner there’s even a guy playing a small piano. And of course there are the flying fish.
I always thought the fish place was called Pike’s. It’s not. It’s called The Fresh Fish Store located at Pike’s Market. Pike was this guy that started the whole public market thing 100 years ago. That’s right, people, The Public Market is 100 years old this week. There are all kinds of special events happening to mark the big anniversary. That’s what all those pig sculptures are about. I guess the pig is sort of the symbol, or mascot if you will, of the market. So we join the crowd watching the fellows throw fish to each other & call out their funny remarks. “Four pounds of sturgeon,” one guy yells. They all repeat it together. “Goin’ to Kansas City,” he says. Again they all repeat. Fish fly through the air and people applaud. Now I can say I’ve been to Pike’s Market and seen the fish fly. It’s a great place and I’m so envious. Our paltry little Saturday Farmer’s Market will never seem the same after seeing this place.
We are starving at this point. It’s now mid-afternoon and the crowd is even worse. And we all need to find a bathroom, preferably a relatively clean one equipped with toilet paper and a sink with paper towel dispenser. I hate those air dry contraptions that leave you wiping your still drippy hands on your slacks. There’s lots of booths with take away food but our feet need a rest so we head up the rickety stairs to the dining room at Lowell’s right near the fish place. And restaurants always have bathrooms. It is also packed but rather than wait for a water view table we settle for a table that looks down into the market. We order local beers, Pike’s Pale Ale for Mr.B & DM and Seattle Lager for me. Our perky waitress brings them right away and we peruse the menu. And sip. And wait. And sip some more. And wait some more. Finally Miss Perky returns & takes our order. DM gets the Market Louis, Mr. B orders Fish Taco Salad & I opt for the Dungeness Crab Roll. None are particularly outstanding, but all are decent enough for the price and fill the void in our stomachs. We are sufficiently fortified for the uphill climb back downtown (sounds kind of odd, eh?)
Downtown from the Waterfront
We are running out of steam. DM buys some yummy looking pastries for our breakfast. Choosing a new route, we meander back up to downtown, again admiring the various pig statues & reading more menus. We do a little exploring in the general vicinity of our hotel.
Monorail track running by our hotel
Back at the hotel, we consult the concierge about dinner ideas for tomorrow. His recommendations are all really pricey. Not that we are cheapskates or anything. We are willing to go all out on a few great meals but it’s only day one so it is a little early to be blowing the entire food budget on one meal. He kindly makes our reservation for McCormick & Smicht on Lake Union. We ask him about the bus system. He rattles off a bunch of bus numbers & street names. I’m tired and don’t feel like digging in my purse for paper & pen so I figure I’ll ask again tomorrow. We stop by the lobby bar & get a cocktail to take to our room. We sip our drinks, read through all the brochures & tourism stuff in the room, enjoy our sunset view and are asleep by 10:00.
Up next: Day 2: A ride back to the future and learning the bus system
Click Here
I've asked Santa for a new camera for Christmas.
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