2011-28 Pike Place Market & Space Needle, Washington
Hello All,
Our next adventure took us to one of our favorite haunts when we are in the Seattle area--the famous Pike Place Market. In our eyes it is hands down the best market we’ve come across anywhere in our travels. You can find bouquets of fresh cut flowers, amazing fruits and vegetables, and seafood from around the world. It’s a fun place to spend a few hours whether you’re shopping or just “people watching.”
Located at 1st and Pike in downtown Seattle, the market is commonly known as the “Soul of Seattle.” Its inception started in 1906-1907 when the price of onions increased tenfold. Outraged citizens became tired of paying too much for produce. A city councilman proposed opening a public market that would connect farmers directly with consumers and eliminate the price-gouging middlemen. The foundation of “meet the producer” is still the philosophy behind Pike Place Market.
On August 17, 1907, the first market building opened and all available space was quickly filled. Fast forward 104 years, and Pike Place Market houses more than 200 year-round commercial businesses, 190 crafts people, over 200 musicians and entertainers, and 100 farmers that rent space by the day. The market is open 19½ hours a day, 362 days a year. “The Market,” as the locals refer to it, covers more than 9 acres and attracts 10 million visitors annually.
Upon arrival, the first person we came across was “mirror man” strolling along the waterfront. Wow, talk about an ingenious outfit! Seeing him sparked a lot of questions in our minds. How does he scratch an itch? How does he get dressed-undressed? Can he sit down? You must admit it is not an outfit that you would want to stumble and fall down in! He drew quite a crowd of folks wanting their photos taken with him.
Our next adventure took us to one of our favorite haunts when we are in the Seattle area--the famous Pike Place Market. In our eyes it is hands down the best market we’ve come across anywhere in our travels. You can find bouquets of fresh cut flowers, amazing fruits and vegetables, and seafood from around the world. It’s a fun place to spend a few hours whether you’re shopping or just “people watching.”
Located at 1st and Pike in downtown Seattle, the market is commonly known as the “Soul of Seattle.” Its inception started in 1906-1907 when the price of onions increased tenfold. Outraged citizens became tired of paying too much for produce. A city councilman proposed opening a public market that would connect farmers directly with consumers and eliminate the price-gouging middlemen. The foundation of “meet the producer” is still the philosophy behind Pike Place Market.
On August 17, 1907, the first market building opened and all available space was quickly filled. Fast forward 104 years, and Pike Place Market houses more than 200 year-round commercial businesses, 190 crafts people, over 200 musicians and entertainers, and 100 farmers that rent space by the day. The market is open 19½ hours a day, 362 days a year. “The Market,” as the locals refer to it, covers more than 9 acres and attracts 10 million visitors annually.
Upon arrival, the first person we came across was “mirror man” strolling along the waterfront. Wow, talk about an ingenious outfit! Seeing him sparked a lot of questions in our minds. How does he scratch an itch? How does he get dressed-undressed? Can he sit down? You must admit it is not an outfit that you would want to stumble and fall down in! He drew quite a crowd of folks wanting their photos taken with him.
The fresh cut flowers within
the market are awesome. Venders will make up custom bouquets while you
wait--and they are reasonably priced. We love all the bright colors and took
more than our share of photos. And, yes, we bought some fresh flowers.
The lovely bouquets were
priced from five to fifteen dollars.
Without a doubt the veggies
and fruits offered are spectacular. Check out the blueberries, blackberries and
raspberries in the photo below. They looked so delicious it was hard to refrain
from sampling a few.
There are so many wonderful
choices. The variety and quality of the produce is superior. It’s easy to see
why it is renowned as one of the top fresh produce markets in the world.
Check out what looks like red
apples to the right of the bananas. Would you believe those are plums! The
jumbo artichokes are beauties also.
Seafood available at the
market is second to none, and the vendors were busy filling orders. If you like
seafood, this is the place to shop--you won’t be disappointed.
Since it was such a beautiful
day we decided to take in another Seattle landmark--The Space Needle. When
built in 1962 for the World’s Fair, the 605-foot structure was the tallest
building west of the Mississippi River.
From the day it first opened,
over 45 million people can now attest to the fact that from the observation
deck you get one of the best views in the Pacific Northwest. We would have to
agree. Your eye can quickly travel from looking at downtown Seattle, to the
ferries on Puget Sound, to Bainbridge Island and then to the massive 14,411
foot Mt. Rainier 54 miles in the distance.
In the following photo you can
see Mt. Rainier in the distance sticking up through the lower layer of clouds.
While up in the observation
deck we were treated to a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner doing a fly by. It was most
likely enroute to Boeing Field just south of downtown Seattle.
After catching an elevator
back down to terra firma we took one last look back up at the Space Needle
while reflecting on what had been a wonderful day. Seattle is such a lovely
city to explore.
Our next adventure took us
into North Cascades National Park. We’ll be sharing it with you in a future
Pictures of the Week write-up.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns