809. Pike Place Market

Where: Seattle, WA

When: August 28 - September 1, 2008

With: Suzannah

The fact that Pike Place Market is the title of the entry for the city of Seattle is a crime in my opinion. I don't criticize the Book often, but Seattle was such an amazing city that I think it deserves its own entry. It is so much more than the market, which is awesome by all respects, but I saw so many cool things that the city sticks out in my head all these years later as an easy top five favorite in the US. 

As part of my protest, I will be documenting my entire trip to the Seattle area, not just to the market. 

The purpose of this trip was twofold: to visit a city we'd never seen, but also it just so happened that one of Suzannah and my favorite bands, Dave Matthews Band, would be playing just outside Seattle over Labor Day Weekend. It didn't take much convincing for us to book this trip and go.

I love a good flight in, and even better when you see iconic sights out the window: a little view of the Space Needle as we approached.

We arrived and rented a car to immediately head out for the concert. The venue was the Gorge Amphitheatre, about 2 1/2 hours east of Seattle. The drive to the Gorge, for starters, was amazing. We couldn't believe how pretty it was (or how many other DMB fans were doing the same thing!)

When we arrived, we parked in the massive field provided for parking and took in the views. Best parking lot I've ever been in!

There are not many accommodations nearby, so we decided to camp overnight in the parking lot (a common occurrence at the Gorge). The fact that I got a tent with me in my carry-on made me so happy, and felt that much more redeeming when I set it up.

Let the pregaming begin!

An obligatory hippie photo shoot.

A creation we made to incorporate food and booze into one while camping: strawberries soaked in champagne. It was delicious.

I know they are an atrocity to some people, but I love the windmills in the distance. 

Slightly buzzed and super excited with our beautiful surroundings, we headed through the campground and into the venue just as the golden light of the sunset was hitting. So pretty. 

This was an extra special concert because it was the first performance for the band after the passing of their saxist, LeRoi Moore. It was a sad thing to see, but also super touching to see all the fan tributes along the way. 

As we entered the Gorge, I was blown away. As the name implies, it is a massive amphitheatre with lawn seats looking down upon the stage with a gorge behind it through which the Columbia River flows. It is majestic and beautiful. Literally my favorite concert venue of all time.  

 After a mildly uncomfortable sleep that evening, we were still in a party mode as we hit the road for Seattle the next morning. 

But not before we made a couple stops at the actual gorge to take some photos. 

The drive back was amazing. We actually returned the car late because we took it so slow as we drove through National Parks to get back to Seattle. It was some of the most stunning scenery I had ever seen. The photos don't do it justice. 

We had a turnaround at the airport to drop off the car before taking the shuttle into the city. The city's hotels were booked up like crazy for that weekend for some reason, so we splurged for a nice hotel room. It was quite the change in accommodations from the night before, and we toasted to celebrate. [Side note: as I was sitting there, toasting champagne, Dave called me for the first time ever to ask if I wanted to play on a dodgeball team with him. Who knew what that phone call was leading to?]

After our drinks, we headed out to explore the city. The first thing we were struck by was the array of fun and kooky art all over the place. We had a little too much fun with this. 

A frequent question during our road trip...at least she owned it.

We made our way down to the waterfront, just in time for sunset. This waterfront absolutely blew me away with the islands dotting the horizon in the distance. It was stunning.  

A look back at the city skyline. 

Dinner for the evening. Obviously, we beelined for seafood, and not only did we get it, we also got bibs that stuck with us for the rest of the night.

Now that is some king crab.

Not surprisingly, that didn't last long. 

Loving our hot lemon water.

Literally, kept the bibs on all night, eventually turning them into capes. Luckily, the vibe for Seattle nightlife is super chill, and we just had a blast enjoying the bars.

The next day was our quintessential Seattle tourism day. First stop was the Experience Music Center (now known as the Museum of Pop Culture). It was a bunch of interactive music exhibits that highlighted some of the artists and styles to come from Seattle, including Jimi Hendrix and the grunge of Nirvana.

My favorite exhibit was the centerpiece in the entrance, a massive column of guitars that were all programmed to "play" and thus create music. It was very cool. 

The museum sits in a large park of green space, museums, and artwork called the Space Needle Park. 

Not ironically, being in this park leads us to our next stop: the Space Needle. It was now time to ride the elevator up 500 feet into the sky to the top of this iconic landmark. Built in 1962 for the World's Fair, the observation deck of this tower provides unbelievable views of the Seattle area.

The views from the top. I loved how surrounded by water this city was, it was so beautiful. 

The ferry, just like in Grey's Anatomy!

Obligatory selfies. 

After the Space Needle, we stumbled upon what ended up being one of my favorite stops in the city: the Olympic Sculpture Park, part of the Seattle Art Museum. As I was learning, I love outdoor sculpture gardens. And when they are coupled with a beautiful waterfront and the setting sun, it's hard for me to stop clicking and taking photos.  

The park contains one long walkway, lined with sculptures, that zigs and zags downhill parallel with the waterfront. 

It may look like a real tree, but it is made completely out of metal. 

This sculpture was one of our favorites. It is called "Eagle" and was done by Alexander Calder. Since this trip, we have spotted several similar ones in multiple other locales around the world, but this is the original. I loved the contrast of the red against the natural backdrop. 

I also loved the color of this sculpture, with wavy sheets of metal that seemed to have rusted to a perfect contrast against the bright blue sky. 

Love the movement conveyed in this one. 

Got my eyes on you...

These two water fountains hid a man and a child within them. As the water level changed, one and then both would appear, reaching out to each other. 

This one was hands down my favorite piece of the museum. It was nearly impossible to capture in a photo, but it basically is a collection of benches, tables, the tree and an ampersand, all attempting to spell out "Love & Loss". The two "L's" are made by the benches and the table creating the "O" is used for both words. Follow the white to spell out the words. 

And now we come to the morning that we went to Pike Place Market. While I know photos can only do so much justice, doesn't it seem like a crime that more from Seattle and the surrounding area isn't included in the Book? 

Also, notice how blue the skies have been thus far - our day at Pike Place was the only day it "rained" while we were there, and really, it was more of a passing drizzle. So much for the dreary reputation of Seattle. I love this city.

Anyway, on to the title of this post and entry, Pike Place. Pike Place is a farmer's market that was opened on August 17, 1907, making it one of the oldest continuously operating farmer's markets in the US. It sells food, antiques, crafts, and souvenirs, and usually, the tables are manned by the businessowners, allowing people to buy directly from the source and cut out the middleman. 

The main claim to fame in this market are the fishmongers. Obviously, with all that water around, seafood is a big hit here. And there is a lot of seafood for sale. It is pretty impressive. And delicious looking. 

One of the more famous "experiences" of the fish section of the market is when the fishmongers start tossing their fish around and "miss", accidentally chucking one at you. Despite knowing it might happen, it still took us by surprise. However, we were happy to see the fish was stuffed, and the guys loved photos. 

Outside of fish, there were all kinds of specialty foods, fresh produce, and chefs working on their goods. It was a visually stunning array. 

 We happened to stumble upon a free wine tasting at one of the local wine shops. Win!

There were also some great souvenir shops we passed by.  

One of the shops that opened up here back in the 1970s was this tiny little place called Starbucks. Perhaps you've heard of it? This was the original, and the line was long. 

Suzannah did end up getting a coffee, but at a Starbucks down the street. Still counts, right?

Some live music outside the Starbucks. 

Suzannah with the "mascot" of the market, Rachel the Piggy Bank. Sitting at the entrance since 1986, this 550lb cast iron pig collects change that supports the market. Supposedly, if you make a donation and give her a rub, you'll have good luck.

After the market, we got a little family time in by meeting up with Suzannah's cousin and her daughter.

 Her cousin confirmed that we should go ahead with the final tourist activity we were toying with in Seattle: the Seattle Underground Tour. Back in 1889, a massive fire destroyed 31 blocks of Seattle. Rather than rebuilding as it was, the city decided to elevate the street level by a story and rebuild on top of the ruins of the fire. During the transition, old store fronts were maintained, accessed by ladders down from the newly created streets. When the new shops  were ready, the old streets were simply closed over. Now visitors can descend down onto the old streets underground.

It was a really cool exprience, sort of like a time capsule of old Seattle. It was pretty dark, and the tour was crowded so it was hard to get photos, but it was cool. 

At the end, there was a collection of relics. This was by far my favorite, a nice tie-in from the old to the new. 

So do you agree? There was a lot more to Seattle than the market! I loved this city and would easily go back again, for a concert or a visit!