Exploring Pike Place Market and the Seattle Waterfront
After leaving Port Angeles in our rear view mirror, Zach and I headed into the heart of Seattle! We decided to explore Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront first. Seattle is an incredibly busy city but we were lucky to find parking just a few blocks from the market. This was excellent because the streets immediately surrounding the market are packed with pedestrians.
The Stalls and Shops of Pike Place Market
Like most of you, I love a good farmer’s market. But Pike Place Market is like a farmer’s market on steroids! My favorite thing about the market were the rows upon rows of fresh flowers and vendors selling bouquets. Everywhere you went in Seattle you could find people carrying these big, colorful blooms! Zach and I also made sure to stop at the apple cider stalls (you can see them in the photo above!) for some fresh pressed cider. I could have gone swimming in that stuff it was so good!
The market was very crowded, so we were surprised that we were in the right place at the right time for the famous fish toss! It was equal parts gross and entertaining!
Everywhere you went in the market, fresh produce was just around the corner. There were also tons of dogs and let’s be honest, that’s really what I was interested in most. I even met a Corgi for the very first time!
The Belly of the Beast
Pike Place is a well.. busy place. My little introvert heart was feeling a tad overwhelmed by all of the people so I was delighted to find a an ancient wooden ramp, smooth from being worn down from foot traffic over the years, that led us to a dark dingy part of the market. Deep down into the belly of the beast we went and promptly found our favorite shops of the whole day! After spending some time talking with the owner of an oddities shop we stumbled upon a flea market/yard sale/ hoarders living room type stall where I found an old Nikon camera for a bargain. Score!
Starbucks and Such
It’s no secret that Zach loves coffee, so being in the coffee capitol of the US was pretty neat! (I have no idea if that’s a real fact, but it seems right.) We stopped in several local coffee shops during our trip. We also saw the oldest Starbucks and then we saw the line for said Starbucks. The line was 30 people deep so we went across the street to one of the other five million Starbucks locations in Seattle and waited only five minutes. I think it tasted even better because our wait was shorter!
The Gum Wall
Another “must see” was the ever popular gum wall located right next to Pike Place Market. It was gross, but I won’t lie – I also thought it was kind of pretty! It was so colorful!
The Seattle Waterfront
After Zach kicked some major pin ball booty in a tiny arcade we stumbled upon on the pier, we walked along the waterfront taking in the sights. The Seattle Great Wheel popped against the bright blue sky and boats zipped across Elliott Bay. Cruise ships docked in the distance, awaiting their departures for Alaska. It was certainly a different vibe than what I’m used to, but it was really cool to be apart of for a day! (Not as cool as our time in the Olympic Peninsula though, read about that here.)
