That being said I do think Seattle has some really fun and
cool things to do. Recently I went back
after having not gone for many years and spent a day downtown. I’ll have to admit that while I lived in
Seattle I only went downtown a handful of times. Between parking issues and traffic congestion
it wasn’t high on anyone’s list very often!
Rainy day in Seattle (I know - its really just a mist but this is actually a good viewing day!)
So, on a rainy afternoon it’s always fun to walk Pike Place
Market. Its covered so you are out of
the elements but it is has a liveliness about it– of course this liveliness
doesn’t start until about 10am and ends by 5pm so be aware.
You can't miss taking a picture of this neon sign!
The top floor has the iconic flower stalls, produce stalls
and fish markets. You can literally eat
your way through the market by tasting all the samples the market has to
offer. Some of my favorites are the
chucker cherries or the fresh apples and grapes from Washington. You can also taste flavored olive oils or
jams and everything in between. While
some things are on the “wild” side like some super-hot pepper jellies there
isn’t anything like a Chinese food market with their bugs and stinky tofu (see
post Taiwan - Part 2: Top 10 of Taipei). These foods are all safe to
eat and won’t make you grimace even! While
the seafood certainly has a distinct smell it’s nothing like stinky tofu.
Yes, this does smell a bit!
This however does NOT - yum!
The next levels contain the fun "stuff". There are old book stores, curious shops from
way back when and nothing more than I can describe them as junk stores. All these stores have been there for as long
as I can remember. As a result, when you
drop to the lower levels you get a very distinct smell I call Pike Place market
smell. It is a cross of humidity laden
books with inches of dust and a bit of staleness thrown into it. That really makes you want to go doesn’t
it? It actually isn’t horrible but you
are certainly aware of it as you play inside the magic shop or comb through old
newspapers and magazines from the early 1900’s for sale. It certainly creates a sense of authenticity
to some of the shops!
While snacking is always fun you can’t leave Pike Place
market without a couple of items.
1.
A pastry
of some sort. There are several little
shops with breads, donuts and other goodies that make you salivate. In fact, if you are there right at 10am you
can get day old goodies for a steal of deal.2. Fish-n-chips. There are several restaurants which have fish-n-chips and they are all good. Not only are they fresh but most of the restaurants have a great view out across the sound. If you are blessed enough to have the clouds lift you can watch ferries go back and forth across the Puget Sound and even look into the distance and see the Olympic mountain range.
Fish-n-chips. Hmmmmm!
So, if by chance you are in Seattle and it is raining then still run down and enjoy your day at Pike Place Market.
You can look at other pictures in the Photo Gallery By Location. You can also view all my pictures in my Public Gallery.
