Seattle: Pike's Place Public Market

On the list of places that almost no tourist can leave Seattle without visiting, you'll often find Pike's Place Market ranking pretty high. While this status as a must-visit destination bodes well for the old market's reputation, it also means that you'll likely be confronted with some serious crowds vying to jostle their way through for their own photos, merchandise, or purposes. It's the nature of these sorts of things, I suppose. With popularity comes foot-traffic, and with increased visitors and crowds come wallets stuffed with currency eager to buy up a unique souvenir to surprise someone back home with. Hell, sometimes you'll even catch locals wandering the halls, though they may be loathed to admit it when out-of-town visitors aren't around to justify it. I'd dipped a toe in the market once or twice, back in yonder years, but was excited to explore it with Antho! We were immediately taken by this statuesque beauty, the uncannily lifelike likeness giving pause and causing some to squeal out in surprise when she blinks, or lifts her arm to delicately wave hello to the curious onlookers.

We left her a tip and she allowed us some photos, which we appreciated. It's not easy to put together an ensemble like this, so I hope y'all can appreciate and respect when you encounter a character such as this. She made us smile, so we felt a tip was fair trade. I can't imagine how long it takes to wash all that paint off her face at the end of the night...labor of love, right there. 

Of course, the main focus of Pike's Place is in it's name: the Market. There are so many different vendors throughout the winding corridors of the buildings, with both the old and new markets standing near each other. We stuck with the old market for this trip, and due to the crowds we didn't linger for as long as we might have, had it not been shoulder-to-shoulder in so many places. We'll definitely be making another trek out at some point, but we may plan it for a weekday instead of going on the weekend. Antho's gone on his own volition, and those photos will be upcoming in a future post, but this was the only time we visited together. 

It's such a colorful, iconic place. There's really truly something for everyone, whether you're into anime figurines, rare instruments, fashion, fresh produce, jewelry or flowers. I get why it's so crowded, and why it ranks so highly on so many lists for things to do in Seattle. With the plans to expand the waterfront over the upcoming years following the demolition of the Viaduct, I'm curious to see how Pike's Place evolves alongside. 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting!

💘

XOXO,

NAU