Pike Place Market

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed to Pike Street to visit the Pike Place Public Market. It was fantastic.I can only dream of living near a market like this one day. All of the fresh fruits & vegetables and fish... what more could a person want? Plus so many fun and unique items that people sell, it's just fun to walk around and see how creative people are.

This history of the market is from the Pike Place Market website:


HISTORY OF PIKE PLACE MARKET

The history of Pike Place Market is as rich and colorful as Seattle itself.

Its nine acres and more than a century of operation encompass thousands of fascinating stories — tales of immigration, internment, renovation and urban renewal — all that help explain why Pike Place Market is called "The Soul of Seattle."


Here is a snapshot of how the Market came to be. Between 1906 and 1907, the cost of onions increased tenfold. Outraged citizens, fed up with paying price-gouging middlemen too much for their produce, found a hero in Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle. Revelle proposed a public street market that would connect farmers directly with consumers. Customers would "Meet the Producer" directly, a philosophy that is still the foundation of all Pike Place Market businesses.


On August 17, 1907, Pike Place Market was born. On that first day, a total of eight farmers brought their wagons to the corner of First Avenue and Pike Street—and were quickly overwhelmed by an estimated 10,000 eager shoppers. By 11:00 am, they were sold out. Thousands of would-be customers went home empty-handed, but the chaos held promise. By the end of 1907, the first Market building opened, with every space filled.


A century later, Pike Place Market is internationally recognized as America's premier farmers' market and is home to more than 200 year-round commercial businesses; 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day; 240 street performers and musicians; and more than 300 apartment units, most of which provide housing for low-income elderly people. "The Market," as the locals affectionately say, attracts 10 million visitors a year, making it one of Washington state's most frequently visited destinations.

Aren't the vegetables so beautiful? Seriously the place I want to shop at all the time!

This little stand sold pasta and oil. I think my favorite thing was their dark chocolate pasta. It really is the perfect dessert option. (They suggested dark chocolate pasta, white chocolate topping and raspberries on top.)

We went to the Pike Place Fish Market and had a great time watching the workers "throw fish."

Made some new friends.

The picture doesn't show it well, but the fish that Alli is standing by are so big!

The workers invited my mom to go behind the counter and catch one of the fish. It was a pretty big one.

The practice throw/catch.

 She nailed it.

So he went farther away.

She nailed it again. Catching the large, slimy thing and not letting it slip away.

We had a great time at the market and probably walked through it five times if not more. I wanted to take some of everything home with me - sometimes just because they were so pretty. I'm glad we got pictures to remember the atmosphere, the products, and the fun.