Pike Place Market
Start: At the corner of Pike Street and First Avenue.
Finish: At the corner of Pike Street and First Avenue.
Time: Approximately 4 hours, including shopping and dining.
Best Times: Weekends, when crafts vendors set up along Pike Place.
Worst Times: Weekends, when the market is extremely crowded.
Despite the crowds of tourists and locals, Pike Place Market, a sprawling complex of historic buildings and open-air vendors' stalls, remains Seattle's most fascinating attraction. You'll find aisles lined with fresh produce, cut flowers, and seafood, as well as unusual little shops tucked away in the many hidden corners of this multilevel maze. Street performers also perform here.
Because Pike Place Market is so large, it is easy to overlook some of its more interesting businesses and its many quirky works of public art. The following walking tour is meant to lead you through the market past the many places we think you wouldn't want to miss.
Start your tour at the corner of Pike Street and First Avenue at the:
1. Pike Place Market Information Kiosk
This tiny cubicle is one of the most important little buildings in the market. Not only does the kiosk have maps of the market, but it also doubles as the Ticket/Ticket half-price, day-of-show ticket center. Scan the list of tickets available for the day and you can save a bundle on your vacation. This ticket booth even sells half-price tickets for boat tours and floatplane flights to Victoria, Canada.
Directly behind the information kiosk rises the famous Pike Place Market neon sign and clock. Directly below this sign you'll find:
2. Rachel the Pig
This life-size bronze statue of a pig is the unofficial Pike Place Market mascot and also doubles as the market piggy bank. Each year people deposit thousands of dollars into Rachel. Hardly any visitor to the market goes home without a shot of some friend or family member sitting on Rachel.
It's sometimes difficult to spot Rachel because of the crowds that gather here to watch the flying fish at:
3. Pike Place Fish
The antics of the fishmongers at Pike Place Fish are legendary. No, they don't actually sell flying fish, but if you decide to buy, say, a whole salmon, your fish will go flying through the air (amid much shouting and gesticulating) from the front of the stall to the back, where someone will steak it or fillet it for you and even pack it on dry ice so that you can take it home with you on the plane.
To the right of Pike Place Fish begin the market's main:
4. Produce stalls
In summer, look for fresh cherries, berries, peaches, and melons. In the fall, it's Washington State apples. Stalls full of colorful cut flowers also line this section of the market.
As you wander through this crowded section of the market, keep an eye out for:
5. Chukar Cherries
This Washington State candy company specializes in chocolate-covered dried cherries; samples are always available (tel. 206/623-8043).
Also watch for:
6. Mick's Peppourri
Mick's makes delicious pepper jellies that range from mild to fiery. These jellies go great with cream cheese and crackers or fresh bread from the market. Of course, you can sample the jellies (tel. 206/233-0128).
A little farther along, you'll come to the North Arcade, where you'll find lots of:
7. Crafts vendors
This is a good place to shop for handmade souvenirs. These craftspeople know their market, so most of the work here is small enough to fit in a suitcase.
On weekends, you'll find more crafts vendors along this side of the street just past the end of the covered market stalls. Across Western Avenue from the last of these outdoor crafts stalls, you'll find:
8. Steinbrueck Park
Although this small, grassy park is favored by the homeless, it is also home to a pair of impressive totem poles and offers a superb view of Elliott Bay. Watch for the comings and goings of the giant car ferries that link Seattle to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton on the far side of Puget Sound.
From the park, walk back across Western Avenue and Pike Place and head back toward your starting point. You'll now be on the opposite side of Pike Place from the produce vendors' stalls. This stretch of the market has lots of great prepared food stalls, so be sure to do a little grazing. If you've become convinced that Pike Place Market is strictly for tourists, climb the stairs to:
9. The Lisa Harris Gallery
This art gallery, at 1922 Pike Place (tel. 206/443-3315), always seems to have interesting contemporary artwork, largely done by artists from the Northwest.
A little way up the street you'll find the very first:
10. Starbucks
That's right, it all started right here in this narrow space, at 1912 Pike Place (tel. 206/448-8762). Unlike today's Starbucks, this espresso bar has no tables or chairs; it's strictly a grab-it-and-go kind of place. Since you've already been on your feet for a while and still have a lot of the market to see, you may want to stop in and order a grande mocha to see you through the rest of your walking tour.
How about a little something tasty to go with that mocha?
11. Le Panier
Located at 1902 Pike Place (tel. 206/441-3669), this French-style bakery has good croissants and other pastries to go with your espresso. There are also breads to go with that pepper jelly you bought.
Continue along Pike Place in the same direction for another 2 blocks, passing several more prepared-food stalls, and then turn left into Post Alley. This narrow lane cuts through several blocks of the market, and many shops and restaurants open onto it. For Seattle souvenirs, it's hard to beat:
12. Made in Washington
Shortly after you start up Post Alley, you'll come to this store, which has smoked salmon, prepared foods, crafts, books, and plenty of other inexpensive stuff from here in Washington (tel. 206/467-0788).
Take a Break
Pike Place Market is full of surprises, not least of which are the many excellent restaurants hidden away in quiet corners of the complex. One of our very favorites is Café Campagne, 1600 Post Alley (tel. 206/728-2233), a classy little French cafe serving delicious lunches. The atmosphere is très French. Don't confuse this restaurant with the much more expensive and formal Campagne, which is above the cafe.
Continue up the alley, and at Stewart Street, just downhill on the north side of the street, you'll see:
13. Antiques at Pike Place
This large antiques mall, at 92 Stewart St. (tel. 206/441-9643), has more than 80 dealers. The stalls are packed full of interesting collectibles.
Back on Post Alley, you'll come to:
14. The Glass Eye Studio
No, this gallery, at 1902 Post Alley (tel. 206/441-3221), does not sell artificial eyes, as the name might suggest. It is one of the city's more affordable art-glass galleries. Seattle is known throughout the world for its talented glass artists.
Just up the alley from this gallery, you'll spot:
15. The Pink Door
This restaurant, at 1919 Post Alley (tel. 206/443-3241), is one of the market's most famous dinner spots. There's no sign out front, just the pink door. Step through the door, and a flight of stairs leads down to an Italian restaurant and cabaret/bar. The restaurant is only open for dinner, and the deck is the place to eat on summer evenings.
From Post Alley descend to Pike Place via a staircase that leads down to a building with a shady courtyard. After walking through the building, turn right, and go to the corner of Virginia Street. Cross Pike Place, turn left, and walk down Western Avenue to the:
16. Market Heritage Center
Located at 1531 Western Ave. (tel. 206/682-7453), this is an open-air exhibit on the history of Pike Place Market. Here you learn all about the various incarnations of the market since its inception. If you'd like to do a guided walking tour similar to this one here, you can contact the Market Foundation at the number above.
Continue down Western Avenue, and in a couple of blocks, you'll come to the Pike Hill Climb, a network of stairways that connect the waterfront with Pike Place Market. If you head up the stairs, you will find the market's Down Under area, which consists of long hallways lined with small shops. Our favorite shop in the Down Under is:
17. The Magic Shop
Located on the Down Under's fourth level, the Magic Shop (tel. 206/624-4271) sells all kinds of magic tricks and magician's paraphernalia. Kids love this shop, as do aspiring magicians. Directly across the hall from this shop are some unusual coin-operated window displays of giant shoes. Don't miss these shoes!
If you leave the Down Under by way of the Pike Hill Climb, you will find yourself back in the vicinity of Rachel the pig and Pike Place Fish. From here, make your way through the crowd of people waiting to see the fish fly and head into the Economy Building. Here, in the walkway leading toward First Avenue, you'll find:
18. The Garlic Garden
This stall is famous for its pungent Lebanese Breeze garlic spread, which is great on bread (maybe with a little pepper jelly). Just be sure that everyone in your group has some; this stuff may not be pure garlic, but it sure tastes like it (tel. 206/405-4022).
Across the hall from the Garlic Garden, you'll find:
19. DeLaurenti
This Italian grocery, at 1435 First Ave. (tel. 206/622-0141), has a great deli case full of Italian cheeses and meats. It also sells imported pastas and has a great selection of wines and beers. Samples of various olive oils are often available.
If you exit DeLaurenti through the door in the wine shop area, you will find yourself in an atrium, from the ceiling of which hangs a:
20. Giant Squid
This life-size copper sculpture was created by a local artist. Although you won't see any squids this size in the nearby Seattle Aquarium (on the waterfront), you can see a live giant octopus.
Winding Down
In the same building as the giant squid, you'll find World Class Chili, 1411 First Ave. (tel. 206/623-3678). If this place is still open by the time you reach this point, don't pass up an opportunity to sample some of the best chili in Seattle. Alternatively, you can head down the block from the giant squid and savor a pint of locally brewed ale at Pike Pub and Brewery, 1415 First Ave. (tel. 206/622-6044).
