The Pike Place Market

The blog's been a bit dead lately because I've spent the past week in my hometown of Seattle, Washington. I had to come up for an orthodontist appointment to see if I had to get braces again, but aw yeah, I just got a sweet new retainer! So, since the weather up here has been absolutely phenomenal, I have spent nearly every day walking around playing tourist. One of the best places to play tourist in Seattle is the good old Pike Place Market, and I will let you in on a little insider info: get there on a weekday morning at about 9:30-10:00 am, when they are just opening and the rest of the throngs of tourists haven't arrived yet. Also interesting to note: it is called the 'Pike Place Market', not the 'Pike Street Market' or any other variation thereof. Pike Place. Another piece of insider info: yes, the first Starbucks Coffee is in the market. Look at it. Take it in. Walk inside. Ooh, fancy. But guess what, there is another Starbucks across the street with a fraction of the line for the same so-so coffee. Or hey, you could go to a different local coffee shop in the market and probably get better coffee. (Awesome local/northwestern area coffee shops, not in the market, but in Seattle include: Fuel, Stumptown, Espresso Vivace)

Places to absolutely check out in the Market:

Pike Place Fish Market: The Flying Fish Guys. They throw fish around. They have a great time doing it. The fish is probably really good too. The Daily Dozen Doughnut Company. This donut place is near the newspaper stand. Holy. Moly. I love these donuts. You get them hot and fresh in a little paper bag that the grease leaks through and they are so good. The Magic Shop. It's pretty rad. Nearby is a wall o curiosities, including a giant shoe you can view for a few quarters. Fancy. There are also tons of awesome restaraunts, food stands, jewelry stands, flowers, local crafts - pretty much everything you can imagine. Also, check out Post Alley, and the Gum Wall, which is pretty disgusting but strangely cool. And can we talk about how Pike Place is apparently haunted and I never knew about it?! My friend told me while we were having coffee that they have ghost tours of the market, so I looked it up. Apparently Princess Angeline, daughter of Chief Seattle, walks around, as well as a ton of others. I'm currently reading through this old article from the Seattle Times: Ghost Stories Haunt Pike Place Market. Uh, totally cool.

Well that's all from me for now. I'm back on the plane to San Francisco later today! See you all later. Xoxo.