when we arrived in seattle, the city was not as we imagined it would be [read: raining]. temperatures were in the mid-80s, the sun was beaming, and we were under attack by giant balls of pollen. again, evidence that the mid-50s san francisco we had just left knows nothing about proper seasonry. upon our arrival, we were whisked away on a jet-ski adventure by our friend, mike. yeah, i know. jet-skiing in seattle? we were weirded out, too. but it was an awesome way to see the city…seattle waterside is absolutely breathtaking. i’m hoping to share some of those photos soon…they’re still on mike’s waterproof camera, but hopefully on their way.
in the meantime i wanted to share part 2 of my ode to the pacific NW marketplace, this time with seattle’s world-renowned pike place public market.
everyone knows that when you visit seattle, you have to watch the fish being tossed at pike place. well, i’ve got some news for you kiddies. it’s really not all that its cracked up to be. it’s actually kind of lame (sorry about the bubble-bursting). here i was, thinking that we’d witness an age-old system of getting fish to where it needed to be…dont get me wrong, tossing fish from one pair of hands to another is how things did get done in the old days…but today, they’ve turned the practice into a shtick for tourists. here’s how it goes: a fish only get tossed when it’s bought. in the meantime, mobs of people crowd around the kiosk just waiting. when the fish finally gets tossed, you better hope you don’t miss it. like we did. or else there will be more waiting…
anyway, so much for the lowlights of pike place. otherwise, the multi-level indoor/outdoor public market truly is a sight to see. fresh flora and produce, samplings, indie crafts, the original starbucks (ooh. ahh.), tasty restaurants/snack treats, and even kitschy import and movie poster/comic/hobby shops that make you wonder how they stay in business pervade this vibrant seattle institution.
finally, my very own photo of this super famous sign
the fish guys…not tossing fish.
the crowd control fish guy and lobster.
seattle is known for its delicious salmon.
peonies and irises.
garlic spears? interesting.
elephant garlic. these are HUGE.
the only real size comparison i can make is highly inappropriate.
beef and cheese piroshkies from piroshky piroshky are yummmm.
the mac and cheese from beecher’s is the best i’ve ever had.
hands down. i daydream of it sometimes. like now.
stay tuned for more to come!
