Pike Place Market

I absolutely loved going to Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. It is a must if you are visiting. The iconic Public Market Center sign is such a neat sight when you see it pop up while walking to the area. We spent about two hours walking through the market and then made a quick trip the next day to grab flowers and donuts. There is free parking if you can find a spot in the market, but for us we just parked across the street in a parking garage for about ten bucks. We got to the market around noon so it had gotten pretty busy, but we heard if you go right when it opens the crowds aren't as bad. 

Here is a list of what we ended up trying while we were in the market. There were tons of shops we didn't try or wait in lines for that I have heard are really good, as well. 

Flowers: There are flowers for days while you walk through the market. They have bouquets and bouquets and bouquets to choose from. They are all priced really cheap for flowers and were bundled up really well to keep them fresh. We went back to grab a bouquet our last day there. They also have beautiful flower decorations hung up along the roof edges throughout the outside of the market. 

Daily Dozen: The yummiest donuts ever are at Daily Dozen Doughnuts. They have hot fresh donuts that they coat in cinnamon sugar or you can get cold versions with frostings on them. We tried the maple frosted donuts which were pretty good. I do prefer the hot ones though. You can get a half a dozen or a full dozen of each flavor or mix them up. The donuts come in a paper bag. 

Rachel's Ginger Beer: This is a fun drink spot in the market. The Ginger Beer is ginger, lemonade and sparkling water mixed with flavoring of your choosing. They have lots of flavors and then there is an alcoholic version available as well. I got the Raspberry and Peach flavor which was my favorite. The flavoring was strong enough to cover up the ginger flavor more. My husband got the Blood Orange which was less flavorful so the ginger was very strong in that one. The little shop is decorated cute and has a good amount of seating. 

Organic Apple Cider: My husband stopped at this little booth serving flavored Apple Cider. They let you try any of the flavors and then you can fill up your own cup. We tried the Peach and Strawberry flavored ones which were both good. It was a good cold drink to have on a hot day.

Waterfront: There is a set of stairs in the market that takes you down to the waterfront. You just walk a little ways out and you are at the pier and by the Aquarium. You also can walk to an area upstairs that takes you to a spot where you can see the water as well. You can see cruise ships docked there, the Ferris wheel, and a good part of the city. There are tons of food spots and its where some of the ferry boats load up. 

Gum Wall: This was the best part of the whole market! There are signs to help guide you to the area if you can't find it. Our GPS took us to the upstairs of it and then we just had to go down the elevator, but you can walk to it from the outside too. It is the coolest feeling when you open the door or turn the corner to the alley way. It was way more filled up then I thought it was going to be. It goes almost the whole alleyway down and then pretty high up. We got to put ours on the wall and got some fun photos.

Starbucks: The original Starbucks is located in the market. There was a line the whole time we were there so we didn't go in to get anything. You are able to get a picture with the original Starbucks logo sign on the window without being in line. I was very surprised at the old logo and understand why it got changed to the new one. It was cool to see even if you don't go inside. 

Pike Place Fish Co: This is a cool spot to stop and watch. The fish market has fish laying in ice and every so often the workers throw the fish back and forth. It would bring a crowd every time they did it. If you stood close enough they would tease you with the juices from the fish.

Public Center Market Sign: There is the main iconic Public Center Market sign and there is a smaller version towards the end of the market. Both signs are really cool but the main front one is the best. We kind of came around the corner and it just popped up right there. There are tons of people, but there is a brick roadway that you can get a picture by for the sign to be in the background. 

Pike Place Pig: There is a pig statue in a couple of spots throughout the market. We hear it is pretty iconic for Pike Place. We ended up getting a picture with one of them wile we were there. There are a lot of really neat features as you walk the market.

Ellenos Yogurt: We didn't end up trying the yogurt while we were at Pike Place, but they have a few spots set up to grab some. We went back to Seattle a few months later and ended up trying it at Costco as a sample! They had their Eggnog flavor for us to try. I thought it was so good! You can buy a tub of it there or you can go to Pike Place and get some too. It is very creamy, has good flavor with a little bit of tartness, and lots of flavors to pick from. 

We had eaten a really good breakfast before we went to the market so we weren't hungry. We did hear that the clam chowder and Beecher's Cheese place are both really good. Next time we go we will have to give more of the food options a try.