create your own

Seattle's Pike Place Market

93
rate or flag this page

By relache


Welcome to Pike Place Market

Seattle's historic Pike Place Market is a popular, year-round destination for city residents and tourists alike, and it turned 100 years old in August 2007! Located just off the waterfront, this multi-level building features dozens of artisans, vegetable growers, flower sellers, craftspeople and more. Load up on organic produce or fresh seafood, or browse the unique gift and specialty shops.

There are also restaurants and brew pubs for your refreshment and dining pleasure. And right across the street is the first ever Starbucks Coffee. Wear comfortable shoes, bring your digital camera, a shopping list if you're so inclined and come experience this one-of-a-kind Seattle tradition.

Weekends you'll find Pike Place Market is much more crowded than weekdays, so take that into account if you can't stand an intense crush of people. You will find more merchants and vendors on weekends, so be sure to get info from your favorites so that you know when you can go back and find them again. Best daily deals include fish, flowers, bread and veggies, all found on the street level of the market.


The Birth of Pike Place Market

In the summer of 1907, a group of farmers decided that the middle men were giving local shoppers a raw deal by marking prices up too much on local produce and the market was founded so that growers could sell directly to the consumers. Apparently that first day, there wasn't a whole lot of produce to sell, but tons of buyers showed up and bought whatever they could.  The market has been in continuous operation ever since! 

The Sanitary Public Market, the building directly across from Pike Market, was built in the 1920s and was the first market buiding that wouldn't allow horses or dogs inside at all, hence the "sanitary" moniker. It too still exists all these decades later, housing a collection of produce sellers, restaurants and retail shops.



At The Market

Click thumbnail to view full-size
The market sign at dusk
The market sign at dusk

Tips for Shopping at Pike Market

  1. Allow the better part of a whole day. The place is that big, that busy and has tons of great places to eat. Please note that most of the market shuts down by about 6pm.
  2. Bring a jacket or sweater as the market is near the waterfront and it can easily get breezy and chilly.
  3. Bring a camera. You might catch a shot of fish being thrown at the fish counter or you might just want to take great pics of all the amazing produce. The view of Puget Sound isn't bad either.
  4. Bring a shopping bag. Getting out of the market without buying anything is extremely rare, and bringing your own reusable bag is eco-friendly and gives you an easy way to schlep all your goodies.


More Pike Market News


Take a visit to Pike Place Market!

Things I Always Do At Pike Place Market

  1. Look for new PEZ that I don't have yet at the candy stores.

  2. See if there are any veggies I need at the organic vendors. There are tons of great berries and nuts, two crops that grow abundantly in Washington State.

  3. Watch to see if any fish are thrown. I also like to buy fresh salmon, that's one of my faves.

  4. Get fresh little hot donuts - the donut place is on the main level, to the left of the fish-throwing, as you look at it from the front. If you get there after noon, they may be out of certain varieties. They close when they run out of batter so there is often nothing after 2pm.

  5. Get a big bunch of fresh flowers - the $5-$10 bundles offered by the flower seller are amazing deals! I get bigger and more colorful bouquets here than anywhere else I've ever lived.

Pike Place Postings

RSS for comments on this Hub

Nate Kelley profile image

Nate Kelley  says:
3 weeks ago

Great hub on Seattle.. I have lived here in Seattle my entire life and I just love foing down to the pike place market.. keep up the good hubs.. Feel free to check my hubs out.. I recently just started the 30 day 30 hub challenge..

Nate

akirchner profile image

akirchner  says:
3 months ago

Making me miss it having lived up there for 23 years - but then again, it's not quite what it used to be "back in the day" when we were young and there were so less people! Great hub though!

EWealthGuide profile image

EWealthGuide  says:
4 months ago

Great, thanks for the info, I'll be heading there soon!

juneaukid profile image

juneaukid  says:
4 months ago

I very much enjoyed your informative article on Pike's Market. When I was there last, just off Pike's Market I found a great Northwest Indian art shop and across the street a Russian coffee bean house. We bought our best salmon ever at the market itself.

donotfear profile image

donotfear  says:
4 months ago

I've visited Pike Place several times. My favorite store is the Chili Pepper store where you find hundreds of chili peppers hanging! It's so colorful and cheery. I had my picture taken there.

Svea profile image

Svea  says:
6 months ago

So glad you wrote about the Market. I re-claimed my soul there. I had been fired from my job as an anchor for the ABC affiliate in Orlando. I took 3 suitcases with me and Flew to Seattle to start a new life. I taught down the street at The Art Institute of Seattle and walked through the market to my bus stop every day. Under towering Mt Ranier with the smells of Russian baked goods, Starbucks coffee and Chinese food on a skewer my spirit came alive. I remember thinking Thank God I escaped. I truly felt free there, no make up, hair wet and nobody to say :" There goes........" I no longer live in Seattle but I return often to the Market!

relache profile image

relache  says:
13 months ago

If the crowds prove to be too much for some folks, it's best to go to the market in the middle of a weekday. I was just there today, a Tuesday afternoon around 2:30pm and it was very uncrowded. And I got to sample chocolate linguini...

countrywomen profile image

countrywomen  says:
13 months ago

I have been their couple of times and its always teeming with so much activity.

relache profile image

relache  says:
13 months ago

marikavi, you seem to be confused. The photo shows something I saw at the actual market and you'd have to buy it from the vendor there. It's not something for sale over the internet.

marikavl  says:
13 months ago

I like to buy the peppers on the string but I do not have the web address. Can you help please?!

relache profile image

relache  says:
14 months ago

I've no idea Dave, you'll have to do your own shopping for that one.

dave  says:
14 months ago

Where in the market can I find facial clays - i.e French Green clay, Rhassoul or Fuller's Earth?

Thanks.

sandifaist profile image

sandifaist  says:
2 years ago

Nice Hub! I live in Kirkland.

send flowers online  says:
2 years ago

I think I once saw an entry about the Pike Place Market on Wikipedia, though I couldn't quite recall what they had to say I think this is a nice one from you.

G-Ma Johnson profile image

G-Ma Johnson  says:
2 years ago

Iove the fish throwing..and I missed. hee hee ..Is a wonderfulplace in Seattle. G-Ma :o)hugs

relache profile image

relache  says:
2 years ago

All anyone needs to do to see fish being thrown is to actually buy some fish at that stand. A lot of people stand around and wait to see something, but if no one is shopping, no fish are flying...

sunstreeks profile image

sunstreeks  says:
2 years ago

They never seem to be throwing the fish when I go. I've lived here all my life, just 30 minutes away from the market and there are tourists that have seen the fish fly more than I have. Great hub!

relache profile image

relache  says:
2 years ago

Occasionally videos get dropped, so I've found a new one. Guess that gives me a good reason to get down there on a nice day with my video...

William F. Torpey profile image

William F. Torpey  says:
2 years ago

Nice companion piece to your "Let Me Show You Seattle." Unfortunately, the video says "We're sorry" so I couldn't watch it. I wish I could get there, I'd love to see it in person, especially the trolleys.

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
2 years ago

Nice Hub! I really enjoy Seattle and don't get t be there often enough.

Submit a Comment

Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.


optional


  • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
  • Comments are not for promoting your hubs or other sites

working