Pike Place Market

Monday, January 27, 2014

Pike Place Market
85 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101

How do I even start writing about such an amazing place like Pike Place Market? For one, these photos that I took do no justice to the actual market place itself. With the variety of things that you can do from visiting the fish market to local artisan craft booths, you just cannot run out of things to do at Pike Place Market. One of the many things I wanted to do was visit bookstores because lets face it - I have a slight obsession with books and I probably should stop. Given the fact that I own more than enough electronics that are compatible for e-books, I still cannot give up purchasing paper books. Outside of wanting to go visit varying bookstores, there were other stores that I enjoyed browsing through including a 3-D puzzle store to which I purchased two puzzles for my dad and my brother to build together.

What I find amazing about this marketplace is the fact that these individuals wake up 7 days a week to set up their stores every morning and sell their products. “How is this any different from what other stores do?” Simply put, these individuals are standing in the cold every morning selling fruits, vegetables, vintage pieces, flowers, crafts, and more. These are not things that you can find at your chain markets. These are things that people make out of love and skill. These are one of a kind items.

I got an amazing opportunity to eat at two of the largest and most popular restaurants at Pike Place Market.

Athenian Inn
1517 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101

I still do not know why Yelpers have given this place such a low review. Was it the price that they paid for their meal or was it because they expected some sort of luxurious restaurant? Either way, you will definitely see my review on Yelp with five stars. Yes, I do agree that the price is pretty out there, but given the fact that this restaurant is located at a marketplace filled with fresh ingredients - I would probably been okay with paying even more. The two times that I have eaten at Athenian Inn, I have gotten the bagel, cream cheese, and lox. And let me tell you - I now believe in the bagel. I do not like bagels. In fact, I hate cream cheese for that matter. But after this trip, I have fallen in love with the simplicity of bagels and cream cheese (but it will never be the same without the lox). Also, the view that we got of The Seattle Great Wheel is breathtaking. This place gets the Michelle’s Thumbs Up.

Lowell’s Restaurant
1519 Pike Pl
Seattle, WA 98101

I will be honest, I did not expect to eat at Lowell’s, but given that I was so drawn by the Seattle Seahawk’s Pre-Game Rally Party held at the Westlake Center, I was a little late in having my first meal of the day. With that said, I had no choice but to opt out of the breakfast menu which included the bagel and cream cheese lox, but that is not to say that I did not enjoy my meal at Lowell’s which was the Wild Salmon Filet sandwich with a side of french fries. It was no lox, but it was absolutely scrumptious. This place also gets the Michelle’s Thumbs Up.

Original Starbucks
102 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101

If you are more of a landmark person, do not fret. Starbucks, the coffee mega house, originated here in Seattle. What luck did I have when I stumbled across the first ever Starbucks shop! I did not go in as I was not in the mood for coffee let alone wait in the crazy long line. I did, however, do a secret happy dance knowing that I passed by such a huge landmark that is Starbucks.

Gumwall
Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101

To wrap up this post, I had to end it with the Gumwall alley. It is one of the most looked for landmark for tourists and probably one of the most difficult places to find. No matter where I walked, I got lost. If you ever decide to go hunting for this alleyway, go early. I lucked out in finding it around 10AM on a Tuesday where I got it to myself to freely take photos. Around 10:30-11AM, people came in to take photos of themselves and I had to duck out so that they can claim their victory pictures like I did. Just a side note, it really is as disgusting as people have said it to be and no, I did not contribute gum to the wall.

*Disclaimer: I was not sponsored to write this post. None of the businesses or brands above have asked me to write about these places. I just wanted to share my experiences with everyone.* 

To see more posts from my trip to Seattle, check out this tag here

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