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Published: November 19th 2023
Pike Place Market
Entrance to Pike Place Market.
IMG_1641p1Our summer cruise to Alaska began with a prelude in Seattle. The United Airlines morning flight from Washington Dulles faced an hour's delay. Nevertheless, we arrived at 11:30 a.m. on a bright sunny Seattle day. Susan and I collected our bags and made contact with Premier Shuttle we had booked for transportation to our downtown hotel. Nearly everyone we encountered asked if we were embarking on a cruise as if we wore some sort of a sign! One woman at the airport shuttle waiting area asked me if I had ridden the Seattle Light Rail. I replied I had not, for this was my first time in Seattle since 1962.
The Mayflower Park Hotel was to be our base until Tuesday. It is a classic hotel, opened in 1927, with a European ambiance about it. The Mayflower Park is strategically located, a few blocks from Pike Place Market in one direction and the Monorail and tram terminals in another. The first order of business for Susan and I was to visit Pike Place Market.
Pike Place Market swarmed with people. I have the idea most were visitors like ourselves. However, the traditional urban public market was established in 1907,
Pike Place Fish Market
Fish throwers at Pike Place Fish Market.
IMG_1646 selling produce, meats, flowers, and, most significantly, seafood. So, there has to be a significant degree of local trade. Susan and I enjoyed lunch inside the marketplace at Lowell's Restaurant. I had Blackened Alaskan Cod Tacos. Our table overlooking Elliott Bay afforded a view up and down the waterfront and across to Bainbridge Island and beyond.
The fishmongers at the Pike Place Fish Fish Market stall are famous as the fish throwers. (I had never heard of this, but it is a Seattle tradition.) When customers order a fish, the fishmongers throw it among themselves before wrapping it. A large crowd of onlookers patiently waits in front of the counter, hoping a fish will be thrown. There are many more onlookers than fish customers here, much to the despair of a barker who encourages someone to buy a fish. The original Starbucks is located here, but try as we might, we couldn't locate it.
I took a brief photo walk around the hotel's neighborhood in the evening. The neighborhood forms Seattle’s commercial retail core. Most of the low to mid-rise buildings date to the 1900-1930 period. Macy’s and Nordstrom‘s are both located in classic department store buildings. The
Pike Place Market
Produce stall at Pike Place Market.
IMG_1635 twin Mid-Century Modern circular towers of the Westin Hotel stand out as an exception to this classic downtown look. The Seattle Monorail, light rail, and streetcar systems all come together here, providing convenient access to all parts of the Seattle metro area. There are even four trolleybus lines in this neighborhood. (Only four American cities have trolleybuses.) I checked out the Seattle Center Monorail station in advance of riding the next day.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
The joys of Seattle
We lived in Seattle for 7 years and near grew tired of the market and the beauty of the surrounding area.