After landing in PDX from Chicago on Friday, I drove to St. Helens, stayed the night, and we drove to Seattle on Saturday morning. Our first stop was the Seattle Art Museum, which was very interesting. They have a lot of modern art, much of which just confused us, but the Jackson Pollock was great. Unfortunatly, photography wasn't allowed in the galleries, so the only pics I have are from the lobby. These huge marble rams were spectacular...
On Sunday, we had a food tour scheduled which was fantastic! Both of us had been to the market before (several times), but on the tour we got to learn much more about the day-in, day-out workings of the market and some of it's illustrious history. I highly recommend Seattle Bites food tours to anyone going to Seattle.
As we walked toward the Market from SAM, the iconic Public Market sign came into view. Anticipation of the delicious things to be found grew as we got closer..
The sign with the bay in the background. The weather was perfect- sunny, but not too hot, with a cool breeze.
Our first stop on our tour was the "Economy Market" where there used to be seconds available for people on a budget to buy. Before the Economy Market, this is where the horses would be led down below the market to the stables. A wonderful rendition of a Humbolt squid dangled over our heads as we drank flavored soda and ate crepes.
Then, we were off to explore the hundreds of produce booths. Many have local fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood, but some are full of exciting, mysterious items from abroad. This stand had beautiful pepper strings and wreaths amidst packages of dried noodles, spices, teas, and fruit.
This is the dry goods section of the market that houses more food stalls, but also craftsman as well.
For a year or more, I had looked forward to another trip to Seattle so that I could see this gentleman. He makes the best sheepskin slippers and Mom and I both bought a pair. Dad had bought a pair during our Christmas trip a few years ago and is still wearing them!
Another stop we made on our tour was this seafood stall. It had the largest lobster tails I'd ever seen as well as the most mouthwatering, buttery smoked salmon I've ever tasted. I bought salmon belly jerkey and a large fillet of yummy, smoky heaven...
Here's Mom rubbing the nose of "Rachel" for luck. Rachel is actually a large piggy bank and raises about $6,000 dollars a year that is donated back to the Market. She stands vigil in front of the "World Famous" Pike Place Fish Market stand that tosses fish back and forth to entertain shoppers. They have been featured on No Reservations and Globe Trekker!
Next, we went outside to the "wet stalls" to ogle fresh fruit and vegetables basking in the sun. Here is the owner of the stall giving us the low-down as we browsed the goods and drooled...
Fresh strawberries (we bought two pints)...
...oranges, berries, grapes, bananas....
...limes, cherries, pears, lemons, nectarines, peaches....
...and, of course, Mom with her beloved artichokes....
Next on the agenda, was a trip to the iconic, yet disgusting Gum Wall (Mom was horrified).
The staircase down to the Gum Wall was completely wallpapered with posters advertising bands, concerts, plays, and festivals, layer over layer...
Because of the Cheese Festival, the Market was packed with people shopping and the employees at every stand were busy yelling orders, making change, wrapping produce, and hawking their wares. The hustle and bustle of shoppers, the various entertainments of the buskers, and the warm weather made for an extremely invigourating day.
Here's Mom working on the balcony of the hotel room the next morning. After an aborted trip to the hotel breakfast buffet, we decided to break into our loot from the day before instead....
..a most satisfying breakfast of smoked salmon, Beecher's cheese curds, mixed berries, peaches, strawberries, and Tetley tea. Who could ask for more???
The Pink Elephant revolving car wash sign that we kept passing while hunting for a good place for dinner.
All-in-all, it was a kick-ass trip and no matter how many times I visit Seattle, there's always stuff and want to go back for. The only drawback to this trip was that Salumi is closed on Mondays!!! I'll have to go back during the week sometime...
