Pike Place Market

Jim and I spent much of our trip to Seattle exploring the Pike Place Market and all that it had to offer. With our hotel located just a few blocks from the Market, it was easy for us to walk to the Market to shop, eat, or to simply take in the sights.

On Tuesday, Jim and I participated in a food and cultural tour of the Market. Savor Seattle offers a variety of award-winning tours that explore the food, culture, and history of the area. The 2-hour tasting tour included delicious samples of food and beverage from several of the market's vendors. We tasted everything from fresh mini-doughnuts and smoked salmon to handmade cheese and Rainier cherries. By the time that our tour ended (with a phenomenal sampling of a crab cake from Seattle chef Tom Douglas), we were stuffed!

Our tour group met at a Starbucks located just across from the market. As we sipped at our first sample (iced coffee), our tour guide provided us with a map and a preview of what we would be seeing and tasting on our tour. He warned us of what he and others in his company have coined "The Costco Effect". He explained that once we started out on our tour, other Market customers would attempt to join our group in the hopes that they, too, would receive a sampling of the food/beverage that our tour guide would be passing out to us. He encouraged us to form a tight semi-circle around him so as not to allow others to access the tasty tidbits. Not 10 minutes after he had given us this warning, a woman attempted (and succeeded) in garnishing a free doughnut from the samples that our guide passed around the circle!

Prior to our visit to our Seattle, I had no idea just how big the Pike Place Market is! You could easily spend an entire day exploring the many levels, alleyways, and streets on which vendors sell their goods. We paid a few visits to the Market, and still only made a dent in it. I guess we'll just have to go back...