Last but not least in my Seattle recaps, it’s Pike Place Market!!!

The Market at Pike’s Place first opened in 1907 as a result of public unhappiness with the increase in the cost of produce.  A city councilman invited farmers to haul their carts into the city to cut out the middle man and bring their fresh offerings directly to consumers.

By 11 AM on that first day, they were completely sold out.  Since then, the market has been the premier destination for local foodies and tourists alike, with hundreds of purveyors lining the marketplace daily.

The produce is stunning.  The flowers, gorgeous.  The fresh seafood, unparalleled.  It is truly an incredible place to be!

The first thing we saw as we entered the market was the place where they throw the fish!  I was beyond excited!

The guys behind the counter were super friendly, even to little old tourist me!

And we even got to see them throw a fish!  I wasn’t quick enough on the draw with my camera because it was quick, and honestly, a little anti-climactic, but it sure was fun!

Apparently, this tradition was created entirely out of laziness.  When a customer ordered a fish from the outer counter (in the first fish pic above), the employees behind the counter got tired of having to go out and around to retrieve the fish every time.  So they just stationed someone out there, and now, whenever someone orders a fish, they do a little chant and toss the fish to they guys behind the counter.  It was really fun to see such a famous tradition come to life!

I obsessed over the gorgeous seafood for several minutes, before moving on to the stunning flower displays!

Every single bouquet was stunning!  Full of tulips and daffodils, the seasonal flowers were out in force!

If I hadn’t had to get on a plane, these babies would be mine!

At least I can admire their memory!

As we strolled along, there was plenty more seafood to see.

Don’t these crabs look like they’re waving at you???

And check out these insanely jumbo shrimp!  Oxymoron say whaaaa???

While you’re at it, don’t forget to pick up some bacon sausage!

(That’s special for you, Dad!)

We also passed an absolutely beautiful produce stand with a friendly purveyor!

Couldn’t you just eat the entire display???

We sampled a few of the Muscat grapes pictured above—the same grapes they use for Muscado wine!—and they tasted just like wine!  Perfectly sweet and juicy!

The purveyor also gave us a little produce lesson about these guys!

Whimsical, right?  They’re fiddlehead ferns and you can only find them in the springtime.  A cousin of asparagus, he explained that their flavor is a bit stronger.  People tend to love them or hate them, but regardless, they sure do look pretty!

I was also mildly taken with the selection of cherry tomatoes!  Mini-anything I tell ya!  Gets me every time!

Next up, we encountered an amazing fresh pasta stand.

Honestly, I have never seen so many flavor and shape varieties!

They even had a chocolate linguine.  Even uncooked, it was incredible!  With a little butter, powdered sugar, and whipped cream, I’m sure it could rival any dessert around!

We also sampled their fab collection of oils and vinegars.

I sampled nearly every single one, selecting the blackberry balsamic pictured above.  I nearly purchased it before realizing that it exceeded the 3 oz. restriction at the airport, and I wouldn’t be able to carry it back with me. 

All of their vinegars were delicious, though.  They were so thick and syrupy, you wouldn’t even need to reduce them for a balsamic drizzle!  Locals—get some and enjoy it for me, will you pretty please???

After lots of strolling (and eating!), we headed out, but not before spying this pretty plum!

Isn’t she lovely?  It’s a red-hearted plum!  Love it!

Not to be outdone by their next-door neighbors, though!

In case you can’t see the sign, it does say “Big A$$ Grapes!”  And they were!  The picture isn’t doing them justice, but they were HA-uge!!!

Pike Place definitely lives up to all the hype!  It was such a fun foodie day to explore and see the offerings of the local farmers in Seattle.

In case you missed it, on my trip to Pike Place Market, I also . . .

Visited the first Starbucks

Had a culinary experience with Piroshky Piroshky

And housed some chow-dah!

Seattle is a such a fun city!  If you haven’t been, I sure do hope you make it there someday!