Tag Archives: Seattle Washington

SEATTLE & ALASKA #2: POPULAR PIKE PLACE MARKET & WALKING THE WATERFRONT

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On a sunny day, Seattle is a wonderful city to see on foot. Following our light rail ride into the city, we spent the day exploring Pike Place Market, the waterfront, and Pioneer Square Preservation District.

It was a beautiful July Sunday that coincided with the final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so we knew it would be crowded at the market. What we didn’t know was that a large screen would be set up just outside the market for viewing the game. We took a deep breath, put on our imaginary patience caps, and braved the crowds.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Along with the rest of the crowd, we wanted to see the fish mongers throwing fish at Pike Place Fish. They have become famous for tossing fish back and forth, a silly but iconic feature at one of the oldest and largest continuously operating public markets in the United States. Seeing it brought back memories from 1987 when we first saw the shenanigans.

Founded in 1907, Pike Place Market offers everything from seafood to fresh flowers to artisans selling their crafts. We weren’t interested in shopping, but it was fun roaming through the market and doing photography

The flowers were so fresh and colorful! For that matter, the flowers all over downtown, from the hanging baskets to waterfront planters were one of my favorite things about Seattle. It added so much color and charm to the cityscape!

Seattle did a fabulous job connecting Pike Place Market to the waterfront down below with its winding ramps. There were also stairs and elevators available as an option. And the waterfront was such a pleasant place to walk and enjoy the views of the harbor.

Walking to the far end of the waterfront development at the ferry terminal left us just a couple of blocks away from Pioneer Square. We headed up the hill and discovered another crowd gathered at the square in front of a jumbo screen watching Spain beat Argentina for the World Cup.

As it turned out, utilizing this map was very helpful in planning our day. We arrived at the Symphony Station, just a short walk to Pike Place Market, and then departed by train from the Pioneer Station to return to our hotel. We were able to see everything we wanted to, leaving just the Chihuly museum (located adjacent to the Space Needle) for the following day.

Coming up next: Seattle & Alaska #3: Chihuly’s Gorgeous Glass

SEATTLE & ALASKA #1: SUNNY SEATTLE

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It had been thirty-nine years since Bruce and I visited Seattle, so we looked forward to seeing how the city had changed. A small group Alaskan land tour was booked with Odysseys Unlimited that would begin with a flight out of Seattle to Anchorage, so we arrived a few days early.

Seattle has a reputation (rightly so) for being very rainy; the average rainfall is about 39 inches of rain per year. And if it’s not raining, it is often cloudy. The city experiences about 201 cloudy days per year compared to 93 partly cloudy and 71 clear days. We anticipated the former rather than the latter, so we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70’s!

Top on our list to see was Chihualy Garden and Glass, but we arrived on a Saturday and decided to wait until Monday to visit when it would be less crowded. Besides, with the museum’s dynamic pricing, it would be less expensive, too.

Opting to stay near the airport rather than downtown for an easy getaway on Tuesday morning, we found a hotel just a short walk from the Link light rail station, which was convenient for riding a train downtown each day.

A great way to get around downtown Seattle is by their free shuttle bus, which stops every 15 minutes at several locations and hits all the popular spots. Even on a Saturday in July, we were able to catch a ride with no problem. (Of course, it helped to get off the train in China Town, at the least popular end of the bus route, and then hop on the shuttle there rather than at the Space Needle.) We did the complete round trip shuttle ride, so we could get the lay of the land and see how much we remembered from our 1987 visit. (Other than the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, not much, as it turned out!)

Just a couple of blocks away from the shuttle bus is a food hall on 5th and South Weller Street, a great casual location to grab a good quick meal. We selected Los Costenos based on its Google reviews, and we enjoyed it so much, we returned for a breakfast burrito on Monday morning, before visiting the Chihualy museum.

As you can see by these shots of China Town and the Space Needle, it was indeed a sunny day in Seattle!

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Next up: SEATTLE & ALASKA #2: POPULAR PIKE PLACE MARKET & WALKING THE WATERFRONT