85 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm
When you ask people what to do or what’s an iconic location in Seattle, Pike Place Market is probably very high on the list. Having opened in August 17, 1907, it’s one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the US. 10 million people a year come to this row of shops with produce, butchers, fishmongers, etc. (+ tourist shops).
As you enter the market from 1st Ave/Pike St with the Pike Place Market sign, directly to your right at the start of Pike Place is Ellenos Yoghurt. Ellenos was started by an Australian father and son team after an American flight attendant tried their yoghurt and eventually the team started Ellenos in 2013 with Pike Place being the original location. Their traditional yoghurt comes in pots with a variety of fruity toppings and is delicious - the yoghurt is thick and creamy and the flavorings (if you choose to add them) add a great fruity taste. I tried it with passionfruit and it was incredible - I'm usually not the biggest Greek yoghurt fan and I loved this.They only have two storefront locations with the second in Georgetown to the south but they sell in lots of supermarkets, in addition to being on Instacart & Amazon Fresh.
I started my visit by going to the original Starbucks location at 1912 Pike Place. 45 years ago, Howard Schultz started the first Starbucks store here which today has over 20,000 locations worldwide. The line is always long out the door (I waited 30 minutes on a Saturday morning) and they have original signs hanging in and outside. It's pretty small at 1000 square feet/92 square meters but they have some fun features like the Pork’n Beans sculpture made for the 2001 Pigs on Parade competition, an extra-high espresso bar for you to see the barista make your drinks, and even staff throwing empty named cups to baristas for filling.
Walking along the market there's plenty of stores selling both food and various knick knacks. If you go down past the sign to the Elliot Bay waterfront, there's a nice grassy area with grass and benches to sit and enjoy your various purchases. Seattle is not known for its nice weather but if you're there in the summer or on a nice day like I was, it's a great place to hang out.
If you walk south along the waterfront, you'll walk past the aquarium and ferris wheel along the downtown area and in 10 minutes get to the dock - I really enjoyed taking the ferry to Bainbridge island and feeling like Meredith Grey (from Grey's Anatomy).
The ferry provided a great and affordable view of the city - A return ticket's $8.50 for adults and $4.25 for children & seniors vs the ~$35 to go up the Space Needle!
Comments