Memories Made ( part 2b)

 The Pike Place Market has been a defining Seattle icon for more than a century. Considered by many “the soul of Seattle,” the Market spans nine historic acres in the center of downtown where everyday locals and tourists alike shop, visit, eat and discover.

 Founded in 1907, the Market is one of the oldest and largest continuously operating public markets in the United States and is brought to life by the hundreds of farmers, crafters, small businesses, and residents that call it “home”.

 Today, the multilevel space is home to more than 500 shops, vendors, restaurants, and bars.

With over 10 million visitors each year, Pike Place Market is the most popular destination in Seattle and one of the most touristed landmarks in the world.

 Two for $11.99? That's cheap! Must be brats!

 Interesting hat she is wearing.

The world’s first Starbucks coffee shop opened at Pike Place Market in 1971 and can still be found with its original look and feel in the same location. 

There was a line a mile long at the entrance, I chose not to go in. 

 

 Instead I walked around and took photos of other locations.

Not sure what she was doing, but she looked like she was in a trance.

 I got caught!

Standing proudly beneath the Pike Place Market clock ever since 1986, Rachel the Piggy Bank was installed to raise money for the social service agencies in the Market, as part of the Pike Place Market Foundation’s mission to nurture a thriving Market community.

 In 2011, Rachel was joined at the Market by her ‘cousin’, Billie. Each year, these porcine princesses collect around $20,000 in currency from around the world — and they’ve raised more than $350,000 in their bronze lifetimes! 

Remember in 1997 when more than three dozen bodies were discovered in a mansion in suburban San Diego? That was the work of religious cult Heaven’s Gate whose leader and 38 members killed themselves by taking phenobarbital and mixing it with apple sauce washed down with vodka. Disillusioned though they may have been, they nevertheless purchased a floor tile on the upper floor of the Market near the produce stands as part of a 1985 fundraising initiative which hauled in $1.6 million for the Market.

Busking at the market is serious business.there are more than a dozen spots around the market slotted for buskers and each one is designated with a large musical note painted on the pavement.

I am concluding this post with two photos of the food we ate at Pike Place Market only to entice my friend Rodney to visit this area and to make him aware that you can find almost anything at this market.

In our case it was Iranian cuisine. 

  Next stop is another tourist attraction found right here in the same area as Pike Place Market.

Can you guess where/what it might be?

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