Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is Seattle in a bottle, a cavalcade of sounds, scents, people, banter, and urban theater scattered generously across a geometrically challenged waterside strip. This fantastic local event, which has been operating since 1907 and is still as busy now as it was on the first day, displays the city for what it truly is: all-encompassing, eclectic, and proudly distinctive.

The market's infrastructure was expanded in 2017, adding vendor space, weather-protected communal spaces, additional parking, and low-income senior housing. If you're coming from downtown, just walk down Pike Street toward the lake; the massive Public Market sign carved against the horizon is impossible to miss. The sign and clock, which were placed in 1927, were among the earliest pieces of outdoor neon on the West Coast.

Stop and view the activity and vibrancy from the top of Pike Street and 1st Avenue. Before entering the market, walk down the cobblestone street, through the continuously gridlocked automobiles (don't even consider driving down to Pike Place), and shake the bronze snout of Rachel the Market Pig, the market's de-facto mascot and governing spirit.

Every year, this life-size piggy bank, carved by Whidbey Island artist Georgia Gerber and named after a real pig, receives around $10,000. The money is put back into market-based social programs. The nearby information booth contains maps of the market as well as general information about Seattle. It also functions as a ticket booth, selling discounted tickets to a variety of acts throughout the city.

Location: 85 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101