See Seattle as the Locals Do - 2

Pike Place Market—the Heart of Seattle

Speaking of Pike Place, the market in downtown Seattle continues to be the heart of the city’s visitor experience, and somehow manages to sum up many of the city’s best qualities in a five-block area. Perched on a bluff on First Avenue, it offers stunning views of the Sound and the Olympic Mountains, with a little grassy park at the tip. Don't bother spending much time at this park. There are better ones nearby, such as Myrtle Edwards Park at the north end of Alaskan Way).

Pike Place shops are bustling with vendors selling salmon, clams and crabs, as well as fresh produce and foodstuffs that range from imported cheese to cinnamon rolls. There are coffee shops, several restaurants and dozens of stores that sell everything from books and wind-up toys to magic tricks.

Visit the Market first thing in the morning for coffee and pastries, and to see the flower vendors arranging their wares, or visit it when you’re hungry for lunch. Tourists line up to watch the likable vendors at Pike Place Fish Market toss salmon around, but the locals head across the street to Jack’s Fish Spot, which has a stainless-steel counter for excellent crab cocktails and fish and chips.

• Pike Place Fish Co. is a must see attraction, just be careful of flying fish!
• Jay Galvin

Better yet, walk through the whole market collecting bites along the way (try Dish D’Lish for salads and sandwiches, and the sublime Piroshky Piroshky for to-die-for pastries and savory salmon pies) and take a picnic away with you as you explore the city. Check out the original Starbucks, with its leering mermaid from the original logo, which you’ll only see here: She was too randy to take worldwide. The Market closes up tight around 5 p.m., and for goodness' sake, don’t even think about driving or trying to park on crammed Pike Place itself. Use a lot nearby and walk a block or two to beat the traffic.

A Center Especially for Kids

First stop for families after the Market is Seattle Center, a traffic-free, multi-block square in the middle of town—just north of downtown’s Denny Way—that is home to:

• On warm days children run through the fountain in Seattle Center.
• Chas Redmond

• the Space Needle (great viewing platform at the top, but a local would never be caught dead eating there—too many better choices around town),
• an amusement park with rides,
• the Children’s Museum for younger kids,
• the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame for older kids and rock-and-roll lovers,
• a huge computerized fountain, and
• the city’s excellent Seattle Children’s Theatre, with most shows geared toward kids ages 4 and older, though infants are welcome too.

Seattle Center can eat up the better part of a very fun day. Choose a hotel in the nearby Queen Anne neighborhood and you can ditch the car and walk there.