Pike Place Market
Founded in 1907, Pike Place Market is one of the most iconic farmers markets in Seattle, Washington. It is known for being one of Seattle’s oldest markets with unique traditions such as fishmongers tossing fish, the Gum Wall, Rachael the Piggy Bank, and other famous tourist attractions.
As we entered the Pike Place Market, we were surrounded by the sound of people yelling and clapping. That’s when we saw the workers at Pike Place Fish Market tossing fish around.
Whenever a customer buys fish, the fishmongers would toss the fish back and forth from the counter to the area outside, where customers stand. The workers also liked scaring customers with their fish by throwing the fish near you and snatching it back at the last second just like Turkish ice cream. The fishmongers also set up a monk fish prank. They attached the monk fish to a string that can be pulled at the other end of the fish ice display. When someone is looking closely at the fish, they would pull the string that made the monk fish look like it is slipping off. Everyone, including us, screamed of excitement.
Also, at the entrance of the market sits a 550 pound bronze piggy bank, Rachael the Piggy Bank. At that time, I just thought it was an interesting sculpture that caught my eye, but I didn’t realize until now that it was actually a piggy bank which donates money to the local community. Rachael has been helping the community a lot by raising more than $200,000 since she was installed in 1986.
As we walked even further into Pike Place Market, we saw a unique work of art that covered roughly 90 square meters of surface area along the brick walls of Post Alley. It was the famous Gum Wall of Seattle. It was a tradition that started during the 1990s, where the patrons and performers of the show “Unexpected Productions” stuck their chewed gums onto the brick walls.
From then on, more and more people stuck their gums on the walls to make a gum wall which extends approximately 16 meters in length and 4 meters in width. Now, the Gum Wall has become the largest, and is widely considered the world's most famous gum wall. As I walked by the Gum Wall, I looked very closely at some pieces of gum and realized many of them actually had designs. Some people would put them in different shapes and some people stuck their gum like stalactite as if it was dripping. I liked the Gum Wall even though it was disgusting but still, I thought it was cool.
At last, we went to line up for the Pike Place Chowder for lunch. Pike Place Chowder is America's most awarded chowder, winning dozens of awards and widely viewed as the best chowder in the U.S. It was quite a long line, and it grew longer once we got in line. Within minutes, the line stretched far behind us. We were starving by then, which made us super excited for the chowder. While we were waiting, the worker gave us a QR code to scan so we could order while waiting in line, which would make the process more efficient.
After around 10 minutes, we finally got our orders. Since the dine-in area was small, we decided to eat at the MarketFront Sundeck, a public seating area located at the end of Pike Place Market. It had a few picnic tables on the deck and also had a nice view overlooking Elliot Bay.
We ordered a lobster sandwich and a few bowls of clam chowder. The clam chowder was rich and savory. It tasted different from the ones in Taiwan, like Costco’s clam chowder. There was also sourdough that came with the chowder. The sourdough was hollowed out in the middle like a bowl. Along with the sourdough, it had a special taste that was just right. With the creamy clam chowder and soft sourdough, they paired well together.
Finally, we visited the Starbucks Store at Pike Place, also known as the “first Starbucks store.” Even though the one at Pike Place is the oldest operating Starbucks, it is actually not the first Starbucks location! The very first Starbucks location was a block away from the famous tourist attraction “Original Starbucks.” The actual first Starbucks sold whole-bean coffee, tea, and spices rather than brewed coffee and drinks like it is today. Due to the aging structure and its demolition in 1976, we could not visit the first Starbucks. Even though we didn’t go inside, nor buy anything there, I still thought it was nice to see the oldest operating Starbucks. As a global brand that can be seen everywhere in Taiwan, it was interesting to see its origin.
For me, visiting Pike Place Market was the most memorable experience I got from Seattle this time. From watching fishmongers tossing fish, seeing Rachael the Piggy Bank, the Gum Wall, the “first Starbucks,” and also tasting “the best chowder in the U.S,” each tradition had a little story behind it. That is why I really enjoyed visiting Pike Place Market. I would like to visit this market next time I go to Seattle, and see what changes there are to it, and maybe explore more about it!
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