Back to Seattle, where it all began! Michele and I were anxious to repeat the amazing cooking experience we had previously had in Seattle in 2010 when we rented furnished condos for a week, went to the market everyday, cooked like crazy, and tried to get the hang of what made food pretty. Finally, during the week of the 4th of July, 2012, we had the chance to go back to Seattle. We grabbed it, and in multiple installments, we chronicle for you what we did. I think you’ll find we’ve at least begun to figure it out.
The weather was a bit gloomy the day we arrived, but we couldn’t care less. We were thrilled to be back! (Plus, it was 100+ degrees back home, so the very idea of wearing a jacket was incredibly appealing!)
See this steep incline? It was the path between our rented condo and Pike Place Market. We got some great exercise, baby! Actually, it was incredibly close and convenient. We felt very fortunate.
Not only was the condo convenient, it was also very cool. The owner is a noted author who consults with the most powerful companies on the planet. She has an amazing art collection which adds to the uniqueness of the space. The furniture was remarkably comfy and the view spectacular. VRBO jackpot! (vrbo.com — Vacation Rentals by Owners.)
The energy in the market is amazing. I was so happy to be there!
This sign sums it up. A large part of what attracts us back to Seattle again and again is the fact that the seafood arrives daily and a great deal of produce is grown locally. Fresh — and wonderful!
The first day we were there was a Saturday. This shows the inside of Pike Place Market, crowded with throngs of people. Even though it was elbow-to-elbow, the merchants were up to the challenge, well-staffed with people eager to help fill requests.
We were relieved to learn the huge crowds were in part due to cruise ship traffic. We were assured there would be fewer warm bodies on Monday. Our strategy was to survey EVERYTHING inside the market before purchasing anything. That was tough to do, because so much of the produce looked wonderful that it was tempting to just grab whatever we saw first. Here, Michele navigates her way down the length of the market.
I loved two things about this guy who was helping us with our vegetable and fruit needs. First, he had a bank hat on (and since we work with the banking industry, that seemed to be an auspicious sign), and second, he had a great big smile for everyone who passed by. He seemed to be having as much of a good time as we were!
It’s a good thing they have nice big signs on everything. I confess there were some vegetables and fruits I hadn’t seen before. The produce counters are so deep that often there are two big rows, with one person behind the front row and another behind the back and plenty of cooperation in between.
By the time we returned from the market, we were absolutely starving (having started our day at about 3:00 a.m. to prepare for early flights). We whipped up a quick batch of mushroom canapes on the low carb toast points I brought with me.
Hot snack. Cold, gloomy, misty weather. Perfect combination!
Of course, the market has herbs and flowers, as well as all the other ingredients we needed. Our first artful presentation of the trip began with this. Lovely, don’t you think?
I love how the glass serving platter allowed the rustic coffee table to show through. It was a perfect backdrop for our rustic-looking mushroom bites!
I’ll tell you what the hard part was at the Market — making choices. The prices, particularly for the flowers, were so reasonable that we wanted to grab armfuls and become flower hoarders. Alas, there are only so many spots to position flowers and a limited number of vases. We had to make choices. Aren’t these spectacular? Never did figure out whether they were a type of mum, dahlia, zinnia, or even some exotic seedless sunflower, but they were gorgeous.
Leave a Reply