Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington – Let’s Go Shopping

One of the things Gene really wanted to see and do while we were in Seattle in May of 2016, besides Boeing and Museum of Flight, was visiting the Pike Place Market. He claimed the main reason was to watch the guys throw some fish around. I really didn’t see the appeal on the fish-throwing part, but I did want to see the market.  We spent a few areas one afternoon before heading next door to Safeco Field to watch my Angels play the Mariners. We had a great time walking about the market place which I learned opened on August 17, 1907. Wow, I had no idea it has been around that long.

Once we parked, which was an adventure in itself, we walked in and I was assaulted with all the smells. Sadly it wasn’t the flower smells, but the fish smells. 🙁  lol  However; I have to say it didn’t smell even half as bad as some of the open fish markets up in Vancouver that we were at earlier in the week. I was shocked at all the different stands of fish markets. Each one was so different and unique. My husband was very pleased to have been able to see some fish being thrown around. Again, I have to say I don’t see the excitement, but he enjoyed it, so that made me happy.

We also saw many produce stands selling fruits and vegetables. These were interesting and I liked how they were all different but the same. A lot of them had the same types of veggies, but they organized their area to make it unique and stand out to shoppers.  None of them looked alike. I also have to say that I believe I saw some fruits and vegetables that I don’t think I had ever seen. Pretty cool.

There was one vendor that was different from all the others. They were selling Olive Oil and have many different types. What I liked about this vendor was that they had little bowls with the oil and small little pieces of bread to dip and taste.  It was fun and I definitely found some I liked and didn’t like. There was one that I would have liked to have purchased, but we weren’t checking our luggage and we didn’t want to pay a bag fee for a bottle of olive oil, lol. Maybe next time, as it was really good and contained garlic, yum.

The thing I actually enjoyed the most about Pike Place Market was all the flower vendors. They looked so pretty and smelled so good. They were so many rows of beautiful and colorful flowers. Now that I think about it that might have been the reason the fish didn’t smell so bad, lol. Either way, I enjoyed walking around in the beauty of their presence. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many flowers in one place. Maybe in a florist, but I don’t even think they had that many. It was wonderful to see and enjoy. Gene wanted to buy me a flower, but they didn’t sell individual flowers, and we were going to the game later, so it wouldn’t have survived long.

Seeing all the flowers were my favorite part of visiting Pike Place Market, but I did enjoy looking at some of the jewelry vendors. I didn’t see many of them, but they were there, along with those selling shirts, hats, jewelry key chains, etc. I also enjoyed all the little restaurants in the area. Also had some yummy Gelato for sale, which was great for an unusually hot Seattle day. I know shocking, lol. We did have a great time and I really enjoyed walking along the water and seeing the big Ferris Wheel. Looked like fun, but we decided to look around a little more and then head to the game. Hope you enjoyed our visit to Pike Place Market. Should be on your list to see and do in Seattle. Here is their website with more information.

Pike Place Market Visitor Information

Address:

85 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101v

Phone:

206-682-7453

Hours:

Daily 9 am-6 pm

Directions:

Pike Place Market is easily accessible by public transport from Sea-Tac Airport and surrounding Seattle neighborhoods.

Directions via Public Transportation: Take Metro (Seattle’s great public bus system) or Sound Transit Light Rail to the Market. Many Metro bus routes will drop riders off near the Market on 3rd Avenue and Pine Street. The Westlake Sound Transit Link Light Rail station is located just four blocks away from the Market at 4th Avenue and Pine Street.

For detailed schedule information and round-trip planning from your home, call Metro Rider Information at 206.553.3000 or visit metro.kingcounty.gov.  You can also get details about Sound Transit Link Light Rail at soundtransit.org.

• Seattle Metro Transit
• Sound Transit Light Rail
• Washington State Ferries
• Elliot Bay Water Taxi
• Amtrak

Parking Garages at Pike Place Market

The Pike Place Market maintains two parking garages with over 800 parking stalls and easy access to 500+ small businesses and the waterfront.  Open from 5 a.m. –  2 a.m. daily

PARKING SPECIALS

Early Bird Rate Flat $10: Enter one of our below garage entrances by 9:30 a.m. and exit any time before 9 p.m.

Evening Rate Flat $5: Enter one of our below garage entrances after 5 p.m. and exit by 2 a.m.

Low Hourly Rate: $4 per hour up to the first 4 hours

Garage Entrances 

1531 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 View Map
1901 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 View Map
1530 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101 View Map

Rates

• 0 – 1 hour: $4.00
• 1 – 2 hours: $8.00
• 2 – 3 hours: $12.00
• 3 – 4 hours: $16.00
• 4 – 10 hours: $24.00
• 10 – 24 hours: $30.00
• Evening Rate: $5 Flat Rate (Enter after 5 p.m. and exit by 2 a.m.)
• Early Bird Rate: $10* Flat Rate (Enter before 9:30 a.m. and exit by 9 p.m., 7 days a week)
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station hourly rate: $1.00 (plus parking)
• Lost Ticket Rate: $30.00

$5 Evening Rate

Enjoying Pike Place Market after 5 p.m. is easier than ever. Park in any of our two garages for just $5 until 2 a.m. Cars left in the garages past 2 a.m. will be subjected to the daily hourly rate.

Handicap Parking

Both Pike Place Market garages have handicapped parking. Handicap parking is on each level near the elevators.

Handicap parking also is available, in limited supply, on Pike Place near the Market entrance at 85 Pike Street.

EV Charging Stations

The Market Front Parking Garage located at 1901 Western Avenue has 9 electric vehicle charging stations. They are painted green and located near the P6 entrance, stall numbers 886 – 895.

The EV charging stations are $1 per hour plus the cost to park.

Parking for Oversize Vehicles

Our parking garages and parking lots cannot accommodate RVs at this time.