|
|
|
Pike Place Market
For my sister, Jeffi's, mumbledy-mumbleth birthday celebration (not a BIG one, but getting close), Sheila and I decided to take her to Seattle for the three-day Memorial Day weekend. When we first started planning the trip, we were just focused on the Paul Allen rock 'n' roll museum--some of you know that Jeffi was a rock 'n' roll publicist in a previous life in NYC, working for Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, Joan Jett, and many others. But then we learned that there was also a major festival happening, and that cinched our decision.
So on Saturday morning, we took off up I-5 north. Our first stop was in Kalama WA at one of their antique mall and deli combinations for "second breakfast"; well, actually, it may be called the Kalama Antique Mall and Deli, anyway it's the one across from the Post Office. The Deli there is the best bakery for quite a few miles around--this time we split a stuffed sausage-gravy biscuit (always a must) and a rhubarb cobbler. They also have great cookies, pies, cheese cakes and, oh, yes, sandwiches. We've never had the sandwiches but they look pretty darn good. It's only about 30 miles from Portland, but if you time it right you can justify a major bakery hit and pick up sandwiches for your lunch. We did only a quick run through one of the antique stores, because we were bound for other realms, but even so, I scored on five salt cellars for my collection -- they were all in the 50% off room, so felt like a real bargain. When we leave town, we always intend to stay longer and explore more of Kalama the next time around, but this wasn't that time either.
Less than three hours later we were at Pike Place Market in Seattle. None of us had been there for quite a while and I was a bit disconcerted at how much expansion has happened. When I first started visiting in the early 70s, it was two multi-level ramshackle buildings along the waterfront with open-air fish, meat and vegetable markets and a few stores and lunch counters. Now it's ALL the ramshackle buildings in a rectangle about 4 blocks by 3 blocks and encompasses several new buildings, too. Getting a bit too much like a shopping mall now, but the ambiance in the major buildings is pretty much the same as in the early days -- narrow aisles, no major chains, lots of cheerful noisiness.
We admired the fish-tossing* and beautiful vegetables and even more beautiful fresh flowers--this weekend was high on lilies, peonies and sweet peas. We visited several shops, including the largest collection of wind-up toys in North America, and had lunch--fish and chips and cole slaw, of course. Jeffi found some terrific bargains in tencel-fabric skirts in the get-it-out-of-here box at an excellent women's dress shop called Yazdi. Then outside, from a street vendor (in what is called the "Day Stall" area), we bought a copper-wire massager (25% off deal for Memorial Day weekend) guaranteed to "stimulate your senses and improve your outlook on life." This is a very cool thing, a sort of open 10-pronged cage of curved coppper wire about a foot long that is said to stimulate acupressure points. When you run it up and down your head, it sure stimulates goose bumps. Here's a pretty good picture of one. Oh and Jeffi wanted me to be sure to mention the buskers. Her favorite was a young man who could play a guitar behind his back while hoola-hooping and singing or playing the harmonica. I voted for the a capella doo-wop group because they could actually carry a tune.
After all that shopping and entertainment, we needed refreshments so slogged up one of Seattle's many steep hills to a section of the Market called Upper Post Alley to the wine-tasting room we had read about, The Tasting Room. This is a cooperative venture of six Washington boutique wineries. Everything available from these wineries can be bought by the 2 oz taste, the glass or full bottle. On this day, the special tasting was from a winery called "Wineglass Cellars," and included a full glass of voignier and tastes of sangiovese and merlot for $9.00. Jeffi and I had that and Sheila devised her own "flight" of reds from other wineries--syrah, merlot, sangiovese for $7.00. The staff was knowledgeable and helpful and didn't get disdainful because we didn't buy a bottle and the wine was very tasty. We were also welcomed by the resident winedog, a Golden Retriever named Stanley. This was taken in his younger days, Stanley has since lost an eye and just a few days before had surgery on his ear, so he wasn't as entertaining as usual the proprietor said. He mostly napped nicely at our feet, but roused himself enough to be quietly assertive when a visiting pug decided to take a rest in his bed.
Wending our way back to the parking garage, we stopped into a tea shoppe to buy lavender shortbread for our evening picnic and discussed black sugar with them. Sheila had been served this tea treat at the home of our friend, Jeanie, who said it was from England, a special present from her sister. With a gorgeous array of tea finery in the window and a name like Perennial Tearoom, we thought this tea shop might have it. They didn't and a quick Google search turned up, inevitably, a band and an exposé of sugar plantation abuses in the Dominican Republic, but no culinary treats. We didn't have time to do more research, but I'm sure the tea ladies will come up with it before we visit again.
Then it was home to our hotel to have a picnic-in-the-room with our favorite sparkling wine, Segura Viudas Brut Reserva, a cava from Spain. After which we rested up for the great Seattle Center adventure the next day, which I'll tell about next.
* The fish-tossing happens when you pick out a fish from the display tables covered with shaved ice and fish and then a helper throws it to someone behind the counter to weigh, price and wrap. This way you can get up close and personal before you settle on your fish--apparently the only way to do business with some of those canny Seattle-ites.
Next
|
