No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the Pike Street Market. Though it is touristy, it is also great fun to wander around. I love taking photos of the flower bouquets and always regret I can’t take them home with me. After seeing so many tulips growing, it was nice to see them mixed with other flowers to make beautiful arrangements. The fresh fish, fruits and veggies make for gorgeous still lifes. The range of cuisines and ingredients available would make every foodie swoon. The scents alone would make anyone salivate, even if you’ve just eaten.
There are the galleries—Northwest Coast Art, Mexican and contemporary art, as well as clothing shops, bookstores, kitchen supply stores, a cigar store and on and on. It would be easy to spend a full day there and not see it all. Astoundingly, I managed to enjoy it and not buy anything.
Lunch was at Japonessa where I had a sashimi sampler that included four varieties of salmon. My favorite was White King Salmon, also known as White Chinook. I’d never eaten it before and loved the buttery texture and subtle flavor. I’ll now be on the lookout for it.
Had I not been exhausted, I could have spent many hours at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). We wandered around taking in a little of a large variety of exhibits. As always, I was drawn in by the masks—from the Pacific Northwest, Africa and Asia. As well as some stunning Japanese baskets and ceramics.
We ended the day at SZN, a fusion restaurant—an odd mix of Korean and Mexican. Not sure why those two cuisines have any relationship to each other. On the other hand, why not?