Poking around downtown

Wednesday was spent getting to know the heart of downtown Seattle, beginning with the frontier-themed Pioneer Square, then the carnival-like Waterfront and the sprawling, lively Pike Place Market, and finishing with the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Totem polls and food trucks seem to be popular (Pioneer Square)

A waterfall garden to honor the UPS serves as a retreat from the city

Shady Occidental Square.  Seth first came here a couple weeks ago--it must have been a bad day because he only saw uncouth street characters

 

Along the waterfront

Pike Place Market: Opened in 1907 and is one of the oldest continuously operated farmers markets in the US.  It is surprisingly big and disorienting since it has several buildings and levels and also outside stalls.

The fish market where fresh fish get launched through the air by the venders

These flowers do not get launched (and if they did, they wouldn't make it very far)

 

Outside on the street there is a shop, Beecher's, that makes its own cheese and turns it into incredible creamy mac & cheese

 

Near Beecher's is the original Starbucks, still entertaining crowds and churning out its coffee with a science-like precision

 

Giant dog, stepping on a napkin, and Tiny dog, hiding under Giant dog.  This woman is twisted.

 

The gross yet oddly fascinating 'gum wall' in the alley by the market

After leaving the crowds behind at Pike Place, we took a walk through Belltown.  This bar is called Shorty's and specializes in pinball, hot dogs, and Hep C.  Actually, there was a long string of these types of vintage grunge hangouts, and they were surprisingly intriguing.  Nearby we even met a nice guy named Raheem hoping to unload some MJ on us.

I didn't think we'd make it past Belltown,  but we eventually found ourselves in Olympic Sculpture Park. 

 

 

"Too bad" we didn't make it to Hempfest over the weekend.  They were predicting high numbers -- over 250,000! -- since marijuana was legalized in Washington State this past year, and for this festival they were allowing public MJ smoking.  The cops were even going to pass out bags of Doritos (no joke!), with messages taped onto them.  Crazy northwest people.