This bustling marketplace is wonderful for strolls. Prepare your wallets and your cameras for all of Seattle's unique merchandise that can be found here! Anything from food, souvenirs, jewellery, and comic books can be found here!

I always enjoy walking through Pike Place Market whenever I visit Seattle. It is a marketplace that is colorful and vibrant and friendly, the way you want to remember Seattle to be. It originally opened in 1907, making it the oldest farmer’s market in the States. Thanks in part to the efforts of local architect and preservation advocate Victor Steinbrueck, it avoided demolition and urban upheaval and became a National Historic District in 1974.

The large neon sign with the clock and the distinctive red letters announces the location of the Public Market Center. Not coincidentally, here is the most talked-about attraction of the market–the fish stall! The merchants of Pike Place Fish are world-famous for flinging fish to each other like circus acrobats. Unfortunately, when I was here on a Sunday morning, there were no flying fish. You see, it is not just an act, but part of the commercial sale of merchandise. When a crowd gathered with open camera lenses, but not open wallets, the guys even subliminally suggested that you could actually BUY some fish. No selling, no slinging! It was too bad because I have seen these fishmongers in action and they are like the Harlem Globetrotters of the fish world, tossing the slippery salmon while chatting away. One time a fellow missed an errant fish like a rookie receiver, and the guys all yelled, "discount"! Look out for the fake monkfish planted in the ice; it will try to snap at you if you get too close!

The fish market is the star of the show, but there is a lot going on here. There are good restaurants (some with great views of Elliott Bay) and a variety of terrific food stands and bakeries. Various stands sell fresh produce, flowers, fruits, and vegetables, while organic goods are featured on Wednesdays. Look for treats like Russian buns; candied cherries; and colorful, chewy candy sticks with fruity flavors. Wander around and perhaps you may get a free sample of something. There are merchants selling t-shirts, toys, hand-crafted objects, and retro souvenirs.

If you are near the fish market, look out for Rachel, a brass sculpture of a pig that is actually a piggy bank collecting money for the Pike Place Market Foundation. It was designed by local artist Georgia Gerber in 1986 and is definitely cuter than those glass boxes in airports collecting leftover change. There are typically all sorts of entertainers and street life going on, including musicians, mimes, balloon blowers, and perhaps some hucksters. This market can be a crazy slice of Seattle, and thankfully, it is not too homogenized like a suburban mall.

The hours of the hundreds of vendors vary at Pike Place Market. If you are coming from the waterfront, the best way up is to take the elevator. The way down is easier, as you can go down the Pike Street Hillclimb, a several-storied staircase that is bordered by a few restaurants and stores.

We only spent a few hours here but I could have spent plenty more. There were vendors for fresh seafood, vegetables, flowers, crafts, souvenirs - anything you could want. I got coffee at the original Starbuck's, bought a bouquet of dried flowers to take home to my mother, and wished I could shop there for fish and flowers weekly. Stop by the fish market to watch them toss fish and wrap them for the entertainment of customers. This is one of those places where words won't do justice. You have to see, smell and taste your way through this amazing place. It is an old Farmers Market which is multi-level and blocks long. Don't miss it!

This is the famous Seattle market complete with flying fish. This is a must when visiting. Remember, this is where the first Starbucks came from, and you can visit it on First Street across from the market. If you are visiting the other sites like the Space Needle there is a monorail that will take you within blocks of the market (it lets off in a three story mall).

It is a sort of flea market with homemade crafts sold in open aired stalls all the way down the street. Of course you have to see the famous flying pike place fish. They can even pack them for your flight home.

Flowers and fish and odd arrangements are wildly abundant here. Also, the local booths will allow a small amount of bartering. This market is also a great place to pick up a local bottle of wine from the Willamette Valley, which is underrated and excellent.

Wow, what can I say about Pike Place Market? They have everything under the sun, from fish, to fresh produce, some of the best bakeries around, and that's just the food. They also have a great collection of stores to buy unique items like wood carved native American art and even a comic book shop. You can spend all day exploring or shopping. And when you get tired head over to the very first Starbucks located in the market to get that all important recharge.