Now that summer is almost here, the cruise ships arrive daily in Elliot Bay. They let tourists off from all over the world. Other tourists are here with their friends or family. Inevitably they come to Pike Place Market. I’ve shown people from the East Coast, from Guam, and from points between the market. When I was 8 and living in New York, my family came and visited and my Dad’s parents out here took us to the market where we had a great time. It’s great, and I’m glad you’re here. But on top of being a tourist trap, the market is also a grocery store for a lot of people in the neighborhoods around it. So here are some tips to not get on their bad side:
Walking can be tricky. The place is small and cramped, and you don’t know what stall you want to stop at. Still, try not to randomly stop when there’s space in front of you. There’s a good chance that if you’re going in a group, that it’ll get separated. Instead of turning around randomly, turn around when you’re stopped by the normal course of walking in a cramped space. Or move to the side to let other people pass.
You’re going to want to take a picture of fruit at some point. I know, I know, it seems strange. My advice is have your camera out ahead of time, so you don’t have to fumble with it.
If you drove here, you may think you can find parking on Pike Place. There is a street there, and in theory there is some parking, but you’re not going to be able to find some. There are parking lots around. And Metro buses that will get you pretty close. Don’t circle through the market looking for a spot, because you’re not going to find one.
Finally, it’s called Pike Place Market. There is a Pike Street nearby, but the market itself is on Pike Place. If you call it Pike Street market loud enough that a local can hear you, they will hate you. Also, if you call it Pike Market, Pike’s Market, or Pike’s Peak Market.
My Pop’s second wife, a certified imbecile and inveterate mental midget, insisted it was called the “Pike Market” and when they came up to visit from San Francisco just a month after Mt. Saint Helens woofed her cookies back in 1980, insisted we go visit this “wonderful reminder” of how it was before the government took over all the grocery stores. When we went there, she complained about the crowding and the street people that were everywhere.
She also insisted that Pop rent a large, expensive Buick to travel in while they were visiting, then demanded to go see “Mt. Helena” while it was erupting. When I tried, rather gently to correct her about the name, her eyeballs started spinning around in her head and the foam formed at the corners of her mouth and told me in no uncertain terms that “Saint Helena” was the correct name, and not to “question her again”.
At any rate, they drove this large, expensive Buick down to Longview or some shit to look at the mountain. I don’t think they even got close as the mountain was blowing full steam ahead at that point. The car died on the way back to SeaTac, in Olympia or so, and pop ended up having to replace the car for the rental company, as he’d cooked the engine with all the volcanic ash that it had aspirated.
Yeah, my Pop ain’t that bright.
Can we call the denizens of the market “Pikers”?
I do not understand why they don’t ban vehicles that aren’t making deliveries or have handicapped people from driving through the market.
“Pikers” is already claimed by RETHUG employers who think minimum wages are way too high.
I don’t see any reason to get mad at the tourists. I remember my sister tried to buy some salmon shortly before their return trip, and since it was shortly before closing they were downright rude to her – essentially forcing her to go away (with her money).
We might have different reasons for being there, but it’s a public market and everyone has a right to enjoy it.
As for getting the name wrong – I think it’s a fun way to tell the tourists from the locals (as if the clothing and the cameras didn’t already do that).
The irritating part (at least for some of us grizzled old-timers) is when the tourists decide to stay here and modify the local dialect by force of sheer numbers. One recent result of that is what was once named “Puget Sound” (like it says on the map) now being pretty consistently referred to as “The Puget Sound”. Crap…that sounds like the name of some really lousy garage band.
Vancouver originally named it “Puget’s Sound” after one of his staff. That was 1792. I’ve seen Puget’s Sound on illustrations from the 1850s but have never heard it called that by any family (including my grandmother who died at 101 and lived here since 1898).
What’s more annoying are real estate agents whose listings place Seattle on the ocean. The Pike’s Market nomenclature also shows up in listings. But what should I expect when some realtors describe every style of house as Victorian, including those in a Cape Cod style.