Pike Place Market - Meet the Producer

Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on Seattle Pike Place and Downtown, a free self-guided tour.

Step under the big red Public Market Center sign and clock, and you're at the heart of Pike Place Market, open since August 17, 1907. The city created it so shoppers could buy straight from farmers instead of paying middlemen, and its motto is still Meet the Producer.

Right under the clock, the crew at Pike Place Fish Market toss whole fish across the counter to each other, usually to cheers from the crowd. Nearby stands Rachel, a 550-pound bronze piggy bank by sculptor Georgia Gerber that has been here since 1986. Drop in a coin: everything she collects supports the market's own social services, including a food bank, a preschool and a health clinic.

The market nearly vanished. In the 1960s planners wanted to replace much of it with towers and parking. Seattle voters saved it with a citizen initiative on November 2, 1971, that made it a protected historic district. Take your time in the arcades for fruit, flowers, chowder and pastries, and say hello to the farmers and makers behind the stalls.

Getting here: Climb back up out of Post Alley to the top of Pike Street. The neon market sign and clock are right in front of you.

Did you know?: Rachel the bronze pig takes in roughly 6,000 to 9,000 dollars a year in coins from visitors from all over the world.

Photo op: Stand in the middle of Pike Place looking toward the bay to fit the neon sign, the clock and the crowd into one shot - but watch for cars, which do use this street.

More on Wikipedia: Pike Place Market · Pike Place Fish Market

Pike Place Market - Meet the Producer

Stops on this tour