It’s rare for the three of us, my husband, son and I, to go somewhere that none of us has ever been before, so Seattle is a real treat for us. While it is always an advantage to have a member of your group who knows the place, it’s also an adventure to discover somewhere as a family, and Seattle really is a wonderful place to discover. It is almost exactly as I imagined it, a beautiful location where the mountains meet the sea, any of its rough industrial edges smoothed by the relaxed and friendly attitude of the locals.
While the Fairmont Olympic gets ready to welcome hundreds of bloggers from around the world, we’ve been exploring the city. Of course, the biggest foodie destination in Seattle has to be Pike Place Market. I’ve been to a lot of markets around the world – tiny village markets in France, bustling British street markets, the famous English Market in Cork, produce rich Ontario fruit and vegetable markets, urban markets in Boston and San Jose and the wonderful market in the Ferry Building in San Francisco to name a few, but the Pike Place Market really is something else.
There is the freshest fish I have ever seen, glorious colourful vegetables, fruit, fresh herbs, spices, raw honey, and more. And the flowers – oh my, the flowers! As one passing lady said, “It’s like more wonderful flowers than you have ever seen before, and they are all so reasonable!” Beautiful bouquets I would pay nearly a hundred dollars for at home were on sale for fifteen dollars each, and bunches of fresh sweet peas and California poppies were a snip at four dollars. As for my favourite flower, peonies, you could buy a dozen stems for twenty dollars – sigh.
Attracted by the buzz and their slogan “almost classy since 1957”, we wandered into Lowell’s Restaurant and Bar for lunch. We ate incredibly fresh fish overlooking the market, and I tasted Copper River Salmon for the first time in my life. I always wondered what all the fuss was about…now I know!
I’m so looking forward to discovering more of Seattle, a wonderful city by the sea, and also to the start of BlogHer Food tomorrow morning!
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