Pike Place Market is one of my favorite places to visit… on a mid-week morning off season! Mike and I recently had the pleasure of spending another morning at the market. When I get there, I want to start taking pictures of everything. I love how the vendors display there goods as well as the great variety of things to look at!

Upon getting to the market, I was happy to see the street performers had begun their shows. I think they bring a great energy to the market and some of them are so talented. Today there was a performer playing the piano and he was fun to watch! He also got me energized for some serious shopping.

So our market purchases are quite predictable. I have my list of must-haves that I get every time. The most obvious of these to anyone who has ever been to the market is flowers. The flower vendors are amazing! It takes great consideration to choose the perfect bouquet. I look at them throughout my whole trip down the market, and then I purchase them on the way back. I would hate to miss out on the perfect flowers by being impulsive. I have been known to buy more than one bouquet though. Can you really have too many fresh flowers in your house? This trip was a great one for flowers because my all-time favorite flower is in bloom. I adore peonies and they were abundant in the bouquets. I’m not sure that Mike sees the point in buying peonies, since my yard is full of them. However, he is a great sport and doesn’t say a thing!

The market is known for its great selection of seafood, so don’t forget to bring you cooler when you go! I love to look at the variety of fish to choose from. If it is your first time at the market, you have to watch a little fish throwing. You don’t get entertainment like that just anywhere else. Having seen it before, today we just kept looking. I was excited by the shrimp though. Since we were planning on a picnic later in the day, we decided they would make a great addition.

The produce at the market is so beautiful. It is fun to see all of the colors. In the Yakima Valley, we are still early in the season. We currently have asparagus, greens, and radishes. The market gets produce from all over so there is always a big selection. Today I saw purple asparagus for the first time. Is it weird that I love uniquely colored food? I love my food to be pretty!

A stop I always make is at Paperdelle’s Pasta. They have such unique flavors. We love to try new flavors, but we have our go-to flavors as well. With summer coming I wanted to stock up on Thai Orzo and an Italian blend for pasta salads. With this pasta they are always amazing. The flavors are so vibrant that we are always happy. I love to take pasta salads in picnics when we go to listen to concerts at wineries during the summer. To me, life doesn’t get much better then sitting at a winery, listening to great music, eating yummy food, while sipping on a glass of wine.

We are down to our last two stops that I must make. The first is Le Pannier bakery. Oh how I love a french bakery. Let’s start with the smell. There is nothing that smells better than freshly baked bread. Today we got some to add to our picnic. I also have to get french macaroons. They are my favorite cookie. I am so glad they aren’t to easy to buy, I would probably be in trouble. As is they are a fun treat to have every now and then.

Last, but not least, Mike and I like to end a day at the market with a beer at Pike Place Brewery. They have great local beer and it is a great atmosphere. I love look around at all there is to see while sipping my stout. Mike always gets a Kilt Lifter! It seems like the perfect ending to a great trip to the market.

Cheers!