5 Tips for Exploring Pike Place Market with Kids

Doesn’t dragging your children through hordes of tourists at Pike Place Market sound like fun? If you’re like me, you’ll either lose a kid or lose your cool. The amount of visitors to our historic landmark is increasing exponentially each year, which is great for the market, but hard on locals and especially those of us with kids.

What follows is an insiders guide to the mini Pike Place Market tour for you and your minis. It doesn’t cover much ground and it doesn’t cost much money (most of it is free), but it is big on good food and fun. There’s even some quiet time thrown in for those after-toddler-tantrum-moments or a breastfeeding break.

Getting there. Let’s be real. Taking the bus is the best bet since parking at the market is expensive and far away. However, if you can rally your troop to arrive at the market before 11 a.m. on a weekday you might get lucky and find a parking spot on Pike Place. This early in the day you’ll have most of the market vendors to yourself, and you’ll be there when the shops open. On Sundays, street parking is free all day.

What to bring. Coins for Rachel, five one dollar bills per kid to spend on new fruits and veggies, wipes for cleaning up afterwards.

Dress Up. If your child likes attention, have he or she wear a favorite costume. On the day my daughter wore her princess dress, she was addressed as such and felt like royalty for a day.

1.      Ride Rachel

Start with a requisite ride on the market mascot, Rachel the Pig, in the heart of the market at the corner of Pike St and Pike Place directly under the neon Public Market Center sign and “the clock.” Have your kids jump on her back for a photo, then drop some coins into her change slot. She’s a life-size piggy bank modeled after a real pig! Can you find her hoof print? Know that your donation to the Pike Place Market Foundation supports a food bank, a preschool, a senior center, as well as a medical clinic in the market.

Make sure you drop a few coins into Rachel after getting your picture

 2.      Pike Place Fish and more

We all know the orange-clad fish-throwing guys are loud and fun, but they’re also full of tricks for kids. The large crowd around our world famous fishmongers might be intimidating but there’s still space for you and yours to get up close and personal. First of all, find the monkfish. Have you ever seen the grotesque gargoyle hanging from the salmon bench? That’s the monkfish! Ask one of the guys to “coach your kids on how to pull the monkfish chord.” When done right, it jiggles and lurches towards screaming onlookers. Excuse yourself into the inner sanctum, passed the crowd and hang out by the corner counter where the fishmongers toss and catch fish from. You can comfortably stand next to the display case, just be sure to leave room for the guys to walk through and duck if you hear them yell “Back Jack” or “TT” (test toss).

The guys at Pike Place Fish give kids the ultimate experience

For the full market-to-plate experience, have your child pick out a crab, then watch it get cracked and cleaned. It’s ready for immediate consumption. If you forgot the wipes, ask them to throw in a few wet paper towels. Before you leave the fish guys, be sure to grab a sample of their smoked salmon and if it’s a hit, try our favorite kid-friendly meal for dinner: smoked salmon fried rice with peas, carrots, egg, and soy sauce.

If your kids weren’t big fans of the smoked salmon, maybe they’d like another easy smoked snack, a little sausage landjäger from Don and Joe’s Meat. They are perfect for little hands (just ask them to slice it longways for your kiddos under 4 years.) Before bringing your ready-to-eat crab to Tip #3, try an apple chip sample from Simply the Best Dried Fruit stand. Much of what they sell is additive and sugar free. Directly behind you is the Sunny Honey Co. Their honey sticks are affordable for the kids to purchase on their own and many of their sweet products are under six bucks. Everything is handmade in Bellingham from local busy bees.

No sugar added Apple Chips from Simply the Best Dried Fruit

Delicious honey flavors at Sunny Honey Co. 

 3.      Pike Place Market Urban Garden

This rooftop garden is our favorite hidden treasure, a gorgeous place to have a snack and enjoy the view. A pig will also greet you at the entrance of this fruit and veggie wonderland. On this porcine sculpture, your children can leave their John Hancock in chalk. In 2013, this beautifully designed garden produced over 20lbs of food for the Food Bank and Senior Center. Located just to the left of Pike Place Fish towards Maximilien restaurant. Follow the hallway through gray double doors. If the weather is cold and rainy, pop into nearby Crepe de France for delicious food with tables and chairs.

Pike Place Market Urban Garden

4. Thomas the Clown, Frank’s Produce, Ellenos Yogurt, Britt’s Pickles and Beecher’s Cheese.

Be sure to watch the balloon twisting magic of Thomas the clown who’s usually seated near Rachel the Pig. He’s a permanent fixture within the market that was once asked to design an ensemble for a local fashion show. More amazingly, he may be the only balloon clown left who blows the balloons up with his mouth. The kids can use their one-dollar bills to choose a creation. How many balloons did it take to make his hat?

At this point you might be ready to cross the street towards the fresh fruit stands. There are always samples at Frank’s Produce and the kids can use the remainder of their money to buy something they’ve never tried before. Tucked-in, down the hall behind the nearby oriental market is Ellenos Greek Yogurt which also offers yummy samples to tempt your littles’ palettes. Down the hall a little more is Britt’s Pickles who sells pickles on a stick, a classic old-fashioned treat. On the next block, is Beecher’s Handmade Cheese with a viewing window for the kids. You might get a chance to catch the cheese makers in the act.

5. Take a break and a pit stop at Local Color Café or Lowell’s Restaurant

If you need a rest, a potty stop, or a breastfeeding break, visit the back of Local Color Café. Here you will find couches surrounded by art and a quiet space for some down time. Across the street, Lowell’s Restaurant offers three floors of water front views (one of which has a restroom).

Before you leave, check out the lower levels for magic tricks, a chocolatier, comic books, a pinball machine, photo booths, fortunetellers, and collectible rocks. Savor the memories of your day by picking up a copy of Sara Anderson’s colorful children’s book called A Day At The Market.

Jennifer Kakutani lives with her husband and three children on Bainbridge Island, WA. She is writing a memoir on mothering, as well as articles for Parentmap.com. She is married to a fishmonger named Taho.

Emerald Downs + Horse Racing 101

Pull out the big hats, pour yourself a mint julep, and let’s head to the racetrack! Seattle is lucky enough to have Emerald Downs just a short thirty minute drive from the city in Auburn, WA. It’s a thrilling way to spend a weekend afternoon and affordable (only $7 for entry, $9.50 if you want a reserved seat) as long as you don’t get too crazy with those bets.

Now, we know there is an art form to horse racing. Some say it’s important to visit the horses in the Paddocks before the race to size up the animals. Others use the handy “Parker’s Picks” program, which gives you expert advice on which animal is a good choice. Us? Well, we use the very strategic, mostly successful tactic of picking our horse based on his or her name. A Storm In Paris? Sounds like a winner to us. Maggie’s Special? Totally a sure bet. We once won $230 on a $5 bet by choosing a horse named Life is a Joy. It works. Trust us. (Actually, don’t trust us this isn't very good advice).

If you want to place a bet, you’ll need to let the teller know a few things:

1.       Name the race # you are betting on.

2.       The amount of bet you want to place ($2 is the minimum).

3.       The type of bet you are placing.

4.       The number of the horse (don’t give the horse’s name).

It should sound something like this:

“I would like to bet on race #4, $2 to win on horse #3.”

Now, there are a few different kinds of bets. You can bet your horse will win the race (“win”), come in 2nd place (“place”), or come in 3rd place (“show”). If you want to bet your horse will make it in the top three then you say you want “across the board.” This will cost you a minimum of $6, though, as it is $2 minimum per bet.

If you want to get a little more exotic, you can also bet an Exacta (correctly guessing the first and second place), a Trifecta (correctly guessing the first, second, and third place), and the Supertrifecta (correctly guessing the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place). We like to put money on these exotic bets mostly because they are fun to say, but for beginners, we recommend the fairly straightforward bets. Of course, do what you want. We won’t judge. Just don’t mortgage your house or spend your child’s college fun. Standards, people!

Insider tip: Every so often Emerald Downs will host wiener dog races in between the horse races, and this is a spectacle NOT TO MISS. It’s hilarious and chaotic and very, very cute. Emerald Downs also releases Groupon deals quite frequently if you are into making the day even cheaper. Keep an eye out!

Hat N' Boots

Located in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood is a tiny park, Oxbow, with a really big attraction. This is one of those attractions on Roadside Maps. 

This is Hat N' Boots.

It's a big deal. Seriously, we don't want to downplay this, it's a giant cowboy hat and cowboy boots, and it's a really big deal to our city. To be a true Seattleite you must go and bathe in the looming shadow of the Hat N' Boots, similar to Mecca... but sorta different. 

It's a truly life transforming experience. 

Why does Seattle, a city that was born of the lumber industry, have giant cowboy structures? Wouldn't this be better suited for Texas or Calgary? Well... we don't have that answer, sorry we can't know everything. Educated guess? It was exotic. It's like going to a Tiki Bar or listening to Shakira music.

What do we know? It was built for a destination gas station in the 1950s. The boots were a bathroom, the larger being the men's and smaller, women's. Unfortunately, a bright shiny new interstate, I-5, took traffic away from the small highway it was situated on, and the gas station closed. Hat N' Boots were abandoned and fell into a state of disrepair. 

If you are currently asking yourself if this story is inspiration for a Pixar film, yes, it is. We are thinking a Cars meets Toy Story hybrid. 

Don't worry this story has a happy ending though. Hat N' Boots got a new beginning when Georgetown residents decided to fundraise to restore this glorious attraction to its original grandeur. After some time, money, and paint, Hat N' Boots was looking less like Britney "2007 Meltdown" and a lot more like Britney "2011 VMAs Comeback." In addition to the Hat N' Boots masterpiece, the park also has a jungle gym for kids and a P Patch maintained by residents.

So please, go visit. Take a can of Budweiser and some deer jerky, wear a bolo tie, and salute this masterpiece.

At this point we have done all we can to convince you this is a place to visit, but you might be on the fence, just not sure about whether or not it's going to be worth it. Well, you're a fool, of course it will be worth it, but if you need additional reasons to go, here are four places in the area to up the ante: Katsu Burger, 9lb Hammer, Two Beers Brewing and Via Tribunali. 

48 Hours in Tofino, B.C.

Wild Pacific Trail

There are certain places on this planet that are good for your soul. Tofino, British Columbia is one of these places. When you drive into town everything slows down, you release all the stress of the day-to-day and you just relax. Here is how to make the most of your time in this little slice on heaven in the PNW. 

Day One: 

If you leave Vancouver on the morning ferry (8AM) you'll arrive in Tofino around 1:00 PM that day. As you drive into town you'll be hungry, grab lunch at Tacofino, Canada's most famous food truck (RoS Tip: baja style lingcod tacos). After filling your belly with fish tacos (aka crack tacos) head to your accommodations and get settled before some more activities. Our favorite spot is Tides Inn. If you are into friendly service, spacious rooms, and great views check it out. After dropping off your luggage, we recommend seeing a little bit of what Tofino has to offer. Chesterman Beach is one of the most popular places to check out. Take in all the surfers (many are beginners! Get inspired if you have never surfed before, you can do it!) and enjoy the sandy beach. During low tide you can even hike out to an island just a little ways out on the sand bar for a little adventure. 

After spending some time at Chesterman Beach we wouldn't be surprised if you were a little thirsty. Luckily, Tofino Brewing Company is just up the road and offers a variety of craft beer to quench your thirst (RoS Tip: Spruce Tree Ale).

After sampling some flights and walking away with a 4-pack of bottles to enjoy on your own later, head back to your lodging and get cleaned up. It's dinner time! And the eating in Tofino is phenomenal. Spend night one at Shelter Restaurant. They are the pinnacle of local eating and offer up mouth-watering grub at a reasonable price. (RoS Tip: Anything with the locally caught salmon, get at least a few oysters, and try one of their cocktails. It was probably constructed with items from the garden out back!)

Oysters and salmon at Shelter

After dinner head to one of the local beaches and build a fire, listen to the surf, and crack open a bottle or two (or three or four) of your Tofino Brewery bottles. 

Day Two:

Start the day early and head to Ucluelet to hike the Wild Pacific Trail. It will take you around an hour to do the fairly easy hike and the views are spectacular. Then head back to Tofino and spend an hour or so exploring the main street. There is great shopping, including the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery (can't miss!), our favorite clothing shop, Habit Clothing, and tucked away behind the bank, Merge, sells all things local! You can also duck into a number of coffee shops for a hit of caffeine and check out some of the local surf shops. 

Probably about time for lunch now, eh? (we are in Canada, therefore you must work "Eh?" into your vernacular). Check out Sobo, you won't be disappointed. Or just go back to Tacofino, because you are probably addicted now and need another dose. No judgement, sometimes street food can be like spring break in Cabo, you forget your good sense and then wake up later feeling ashamed of what you did while under its spell. It happens to the best of us, just blame it on the taco high.

Now you have a wide open, beautiful afternoon available to you. You just have to decide what you want to do. Easier said that done sometimes. 

A. Surf? Use Surf Sister if you need lessons or rentals. Surfing is an amazing, freeing experience. Try it out if you haven't before and don't worry, the waves are small so falling is almost enjoyable. 

B. Hike? Pacific Rim National Park offers a bazillion trails. Pick one and head out into the wild. 

C. Take a tour? Great.Decide what you want to see. Hot spring? Bears? Whales? Seals? Ocean Outfitters has you covered. Great guides who respect the environment they are exploring.

D. Rent a bike and explore some more? Tofino Bike Company has got you covered.

After you return from afternoon adventuring head out for your final dinner, no doubt by now you have earned it. There is no other spot to have your grand finale than Schooner Restaurant. It is one of the oldest spots in town and that  means they have had years to perfect their dishes. Get the halibut. We repeat. Get. The. Halibut. (and the calamari.. and maybe a few cocktails too).

Schooner Restaurant

Day Three:

Wake up, grab a coffee and a pastry at Tuff Beans Coffee House and head over to our favorite local beach, Tonquin Beach, for an AM picnic. It is a short hike down 100 stairs (isn't as bad as it sounds) to the sand and once you arrive take in all the beauty around you and appreciate the time you've had in this small paradise. 

You'll want to leave town around 11AM to catch a ferry back to the mainland. As you drive out of town plan some time to stop at Chocolate Tofino for a bag of goodies to take with you on the road + an ice cream cone -- because you're on vacation and no one can tell you not to have that ice cream cone before lunch. No one!