24 Hours at Pike Place Market

If we added up all the hours we have spent at Pike Place Market, it would probably amount to years of time. But what do you do if you don't have unlimited hours to explore this epic hub of shopping, dining, and entertainment? Well, the answer is you cram in as much stuff as possible – especially eating – because this is a place you don’t want to just skim through. It's the heart of Seattle, and it has a crazy amount to offer to tourists and locals. Here are our recommendations for absolutely slaying your way through 24 hours at Pike Place Market.

8:00 AM – Get Going with Storyville Coffee

Storyville Coffee is located on the upper level of the Corner Market Building and has one of the best views of the iconic red “Public Market” sign hanging over the main entrance to Pike Place Market. Their coffee shop is comfy and inviting, full of great lighting and warm décor, a perfect place to ramp up for the day with one of their many delicious coffees.

9:00 AM – Roll Call

Venders milling around at roll call

Roll Call is a market tradition that is open to the public. Every day you can watch the day stall vendors gather to claim their spot for the day. Stall vendors are called upon based on seniority and then they can select their stall location for that day. Because of this tradition, some vendors consistently sit in the same spot, while others have a need to move around. It’s not the most exciting process, but it can give you an insider look into how the market gets set up everyday!

9:30 AM – Breakfast at The Crumpet Shop

Tomato and pesto crumpet at The Crumpet Shop

The Crumpet Shop is a place that looks and probably sounds unassuming, but this place happens to have some of the most delicious breakfast pastries on the planet (that's right, the planet we said). They make their crumpets fresh every day and customers can top them with a variety of goodies like nutella, honey, pesto, tomato, jams, eggs, and ham, etc. The line can get long in the mornings, especially on weekends, so plan for a little time there, but we promise these little guys are worth the wait!

10:00 AM – Shop the Main Arcade

All Things Lavender in the Main Arcade

The Main Arcade is the most well known shopping area at Pike Place Market. It stretches from Pike Place Fish Market all the way down to the day stall vendors. It’s where you will find the beautiful flower vendors, a few fish markets, veggie stands, and tons of unique crafts and goodies. One stall could be selling custom leather goods and the next will be selling lavender products. Further down you might find ceramics or art. The options are endless and ready for you to explore. Some of our favorites in the Main Arcade are All Things Lavender, Ravel and Unravel, and of course all the bright and beautiful flower stands. 

12:00 PM Lunch at El Borracho

El Borracho is the perfect spot for someone with a hungry belly. They serve up great casual Mexican food at a good price and they usually don’t have a wait. We basically love the whole menu, but if we had to call out our favorites they would be the Coca-Cola braised pork burrito (it is the size of a small child, so order the taco version if you aren’t super hungry) and the Tacos de Hongos (mushroom tacos). Pair it all with some chips and guacamole and an ice cold Pacifico and you’ll be full and happy in no time! They also have plenty of vegan options as the owner, Kitty, doesn't eat meat!

Amazing alternatives if you aren't feeling Mexican: Honest Biscuit for some good ole fashioned fried chicken and biscuits, DeLaurenti for some great italian sandwiches, or Pike Place Chowder for a traditional bowl of clam chowder in a giant bread bowl. 

1:00 PM – Explore the Lower Levels and Perimeter Buildings

Most visitors don’t make it past the Main Arcade when it comes to exploring the shops at Pike Place Market. These visitors are missing out on a huge amount of great places though. We recommend setting aside some time to go into the “Lower Levels” and the various other areas with great shops like the Atrium, Marketfront Expansion, First Avenue, and Post Alley.

We wrote a blog on our favorite spots in the Lower Levels and you can also check out all the fun details of the Marketfront Expansion here -- it was the first addition to Pike Place Market in over 40 years! 

3:45 PM – Experience the famous fish toss at Pike Place Fish Market

Fish tossing at Pike Place Fish

This is a no-brainer. Obviously every visitor to The Market has to watch the crazy lads at Pike Place Fish Market toss that big ole salmon. It’s perfectly done every time and makes for a great boomerang. They toss all day, no schedule needed, just show up and wait for the magic to happen!

4:00 PM – Pike Place Urban Garden with a snack

A chalkboard pig for decorating at Pike Place Market's Urban Garden

The Market is a busy place. They have 10 million visitors every year (seriously, it gets REALLY busy) and it can feel a little overwhelming at times. We like to have an escape route planned to the wonderful Urban Garden behind Maximilian. This little space overlooks the Puget Sound and offers a quiet getaway from the chaos of the Main Arcade. The garden is cared for by the Pike Place Market Senior Center and all the produce goes to the Pike Place Market Food Bank. It is full of fun art and unique items to discover. Grab a snack from one of our favorite spots and enjoy it here.

Huckleberry ice cream from Shug's - purple, creamy, mouthwatering goodness. 

Our favorite snack spots in no particular order are Ellenos Greek Yogurt (Passionfruit or Pumpkin Pie flavor), Shug's ice cream cones (Coconut or Chocolate...or both together), or Piroshky Piroshky pastries (smoked salmon pate).

4:30 PM – Happy Hour at The Athenian

Cold brews await you at The Athenian

The Athenian is not only featured in the romantic and life-changing film, Sleepless in Seattle, it is also home to the coldest mugs in Seattle. It’s our favorite spot to grab a cheap, cold beer, along with some cheap, delicious appetizers. When you arrive let the attendant know you’d like to sit in the bar and then head to the back left. You’ll be greeted with an old bar, filled with wooden booths and great views of Puget Sound! Watch the ferries take off, the ferris wheel spin, and take in the views of the Olympic Mountains as you sip your ice cold brew!

6:00 PM – Dinner at The Pink Door

The amazing lasagna at The Pink Door, perfect for Italian food traditionalists. 

The Pink Door serves up amazing Italian food in an incredible space. It’s a bit hard to find, with no sign marking their entrance, but if you head to Post Alley with their address plugged into GPS you should be able to locate their salmon-colored door. Enter into a world of amazing cocktails and unbelievable delicious Italian dishes. We love their risottos and lasagna, you can't go wrong with either option. They also have entertainment certain nights, check out their schedule here to see what they have going on!

8:30 PM – Catch a show at Unexpected Productions

Improv hilarity at Unexpected Productions

Unexpected Productions is the oldest improv group in Seattle and a great place to end your night. They have 10 different options for shows throughout the week, all of them equally hilarious and full of amazing talent. They have a small bar to help get those laughs a little louder and their location is full of history. You can thank them for the massive wall of gum located directly outside their front door!

10:30 PM – Grab a nightcap

Endless wine options at JarrBar

Obviously you aren’t done yet! There are still so many bars to try! We love Radiator Whiskey and Jarr Bar for our late night drinks. They both offer housemade cocktails that are to die for and have friendly staff and cool vibes (we wrote about some of them here). Be careful though, they make their drinks stiff!

Ok, now it’s time for bed. Go home and crash hard – you’ve just crammed nine acres of Pike Place Market into one day!

Recap: Infinity Mirrors at SAM

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you probably have heard about the incredible new exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, Infinity Mirrors by Yayoi Kusama. The exhibit opened last June to quite the fanfare, and after checking it out for ourselves it is easy to see why. The colorful, fun, whimsical art exhibit is absolutely mesmorizing. We should preface by saying that we know nothing about art. We literally have zero idea what things mean and can't tell you the difference between conceptual art and contemporary art, but we do know when we like something. And we like Infinity Mirrors.

Yayoi Kusama is an 88 year old Japanese artist and writer. Her work has spanned many mediums including sculpture, paintings, performance art, and environmental installations. Her works focuses on bright colors and repetitive patterns, which you definitely see throughout Infinity Mirrors. She also has crazy, bright, colored hair (sometimes red, sometimes orange, sometimes blue) making her the coolest 88 year old around. 

An image of the artist, Yayoi Kusama, painted outside of the SAM

The Infinity Mirrors exhibit consists of four rooms. Each room is filled with  different objects including: pumpkins, twinkle lights, polka dot tubers, and hanging pink globes. The mirrors that hang in the rooms make each feel like the objects go on forever. There is also an obliteration room, which is decorated entirely in white furniture. All guests receive a set of colorful dot stickers and are encouraged to place them anywhere they like. Over time, the room becomes filled with these colorful dots allowing the guests to help contribute to the art. There are also art sculptures, light boxes, paintings, and video displayed throughout the exhibit. We promise, you'll be plenty stimulated as you wander around.

According to the artist, she is interested in understanding the relationship between people, society, and nature. Not sure if that will translate for everyone who visits, but that is what art is all about we suppose.

In other news, selfies are allowed! Snap away and post to Instagram stat! 

The twinkle light room and the polka dot tubers room

Now for the logistics! Tickets to the event are sold out. However! The museum is letting in a certain number of people per day and you can sign up in the mornings for a time slot. We got in line at 9 AM. We had to wait an hour until the museum opened at 10am, but we were easily able to snag an open spot for any time the rest of the day. The only time slot that was filled when we got to the front of the line was the 10 AM spot. Once you get your time slot for the exhibit, you need to line up outside the exhibit 15 minutes before your start time, and you should expect to take an hour and a half to get through all the rooms in the exhibit. The lines to each room definitely look and feel a bit long, but there are lines for a reason - trust!  Once you are allowed in (they let in groups of two or three depending on the room), you get 20-30 seconds per room. It's quick, we recommend really trying to soak it all up and then snap a photo at the end if you feel you have time. You're going to wait a long time for those 30 seconds, so make sure to get the most out of them!

There is also a small Kusama gift shop located in the exhibit so you can take home a souvenir.

The Obliteration Room

Infinity Mirrors is only open until September 10th, which leaves you three weeks to go see it! If you do go, report back. We want to know what you thought. Also, if you plan to head to Tokyo any time soon, Kusama will be opening a five story museum featuring her artwork (including Infinity Mirrors!). The museum will open on October 1, 2017. 

Rain or Shine Guides takes on Infinity Mirrors! 

Seattle's KEXP: Where the Music Matters

There is probably no radio station more loved in this country than KEXP (90.3 FM), which just happens to have its home base in Seattle, WA. And even though its home is here, it's live-streamed across the country and loved by people from coast to coast, because who knows good music better than Seattle?

The KEXP studio, which is open to the public, is a MUST-visit for any Seattle local or visitor! Yes - it sounds weird for us to tell you to visit a radio station, but this really is an institution and a big piece of Seattle music history, dating back to 1972 when they first went on-air from the UW campus.

What really makes this radio station so special? For starters, it's a not-for-profit public radio station funded by sponsors and donations. And what that really means is that the KEXP DJs can play whatever it is they want, whenever they want...from Wilco, to local musicians, to obscure indie artists you have never heard of. You won't find Taylor Swift's latest hit played every 30 minutes on this station. They also don't have advertisements, so no more annoying plumbing jingles or cheesy jewelry commercials interrupting your jam session.

In addition to the wide range of indie rock artists you'll hear, there are also weekly programs dedicated to music genres (our favorite is Positive Vibrations on Saturday mornings, which plays reggae music from 9 AM - noon PST). There are also in-studio sessions where artists (visiting and local) play right in the KEXP space and the best news is, it's open to the public FOR FREE. Tickets to the in-studio sessions become available around 90 minutes before air time, and it's first come, first serve. The more well known artists will fill up fast, so make sure you are there early. They let 75 people into the standing room only space where you can listen to the artist's performance and interview on air. Sessions last around 30 minutes. Check the entire line-up on their webpage. 

The beautiful La Marzocco

If you aren't interested in an in-studio session or if you are waiting for your session to start, the KEXP studio is a wonderful place to work and hang out. The beautiful La Marzocco coffee shop fills the space and serves amazing coffee from a list of rotating coffee roasters around the world, which changes monthly. The space is large and filled with light and there is seating for everyone, ranging from tables to couches and armchairs. All this plus the free wifi makes it an easy place to get some work done. KEXP plays overhead (obviously), and there is even a record store for shopping and a rotating art gallery. You can even watch the current DJ on air through a large window. The whole set-up is chill, laid back, and very, very cool.

KEXP's colorful floor

If you are already a fan of KEXP, consider donating! In addition to supporting a wonderful station, there are also a ton of member perks. Check them all out here. KEXP is located in the Seattle Center. If you want other ideas about things to do in this area, check out this post. 

Seattle Smoothies: An Investigation

Ah smoothies. Is there anything easier in the morning than dumping a bunch of fruit into a blender with some milk and turning it into a thick concoction of goodness? We love how you can tailor them to your liking and how easy it is to slip in any other healthy thing you want. Spinach? No problem! Weird powders? Sure, why not! If you add enough fruit, you can't taste any of it! But let's also be real, cleaning the blender can be kind of a pain, so sometimes it's just easier to grab a smoothie somewhere else and leave the cleaning to them. Below is our recommendations for the best places to grab a smoothie around town.

Kitanda

Kitanda's Energy Blast Bowl

This Brazilian smoothie shop is known for their acai smoothies and bowls (a smoothie bowl is just a smoothie...in a bowl). The bowls come in a variety of combinations, but the main base is banana and acai, which reminds us, doesn't acai sound like the most pretentious fruit? We know it's a superfood and all, but we sound dumb saying it. Luckily, it's delicious! Anyway, one combination includes granola, coconut water, and dried mango (called Rio de Janiero) or there's one with chocolate sprinkles, coconut, and something amazing called a condensed milk drizzle (called the Festa Bowl). The photo above is the Energy Blast Bowl with banana, strawberry, granola, peanuts, and honey. We love this shop because in addition to smoothies, they also sell Brazilian specialties like cheese bread (!) and chicken cones. They also have a small shop full of imported goods, and you can even buy acai in bulk for creating these babies at home (yes, you'll have to clean the blender).

Jujubeet

Jujubeet's Cacao Wow

Jujubeet might mostly be known for their artisanal juices, but it also has a well stocked menu of both healthy foods and smoothies. The extensive menu has everything from sandwiches, soups, crepes, salads, plus coffee and tea. We also love all the wellness shots that are offered such as the Coco Probiotic (kefir, organic coconut water) and the Happy Belly (aloe, pineapple, basil). However, this post is about smoothies not all that other wellness stuff, and Jujubeet makes the list for their Cacao Wow made with almond milk, almond butter, cacao, banana, and protein powder. It tastes just like a chocolate milkshake. But, like, a healthy one.

Verve Bowls

The Beast Mode smoothie bowl from Verve

Verve Bowls, which is located inside the new Pike Motorworks courtyard in Capitol Hill, has got you covered on all things acai much like Kitanda (above). However, they also have unique pitaya bowls. What is a pitaya, you ask? We had no idea either. Turns out a dragon fruit's real name is pitaya. Whatever you want to call it, it's hot pink, which makes it the best fruit around. Verve Bowls wins all the awards because of the plethora of toppings you can add to any bowl. Matcha, bee pollen, flax, chia, heck, you can even add spinach. We recommend adding peanut butter because duh. Our personal favorite is the Beast Mode pitaya bowl blended with PB, banana, strawberry, house made almond milk, and topped with granola. Walk next door to Stumptown for coffee and you are winning at life.

Sweetgrass Food Co.

Matcha, Matcha, Matcha smoothie

We find that lots of smoothie places tend to have the same type of ingredients on the menu, which is why we love Sweetgrass. They have unique flavor combinations that we haven't seen many other places. For example, you can get a Good Morning Brew, which is basically a coffee smoothie or a Mexican Morning Avena with oats and pears. Pictured above is the Matcha, Matcha, Matcha smoothie, which comes with, you guessed it, matcha. In addition to the awesome smoothie combinations, you can get smoothie bowls, house made pastries, grain bowls, hot drinks, and bone broth. They also have a tiny shop where you can buy interesting things like brain octane. We aren't exactly sure what this is, but +1 to Sweetgrass for having it.

Healthy Bonez Beverage Co.

HB's Nut Buster Bowl

Okay, okay, so Health Bonez isn't actually located in Seattle. You'll have to cross the bridge for this one and head over to the Kirkland/Totem Lake area, but after lusting at their Instagram account for months and months, we knew we had to check it out. And boy did it make the cut! This place, which started as a food truck, now has the cutest, yet simple, brick and mortar. They sell cold pressed juices, which you can get in a growler, and, of course, shakes and smoothies. Their base is "nice-cream" (frozen blended bananas), with a variety of toppings to choose from. We chose the Nut-Buster (peanut butter, banana, pretzels, peanuts, granola) but we also had our eye on the Yam Yam (sweet potato, banana, cashew cream). One thing we know, is that it is 100% worth the trip to the east side at least until they open one in Seattle (please open one in Seattle!). It tasted like a dream, and hard to believe it was good for you.