GroupOn, It's fast becoming a curse word.
I mistakenly signed up for the GroupOn Coupons e-mail and I've been deluged with offers for the past three weeks.
And, some of them, are very attractive.
In fact, it was GroupOn that got us down to Astoria.
And, she has struck again. This time it was a Seattle Food Tour. It was something I've been thinking about for a while now and...it was totally worth it.
I bought it, the tour, a couple days ago and, knowing today was going to be beautiful, cold, but beautiful booked it for today.
And it was a beautiful day!! Some late bloomers...but not for long if the weather stays as cold as it was today. It was cold.
Mexican Restaurant Reflected Window Selifie!!
We didn't even get to the Link Station before we got a Selfie!! It's both a talent and an illness.
And, we're so shameless, we even tried to get a Selfie in the windows of the Link on the other line. See, in the left hand car window, I made it. Unfortunately, Carol wasn't over far enough for her to show up in the window on the right.
Oh, there's Earl Thomas, member of the World Champion Seattle SeaHawks...unfortunately he's hawking some Pepsi crap. What's up with that!?!
Westlake Link Station Selfie!!
Hahahaha, we couldn't even make it off the platform. Serious illness.
And into the city.
The tour started at 1200 and the guide was going to meet us on the corner of First Avenue and Union Street and we were there with plenty of time to spare.
We were also able to do a small bit of touristy gawkin'...that's where you walk around lookin' up at all the tall buildings with your mouth agape.
We, and by we I mean me, really do that...walk around looking up with our mouths open.
Oh, and we, and by we I mean me, take A LOT of touristy type pictures.
We walked down 3rd today and passed by Pike where we got this view of the famous Pike Place Public Market Sign.
All the way to Union. Down at the end of Union, on the waterfront, is the Seattle Great Wheel.
Seriously, who names a Big Ferris Wheel that!?!?!
Seattle...totally weird.
I had to stop in the Target for a moment and met this!!
They've taken to locking up the previously wide-open restrooms in the Target.
A very unpleasant surprise when you're wanting to use the facilities. I had to quickly find a Target Associate to get the code out of them.
It's 2714# in case you need it any time in the future.
Blurred Target Escalator Selfie!!
OK, you're gonna see a lot of these today.
A lot of blurred pictures.
Don't ask.
I don't know.
I do know this should have been a GREAT selfie.
Ah, well, I know you'll still enjoy it, won't you!?!
Hahaha, of course you will!!
OK, heading across First Avenue and looking towards the Corner Market.
And the other way.
Yeah, I live on the wild side...taking pictures while crossing the streets with the light.
Hahaha, I'm stupid but I'm NOT that stupid!!
One of my favorite buildings, The SafeCo Center Building. The way the light reflects off the windows is always different...and always up for a picture.
So the other day I posted a picture of this sculpture (?) of a lightning bolt (?) in front of the Four Seasons Hotel on Union. I saw it today and went over to it to see if it had a title or an explanation or something that would help me understand it.
Nothing. There was a plaque with the Four Seasons logo on it but no name or...nutting.
It's a lightning bolt...left over from the last time Thor, the Thunder God, was here.
Which reminds me of a joke I told in High School...and still remember and enjoy today. Ask me and I'll tell it to you.
You'll laugh.
And, after a short meet and greet and going over everyone's names, we were off on our adventure.
Hahaha, yeah, life is good!!
In the rain.
In Seattle.
OK, it's a food tour so what better way to start it off than with a mini-doughnut from the shop around the corner. And they were still warm and they were good.
And, to start off the tour with a recurring theme...these were all-natural, no preservatives, fresh and, y'know, just all around good for ya!!
It was fun but it was so totally Seattle...fresh, organic and healthy. Every single thing we had today had something healthy about it and Leslie, our guide, mentioned it each and every time.
Each. And. Every. Time.
I shouldn't be surprised...this is Progressive Seattle where they elect an openly Socialistic councilman. Hahahaha, see what I mean.
And, donuts eaten...and appreciated...so we were off.
And let's start with blurry pictures.
Next stop was the Pike Pub where we got to hear about how the very first Micro-Brewery got its start here in the Great American Pacific Northwest. And that all the hops are grown in Eastern Washington. All of 'em.
Leslie is appropriately proud of her city and let us know all about it.
Hahaha, I'm griping but it was a fun tour and we learned a lot, too.
And we headed out onto Flesh Avenue...Oops!! I mean First Avenue. Turns out this was quite a bawdy place back in the day and it had a pretty bad reputation. According to Leslie, there was a time when it was declared off-limits for sailors.
But not anymore. Now it's Tourist Land and Yuppie Heaven. I'll get into that Yuppie thing in a little bit.
Next stop, Botteca Italiana for gelato.
We all got to choose a flavor of gelato to sample...and savor. It was good. That'll be a recurring theme, too.
Oh, and made with local products and very healthy and yada-yada-yada...I sorta started zoning out when Leslie kept on about the ingredients.
I got the Stracciatella (sp?) up there in the top on the right and Carol got the coffee. I should have gotten the coffee.
Mine was good, but I like Carol's Coffee better.
Oh, and we're a really diverse city too. Lots of different ethnicities and cultures and yada-yada-yada...like this guy who came from Italy and made his gelato according to an ancient recipe passed down through the family for over 1028 years.
OK, I'm being a wee bit sarcastic. Hahaha, it was interesting...and progressive.
When we stepped outside, I grabbed this shot of the building at 1521 2d Ave., or, as they call it, Fifteen Twenty-One Condominiums.
I took a look at their website and there were three condos there that had just sold...for
$1,900,000
$1,800,000
and
$1,700,000
WTH!?!?!
"Located high above Pike Place Market, discover generously proportioned two-bedroom+ residences - every home a penthouse. It is the West Coast's most successful condominium high-rise community with established market values..."
Duh, yeah!!!
We got a bit of a history lesson. This part of the Pike Market used to be the stables. The farmers would drive their wagons to the market, unhitch their teams and bring them to the stables and then get them when the day was over.
This part of the market is called the Economy Market because, at the end of the day when they came and got their teams, they would sell whatever they had left over cheap...and so it was more economic to shop here at the end of the day. Hence, the Economy Market.
And I don't know why that woman looks...the way she does. Bad hair day!?!?!
Hahaha, I was having a bad picture day. Some of the folks in our tour group today. Don't know where, why or when.
Oh, you can get any herb or natural, holistic medicine you need here. Except for marijuana. Can't score no MJ here. But everything else.
We went around a corner and down a corridor I'd never seen before. Honestly, we went a lot of places I wasn't aware of. All on the first level, mind you.
Next stop, after the history and the historical pictures, was the DeLaurenti Specialty Food and Wine Shop. They have a lot of wine here. A lot. Oh, and there are over 800 wineries or wine-makers or whatever they are in Washington.
I knew we had a lot of vintners in this state but not that there were over 800 of them.
Seems they had at least one bottle from each one here.
We had a sample of some really great cheese and equally good pepperoni.
Mmmmmm...
More, Sir??
All kinds of stuff.
On several levels. If you're a gourmet chef, you're gonna love shopping in this store.
I didn't see any Mac 'n Cheese nor Hamburger Helper here.
But I did see loads of breads that I wanted...badly.
We were cautioned, several times that because all the food was natural and had absolutely no artificial preservatives, we'd have to eat it today or it would go bad...all I could think of when looking at this was, "That won't be a problem."
And the cheese!!!
Ahhhhh...the cheese.
Funny, I didn't see any Kraft Cheez Whiz cans there.
Oh, but all the others...Mmmmmm...
Then we headed out and took some turns to another place I'd never seen before.
While we were by the historical pictures, we heard the story of Rachel, you've met her before, and how they're all over the market now.
And, BAM, there was another one on the open-air terrace near Maximilian's. And on this one you can chalk in your own message.
And it appears everyone does. It hasn't rained in a couple days.
And this mural. They love them some murals up here.
This one ain't half bad.
French, I think.
Regardless of the French influence, there are some great views from the terrace.
And it's an actual garden. They've got tubs of herbs growing
And a place to relax after a hard day of being a yuppie.
Hahahaha, OK, I'll try to stop. It'll be tough because they are such pretentious little snobs.
Hahaha, I'll stop. Honest.
The potting bench. Seriously, what a great idea, to have an herb garden right there outside the restaurant.
Next stop was a stall where they sell dried fruits...apples, strawberries, prunes, and some other fruits I forget right now. And, of course, they were holistically or organically or something healthy and yuppiefied up.
Hahaha, I enjoyed the dried Okra...yeah, that's right!! Okra!! Makes for a great dipper into hummus or whatever.
It was interesting.
And doing a good business, too. I didn't realize how popular dried fruits were.
Hahaha, doggone it. I really like the Pike Place Market.
Don't feel I can really afford anything there, but I do like the place.
Don't ask.
I don't know.
Then we were outside and saying hello to Rachel when I got this quick shot of the famous Farmer's Market sign.
Oh, and above it the sign reads, "Meet the Producers" which always sounded to me a lot like the title to a comedy movie about Adolph Hitler but really isn't.
See, back in 1907, the price of food was regulated by the Commissioners that ran the harbor and they, one day, decided that onions should be sold for a dollar a pound.
Evidently, this was the last straw and the women of Seattle revolted. They refused to buy from the approved stores where they had to pay the middleman, hence the $1 a pound for onions.
So the ladies demanded to buy from the growers themselves and set up the Farmer's Market. Their battle cry was that they wanted to "Meet the Producers", the growers and by-pass the crooked middleman.
The first day of the new market only five growers showed up with their wagons. They needn't have worried about the commissioners...nearly 2,000 women showed up to buy their onions.
And the Market was born. In the early days they bought their fruits and veggies right off the wagons. I think it was in the 20s, that they moved to booths and stalls.
People in Seattle like themselves some stickers. They got 'em for everything.
Farmer's Market Selfie!!
The sun was a bit strong today. And it's blurred, too.
I don't know.
We walked up to the corner of Pike and First and I got these trees.
Hahaha, you don't get the right idea about how cold it was today. It were chilly.
Pip-Pip, tally-ho. Off to the Crumpet Shop next.
Which may, according to Leslie, be the ONLY Crumpet Shop in America.
In AMERICA!!
And it's here in the Great American Pacific Northwest.
It may be Family Owned and Operated but none of the family was there today.
There was a lot more but...I was zoning.
But we did get a crumpet...my first ever...and it had fresh, organic honey made by union-only, natural with no artificial preservative Bees. Oh, and they get paid more than minimum wage, too.
Hahaha, I can't let it go.
It's so easy...It's a target-rich environment!
The crumpets were interesting, like a EGGO waffle, really. At least on one side. The honey? Meh.
Next we went into the Sanitary Market.
What!?! Why is there a 'Sanitary' Market and a Public Market?
Seems that in the 'Sanitary' Market, animals were not allowed ... hence the Sanitary of the 'Sanitary' Market.
And over to Bric's Pickles to taste some pickle's.
And through the Corner Market for a potty break and some shots of the shops there.
When we came up we heard a great noise from inside this shop...like a lot of plates and cups and bowls all crashing to the floor...the whole thing lasted around 4-5 seconds.
Someone did a boo-boo.
Leslie, making big plans.
And some Ostrich and Emu eggs.
It's Seattle. It's a bit off the grid.
I've seen this fish before but I don't think I've photographed it before.
I changed that today.
They have apartments upstairs of the Market. In fact, one of them was a bordello run by Nellie. She had some fact about Nellie but I can't remember it.
Hey!! I can't remember everything.
But I mentioned the apartments because I've always wondered who would come and buy their fruit and veggies here everyday. This helps answer that question.
Next stop was the Pure Food Fish Market for some Traditional NW Smoked Salmon.
It were good!!
The Athenian...oldest restaurant in the Market. Since 1909. And it was where Tom and Rob had lunch.
Hahahaha, Sleepless In Seattle, you knew I'd work it in sooner or later.
We were crossing the street when I heard this loud yelling and then laughter.
This guy is a street performer...he looks like a copper-plated statue that has oxidized over to get the 'green' patina coating. He startled the women passing by when he suddenly moved. Good costume, eh?
And we were at the next stop, La Buona Tavola, for some Truffles
We were there for a while and from what I can remember, I was zoning here, too, is that there are a lot of things you can do with truffles.
If you can afford them.
We had some potato leek soup and then she put in some drops of truffle oil.
Hahahaha, I was unimpressed...and it wasn't just all about the money...which was ridiculous.
There's truffle oil and truffle salt and...more.
I don't know, I had always thought of chocolate when I thought of truffles.
And she brought out a gallon bag filled with truffles wrapped in paper towels. The bag, with all the truffles in them was worth about $1800. That gallon bag.
WTH!!
Here she's passing out sticks that she dipped into that jar filled with a honey truffle jam kinda stuff.
We spent a long time in the Truffle Shop and the woman running it was very personable but, c'mon, truffles cost an arm and a leg...it is way over-priced.
Hahaha, I was glad to escape.
Over to the Post Alley and to Pike Place Chowder...voted best in the nation.
And, kids, this was some tasty chowder.
Just like the other day, there were lines waiting to get in.
And now I understood.
Totally recommend stopping there for some clam chowder.
The highlight of the tour.
Next door to the Pike Place Chowder. Neat sign for this sandwich shop.
Wrapping it up and getting ready to move on to...
...the rub with love SHACK.
Evidently Tom Douglas is all that as a chef.
This was the last stop of the day and we got a quarter of a fish sandwich.
Twern't bad but...I wouldn't make an effort to go and get another.
And, of course, they bake their own bread...with no artificial preservatives, yada, yada, yada.
Looks good, eh? The bread was very good. Fresh, natural.
And that was it. It was worth it. I enjoyed the tour and learning a bit more about the Market.
The performers, like that statue guy, all must be registered with the Market Association. Plus, they can only perform in certain areas, those marked with a musical note with a number in it. They can only perform there for an hour and then must move so everyone can have a chance at the good spots...like the one by the Starbucks.
Fun stuff...and some more pictures like this one taken across Steinbrueck Park. It's a sculpture of ... something. I don't know.
Artsy-Fartsy Alert!!
Cuz I could.
C'Mon, the sun was there and everything was backlit. Who could resist?
Not me, obviously.
There she is, The Emerald City.
More valuable and useful...stuff for sale at the Market.
I had thought this was the FIRST ever Starbucks. I was wrong. The first store was a couple blocks over and burned down years ago. This is the oldest operating Starbucks store. When they first started, they just ground the coffee and sold it...then they got smart and started brewing it too.
OK, not the first Starbucks...and Starbucks wasn't their first choice for the name of the new store, too.
They originally wanted to call it, Pequod, after the ship in the novel Moby Dick. That idea was nixed because Pequod was too hard to say easily and also, because it started with the word 'Pee'.
They settled on Starbucks...he was Captain Ahab's First Mate.
Also, the first logo was a bit too racy to go National. If you look at the logo today, her hair is strategically positioned to cover her breasts...and the color is now green, not brown.
Just to prove that I could, I directed us back to the garden terrace and then got this shot of Carol sitting on the piggy chair. Well, the half-a-piggy chair.
Seattle...slightly weird. Oh, and see the water troughs turned into garden plots? Yeah, good idea!!
The sun, the Great Wheel and the Puget Sound, aka Elliott Bay.
I can see for miles and miles...
And over to this flagpole. Way high up on top of a building.
Part of the mural on the garden terrace.
Another tourist posing with the pig.
The sign over the entrance to Maximillian's
We had to stop for a minute...at these fancy-dancy restrooms. I like the tile design.
See that girl to the right? She's there playing with a snake. There's a guy in front of her who is waiting for his girl and letting this one, from Hungry, play with his snake. It's Seattle, Man.
Hahaha, I'd rather look at the figures to the restrooms.
Walking out, we saw two of Seattle's Finest, Mounted, flirting with the girls. I guess they just roll them out for special occasions...like Fridays and Football Games.
We both had a great time. For all my carping, it was fun. I learned a lot and tried foods I wouldn't normally try and ate a bit in places I usually wouldn't even consider. That was fun.
Plus, we had some nice people to walk around with and we learned a bit more about the Market.
Totally worth it.
Totally.
Life is good
In Seattle
Hooah!!
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