Pike's Place Market

This was not my first time at Pike's Place Market, but it was my first time there as a Seattleite and not just a tourist, which was cool because it allowed me to view the area with a fresh perspective.  Instead of looking at fruit and artwork and thinking, "I wonder how much it would cost to ship this home?" I was able to look at everything and go, "Hey, I bet I could walk down here to do some of my shopping!"  When the fruit vendor complained about all the tourists (especially the Nebraskans) who were ruining Pike's Place market, I could assertively say, "Yeah! Effing Nebraskans!" instead of clearing my throat uncomfortably and staring at my feet.  It was a cool feeling. 

My favorite thing about our quick tour of Pike's Place was the gum wall.  I loved it because it seemed like such a trivial thing that quickly spiraled out of control and is now a part of the history of Pike's Place.  I was very tempted to add my gum to the wall, but Allison wanted to get as far away from the used gum as possible, so we left fairly quickly.  It's still the thing that sticks in my mind.

My least favorite thing was the cheese store.  I hate the smell of cheese so much that I wasn't able to really appreciate the store for what it was.  We took our quick pictures, and then it was my turn to urge us to leave quickly as I tried not to gag. 

Seattle library

When I got to the top floor that us normal people could go to and i looked out. The view was great. I thought that it was amazing how far you could see, my personal favorite thing to see was Quest Field and Safeco. What kind of put me off was people not stopping for long periods of time to see the view. Most people just got off of the elevator, looked around, said, "Hmm... thats cool." and left. If they stopped and looked for a wile they would see the great architectural genius that the building is. The diamond shape design of the walls and the glass going to infinity. The Central Library is probably the most amazing building I have ever been in.

A Place Designed for Discomfort of Varying Intensities

Ascending stairs to the 4th floor,
Where meeting rooms are housed -
Suddenly, jarringly, stepping into what could be the set of a 1980s horror film,
Engulfed in powerfully vivid shades of pink, orange, and blood, blood red.

The winding halls
Too narrow along the curves
Intersect in inexplicably large spaces.
The ceiling
Slightly too low.
The brightly polished floor and walls
Reflect the eerie bloody light equally as well as
They amplify and reflect even the slightest sound.
Feet stepping, elevator dinging, throat coughing,
It all circulates and echoes back to me here.
Yet, nothing audible emerges from any nearby meeting rooms.
Confused by this paradox,
I admire the architect's supreme understanding of acoustics.

Imagination running rampant -
The stereotypical scene of a girl running
Panicked
Through the halls.
Looking back
To check for her pursuer.
My heart quickens with the contemplation.

My work may not be done here but
I certainly am.
Somber and subdued,
Squeaky footfalls reverberating,
Winding back toward where a safer place must exist.

One last observation -
Dragging fingers along the wall.
The paint has a lingering, hungering texture.
No amount of rubbing my hand on my pants
Can remove the feeling of that place.
It clings to me long after I
Descend the steps back into the world I knew before.

Making Visible the Invisible

As I stand in front of a line of screens, I assume they are a cataloging or informational installation. I am still looking for the art piece. The man behind the desk excitedly tells me that the screens are in fact the art piece. He describes how they cycle through the names of books checked out that day, the various numbers of items checked out and their categories, a stream of numbers from the Dewey decimal system, and a few other items of library data that scroll across the screen. As he talks, the timeline of book names and times begins to slide by. I take a few pictures, thank the man, and we walk away. I file away the "art" for later analysis.

The Seattle library is impressive in scope and appearance; it does not require art pieces to back up its artistic value. The "art" seems to bog down the library. Upon entering the library, visitors are struck by the highlighter yellow elevators, the blood red meeting rooms, the myriad rows of books and computers. In my opinion, the addition of the egg projections and the scrolling book names is superfluous and even detrimental to the atmosphere of the library. Jeremy, Xitlalic and I walked out of the library together, having secured our photographs and information, and we talked about what we had seen. I think it was Xitlalic who hit on exactly what I was thinking as we left: "The library is a place for books, not art."

Seattle Public Library

What a library!

Arriving at the library was a surprise. When someone says a field trip to the library, I just twirl my finger in the air...woo-hoo. But the archetecture was very complex from the start. Large glass windows surrounded the library encasing it in a complex triangle structure with awesome escalators!


And my adventure on the escalators brought me to the first piece of art that we needed to encounter. A sculpture entitled "Brain Cast" by Tony Ours. And if the sculpture isn't weird enough there is a small circle window that shows the red hallway behind the sculpture and who ever decides to poke their head through. But after the fun on the escalators we had to treck upstairs.




Disapointed with the picture? Well...
I was too! this is supposed to be a projection of stars or the solar system...or something, but apparently it's been broken for 7 months now. So on we went.


No this is not a nerd pointing at TV screen. This is a librarian pointing at a sculpture created by George Legreardy, the video screens give you a visual representation of what has been checked out, by who, what time and how often. The piece is entitiled "Making hte Visible the INvisible: What the community is reading".




No, Cassandra did not miss the shot, the floor is actually a work of art. Ann Hamilton created an untitled work that lies beneath your feet as you exit the library. Different languages and texts litter the floor with phrases that aren't all understandable, but they are interesting none the less.

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is a very bust place; littered with street performers and artisans; fish mongers and fruit vendors. Even numerous flower stands are surrounding you once you enter the market; even if you can't understand all the flower vendors through their accent :). Walking through Pike Place makes you feel like you have a real taste of Seattle, but most of the vendors call it a tourist hot spot. A lot of the fruit is imported but the fish is fresh of course. With what there is to offer at the market it seems odd that many vendors focus on the tourism, but i suppose its a little more expensive than a super market.

The Novel: Live!

Check out this article on The Novel: Live! We're going to be taking part in this project next week: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2012990358_litlife27.html?prmid=head_main

The Library

As I walked into the library I felt inquisitively aroused by the majestic essence of it all. However this moment was a lapse in judgement. While I am sure the literature of this eccentric library is vastly wonderful the modern art was a bizarre blemish upon they're greatness.

I will admit that some of the art was beauteous and marvelous, I am not blind to pulchritude; there was just some feeling that didn't settle well with me. The scenery felt forced, it was trying to connect with a society of people that perhaps weren't yet willing to accept the ideals that the library imposed upon ourselves.

It broke many of my ideologies of how a library should be, I didn't even know I had any. I feel ashamed of my eerily judgmental opinions of this space. It seemed to emit a feeling of "Don't judge a book by its cover". The library posed a near quintessential example of situational irony. The books while modeling their obligatory presence, were like the shadow of an object, existing only as a fraction of the whole.

Let me be honest my opinions are scathed, my mood was a suppressor of my true submitted opinions of the library. My thoughts were elsewhere, I was distracted and only felt present for a fleeting moment; regardless of the elusive amount of time spent there. I walked away feeling diffident of the library, while knowing full well it was my own fault. If we look for mistakes we will find them, if we look for agreements to our own liking we will find them. I will need to return to get a fair appreciation and reading of the library.... And perhaps check out a book.

Eat My Shorts

"I don't quite like it here"

These were my first thoughts as I entered the Central branch of the Seattle Public Libraries. The visceral sense of unease overwhelmed me completely as I collected my bearings and began to search for the required sculptures. "Just get this done and go home" I cajoled to my reeling senses, "please don't make me hurl."

I should mention first that I have an INCREDIBLY sensitive stomach, ready to launch its contents at the slightest provocation- be it car ride, IMAX movie or, in the case of this library, overwhelming sensory input. For the moment my stomach obied commands.

My initial search of the building with Mckenzie was... fruitless. In the maze of MODERN ART and COLOR and BIZARRE ANGLES and FUTURISM was buried our assignment. Normally I'd see this as a challenge, a quest! Questing, something I learned to love while indulging my inner nerd playing D&D, requires a certain willingness to peruse the boon. I had no willingness, no drive, no desire to speak of.

Oh, I see that this library is supposed to be cool, new, funky, fresh, perhaps even the way of the Future. I can understand that entirely too fast elevators painted sick neon yellow should distract vandals and make them so uncomfortable that they can't stick around to tag the precious surfaces. I comprehend that print media is a bizarre pet zombie of modern culture; dead but still drug from place to place, loved by few and obligatory to most. However just because I posses the intellectual capacity to grasp why SPL Central is the way it is, I cannot aesthetically get behind the use of such an incredible space. Perhaps I fetishize libraries, giant cemeteries of paper lined neatly in towering shelves. I love oak, cedar, pine, WOOD. I adore the feeling of sifting through stacks in silence. SPL violates all of my conceptions about libraries and leaves me feeling sick and overwhelmed.

But Meredith, you might say, don't you think it's great that we have a space in Seattle that is modern, functional, multi-purpose, highly technological and open to the public?

Yes, I agree with all of those concepts in their theory, but in the practice of this particular example I balk. It's the smell that truly gets me more than anything else. The smell of people and hastily cleaned vomit.

I'll do all my library business on the computer from now on, please and thank you.

Also: Conveyor belts aren't cool. They're silly, bizarre and wasteful.

Did you love the space? I'd love to know why.

The Seattle Public Library: Words to see, Sights to read

I must say that this is by far one of the most fascinating libraries I have explored.

I believe it has been called a 'functional sculpture', and rightfully so, as the building itself is 

a piece of architectural art.

My little group and I successfully found each assigned piece of art, save one, which was not 

on display due to a faulty projector.

The Red Hall provided us with a cave to speculate in for a little while.

There is something so comforting about being surrounded by the glow.

Directions begin to meld together.

The situation influences the thought processes.

Lying there, we were asked and thought about the question: 'Why?'

......ehtaerb ton oD

A floor full of words. The first lines of books from around the world.

What do they have to with each other? Why are they backwards?

Do they tell us anything at all?

Each line is a message, containing only the meaning given to it by those who stay long enough to read it.

That is why the lines are backwards. A glance is not enough. In any language.

Seattle Public Library: A maze of surprises.

So for the 4th part of the assignment, I decided to check out the meeting rooms on the 4th floor that I heard had red walls. I didn't stay for long though, I began to have a headache from looking at nothing but red. Plus, it's creepy (to me).

It was all red,

Blood red.

Above, below, behind and in front,

On my left and on my right.

Walls twist and turn, like a maze.

Small white ceiling lights but appearing red,

As it reflect off the red walls,

This place is darker than the rest,

Neither voices nor footsteps can be heard.

No bright colours aside from red.

Bright red, blood red.

No daylight but a single hidden wall.

Salvation, peace to my eyes.

Who would want to hold a meeting here?

For the total silence, the dark isolation?

Oh, actually that makes sense.

But I’m out of here.


==================================================================================
As for the artworks...

George Legardy's "Making the Visible the Invisible: What the Community is Reading" was a disappointing piece. It just looked like an ordinary tv screen that shows the daily readings... I was expecting something more eye catching...

 

Ann Hamilton's untitled artwork turned out to be the floor! If it was me, I'd call it "The Floor of Languages" instead =) Intriguing piece! Sure makes a great floor design!

Tony Ousler's "Braincast" was in my opinion very creepy. A face or mouth on an egg? I'm not so sure I like that very much.

And finally, Gary Hill's "Astronomy by Day"... Well, I couldn't find it. It was supposed to be a computer projection? Maybe the computer broke down...

Library Art

Ann Hamilton's Untitled piece is an ideal installation at a library. Its jumble of carved multilingual quotes and phrases can be overwhelming, but it is also a fascinating display of the variety of language. My favorite part about this creation is that it is easily overlooked. If one was in a rush, the intricate carvings on the floor could easily be overlooked. Yet, if you would just take the time to pay attention to the vast detail before you, you would very pleased with what Ann's work of art holds in store.       

Doublespeak - Food for Thought

As you're considering how to revise your Doublespeak paper, consider these questions:

What examples of doublespeak have you heard or read?

According to Lutz, what is the relationship between doublespeak and power?

Lutz writes that language is "a tool or a weapon." What do you think he means by that? How can you tell when language is being used as a tool or as a weapon?

Can you think of circumstances in which a listener might interpret language as doublespeak when it was not intended that way?

How might the concept of doublespeak relate to artistic expression? Can art be employed in the service of doublespeak? Can art be used as a means of exposing or resisting doublespeak?

Pike Place

The first place we went to was an art vendor who made ceramic musical whistles. He explained some of the processes on how to make them and told us how that he liked the market because it is like a family of people. We asked him how they get stands where they do, he said that you get a number and they draw it in the morning and when you get your number drawn you get to to choose a spot. The longer you have been at the market the lower your number is and you have a better choice of spots. Also he said that after awhile vendors will start to stake out there territory and if another person takes there usual spot, they get growled at.

Pike Place

Market spice was very cool, after we found it. We managed to walk past it twice and then had to ask somebody where it was. This store was great there were so many different spices and teas that smelled amazing, it seemed there was a new smell in every isle and corner of the small shop.

Pike Place

And then there was cheese. This place had all sorts of types of cheese that neither of us had ever herd of or thought existed. Many strange foreign names and lots of different colors.

Pike Place

Then we were off to the three girls bakery which I thought it was funny that the person that was baking inside was a man, oh well. There were great smells coming from the store if after you got close enough for the fish smell to go away from the vendors across the street.

Then we went to the magic shop. there were lots of cool trinkety things and a couple of cool fortune teller things that looked really old.

Pike Place

After the flower shop we made our way to the gum wall, there was lots of gum as expected. People who had never been to it before seem very interested in it, we both thought that if we had seen it once we had seen it all because gum is gum.

Pike Place

Next we went to a flower vendor who owned her store and was selling it. What we found really really interesting about the store was that it had been a flower selling store for over 70 years, although she wasn't the original owner of the flower shop she said that she had really enjoyed helping people express there emotions through flowers for the past 13 year she had owned the shop.

Pike Place

The second place we went to was the fish merchant. As we took in the smells of the fish and the sea they came from the man who was there told us that the tradition of throwing the fish had all started due to the fact of it beingmore efficient to throw the fish to one end to the other rather than have to carry it or walk it over. He said now days it has become an icon and novelty of Pike Place market.

Pike Place, Artists and the ones who hear them

        

  

         I walked with Amelia and Michael through the market for two days in a row, because there is simply too much activity to not get constantly distracted and find yourself suddenly in the same store you just walked into, half an hour later. There was so much to see before we could even begin to look at the assignment given to us. And I had been here before. I can say I far more enjoyed the outdoors part of the market than the indoors due to becoming very claustrophobic and wanting to body-slam people out of the way.

         And I can also say that for the amount of vendors and customers, smells beautiful and not so beautiful, sights that accosted the eye with color, awe-inspiring things being made by hand as we watched and quite a lot of dead fish, the life of the market to me are really the performing artists. Stationed strategically on the street corners at the bottom of the hill and right in the middle of the entrance, alone or in pairs, each one was something you had to stop and watch and listen to. Each one had a message that told of other times and brought tears to your eyes. Those people on the streets telling their stories to the world as a thousand conversations went on around them. One of them we were assigned to ask a question. The one we chose initially was really someone I would still like to hear more from. To not be broken from the flow of his own music, he told us to come back in half an hour. We were pressed for time. When he asked us if it was for an assignment or if we were genuinely interested, I found myself answering the latter. I think one day I will go back and talk to him.

For the other people we posed our question to, I will refer you to Amelia, some posts down. I am only posting photographic evidence of some of the places we were told to find, and found, on our walk.

Isnt It weird how you feel like you are contributing
to history, just a little bit?

                                                                                                            

I bought a cookie here, it was a good cookie.

                          I think what I can personally say about this market is what everyone will agree on:
              it is an important part of Seattle. And even though it means a lot to people in very different
                                 ways, it is a place to give them a chance to bring these ways together.

-Claire

Pike Place

When your at this market you see so many different things going on. You see tourists going around having a good time, business people trying their best to sell THEIR fish rather than you going to buy the one literally 8 steps away, and artists trying their best to make enough money to get through that day. You see so many different people there its amazing. The wide variety of people in itself would be enough to make you want to go down there. The popularity is what brings you down there but for me it is the artists that make me stay much later than I had planned and make me miss all other appointments that I had planned for that day. These aren't the performers that I am used to seeing on the streets back were i come from. These are experts at their craft, and I do not use that term lightly. They do not just sing the words, you can see such great emotion behind the lyrics that you can't help but stay for just a few songs more.

A trip to Pike Place Market

At first I thought of how exciting it would be to walk down to Pike's Place Market from Cornish. (I found out later on that my feet would be dying as I walked back to Cornish) Now I've been to Pike's place Market before during previous summers and I thought I knew it all but the assignment proved me wrong.

Towards the market brimming with sound, activity and smell.

Visitors from all around the world.

Seafood on one side, artworks on the other.

Fruits and flowers in between.


From the temptation lane along Beecher's Handmade Cheese,
To the overpowering smell of Market Spice.
The weird and wonderful magic shop, a prankster's haven.

To the disgusting yet somewhat intriguing wall of gum.

I thought it was pure artistic genius.

Why buy paint when you can just decorate it with gum?

The value of Pike's place market?

I asked the opinions of 3 simple people.

A fishmonger, an artist and a flower seller.

To a fishmonger: it's the best money making place.

A vital place to Seattle where everybody comes.

To a cheese tray maker: it's the best place to work in the world!

A place of great value to everyone and Seattle.

To a flower seller: It's pretty cool.

Now I'm not sure about others, but I think that Pike's Place Market is still a gigantic mystery of a place. No matter how many times I visit, there is still something new to be found here! I only saw a small snippet of how wonderful this place is. It is the heart of Seattle to me.

I paired up with Amy for this assignment so the pictures are on her blogpost RIGHT BELOW THIS ONE =D

Cornish does Pike Place

A Somewhat Saddening Start
Despite being sick and heavily dosed with medications, walking from Cornish to Pike's Place Market, I was feeling pleasantly immersed in the energy and excitement of the city. While waiting to cross the street and head into the market itself, my eyes were unwillingly drawn to this. Now, I am not generally one to pass judgments, think less of people who have fallen on hard times, or refuse aid to fellow humans in need - however, based on my observations of this couple's particular state of cleanliness (in both their clothing and their persons), and how they and their animals all seem to be well-fed and in general good health, I felt at the time, and still feel, that these were professional pan-handlers engaging in the blatant exploitation of cute, fuzzy animals for their own profit. While I have no doubt that the animals are being fed, and are possibly even loved by their owners, a kitten on a leash is never a happy sight, especially not when it's kept at a street corner for hours. It made me feel a little angry. :(

The light changed, and we proceeded onward to the market in slightly damper spirits. Throughout our exploration of the market, we encountered a very large variety of people. Some were very gracious and thrilled to talk about their views of the market, others were too busy to talk, and some wanted nothing to do with us. As a whole, I found the people of the market to be a vibrant, passionate collection of individuals.


The Cheese Tray Maker

This is Jeff. He has worked with his friend forming glass bottles into cheese cutting trays and selling them in the market since 1996. His favorite ones are the vintage soda bottles, but none are pictured here because he sold the last one in stock about 15 minutes before we got there.

When we asked Jeff what he thinks about Pike Place Market, this is what he had to say "It's the best place in the world to work! As a major tourist destination, I think it adds tremendous value to Seattle. The tourists come off the cruise ships, and they want to come here. There is also a great mix of locals." Jeff enjoys where his shop was set up that day, since it was close enough to food to provide a lot of yummy smells, and far enough away from the sometimes overwhelming fish stalls.

The Fishmonger

When Jessica was finished drooling over the fresh fish, and asked his thoughts about the market, this gentleman said that "It's the best money making place in Seattle." He feels that the market is vital, not only to Seattle's economy, but to other economies as well.

"Everybody - I mean, Alaska, Seattle, Washington, and more - everybody would be going without if Pike Place didn't exist."

The Calligrapher

While Jin Bao Shu hand inks some tremendous traditional art, he also makes custom pages of your name written in kanji, so I took this picture for Jessica. When asked his opinion about Pike Place, he said that it is "Very good! Public Market; lots of people here!" Even with all the current financial problems in the United States he feels that, "Business has been better, especially in the summer. It's a secure place. (The market) provides business security. It's a good place."

The Floral Arranger

This young man didn't have too much to say about Seattle, or the Market, since he has only been living and working here for a few months. However, he thinks that Pike's Place Market is "Pretty cool. It's a nice, good, cool place."

Despite the shortness of his time in the market, his floral arrangements are quite lovely, and the smell was heavenly.

Bonus Silly Pictures:


Beecher's Handmade Cheese
How much can she fit in her mouth?!?














The Gum Wall
I don't think anyone ever told her that it's gross to taste previously chewed gum...













The Magic Shop
Encounters of the Cornish Classmates kind

BEHOLD MEREDITH - FUTURE GOLD MEDALIST STRONG WOMAN!
















Market Spice

Jessica getting cozy with a tea cozy.

When she gets all steamed up...











For more silly and interesting pictures of our Pike Place adventure, you can check out my flickr album.

Pictures of Pike Place

Jeremy and I took pictures in each of the shops we visited. The pictures are of juggling balls in the magic shop, granola from the bakery, a puzzle of the world from Metsker's maps, a mortar and pestle in the spice shop, and a wooden cutting board from the cheese shop.

Pike Place Wanderings

Sitting at the bar of Ivar's at Pier 54, I opened my journal to shield me from the gaggle of Nebraskans who had descended upon my fair city for the ill-fated football game between the Huskies and the Huskers. In my little red book I found scribbled notes about my travels in Pike Place, barely legible and hurried. Amidst the many sentence fragments I found jewels, sparkling images of my experience of Pike Place, the market, the people, the products, the day. These I turned into a free form poem of sorts while sipping my Boundary Bay Pilsner (locally brewed in Bellingham).

Art

her sign said

Art is sharing love

sharing love with strangers

We're all strangers here

on worn cobble streets that evoke

smells that evoke

warm tastes and gooey cheese

loving curds and dark spices in the Market.

Glazed eyes dart from crisp apple

cut into tart bits held by a Native's hand

3 girls and their fluffy lemon ginger.

These Natives are not sinister, though

perhaps they seem this way to more foreign strangers.

Pierced, tattooed, dreaded, draped in earth toned woven hemp

their gorgeous eyes light when we ask questions

"What is the VALUE of this market?"

A giggle

and Josh speaks

"The VALUE?

of this outdoor supermarket?

Do you think Pineapples grow locally in winter? We still

serve them to the TOURISTS"

another giggle

and gaged ears waggle

"HERE! PUT THIS IN YOUR FACE!"

Near the dead supple smell of leather

I meet a family in business

a dying trade of dead skin

tied around ballooning waists.

Garlic in the wind I set to a warm bun

helping add to my expanding midline

helping feed the families who live their lives

differently

alternative people in an alternative market

Pike Place Market

Field Study for Sept. 17^th 2010

Integrated Studies: Artist in Place

Claire, Michael, and Amelia

In our adventures of exploring the market and looking for the many places described to us on the list I began to notice a few key elements to Pikes Place Market. Specifically this market is an indoor market but it gives the feel of being more of a open environment. It has many levels and many shop keepers and booth workers. Each one is unique with what they sell and what the make. The market is normally extremely crowded and moving from place to place can be rather difficult if you are claustrophobic but everyone there has a type of atmosphere about them that makes you enjoy your experience just a bit more. It’s a wonderful place to go exploring if you have some time and the shop keepers are friendly and wonderful to talk with.

Personally I feel like Pike Place Market is a great addition to Seattle as a city and holds not only historic value but sentimental value to everyone there. We spoke with a fishmonger, a flower seller, and a performer (three people commonly found in the market) each one of them had something important to say about the value of Pike Place Market to the city of Seattle. The performer by the name of Emery Carl informed us that the value of the market is seventy two dollars and thirteen cents. This of course made us all laugh and he spoke about Pike Place Market for him being a place that supported and helped him “make it” at what he loved. Emery also gave us a word of advice. “No amount of money will get you what you want, what will is the amount of time and dedication you have towards it.”

The fishmonger had something different to say. He felt that Pike Place Market was good for the city of Seattle because it helps bring people from all over the world together to experience an amazing place. He informed us he was very happy with his job and he loved meeting and helping new people every day.

I’d like everyone to note that I bought a sunflower at this part of the journey but I also really enjoyed speaking with the flower seller because he didn’t really feel like he had a specific thing to say about Pike Place Market adding to the value of Seattle but he did tell us how he enjoyed selling flowers because he was able to bring a little bit of beauty into everyone’s lives with the flowers, something I found very touching.

The People of Pike Place

"We are the heart." That's the first thing Jessica said when I asked her about Pike Place's part in the greater Seattle community. Beyond that, however, she emphasized the role of the market in a society and how it has changed over time, from a very vibrant, social atmosphere to one of mere necessity. To her, the 105-year-old Pike Place market keeps the tradition alive--both as a tourist destination for those just visiting the city, and as a place where Seattle natives can come together.

David sees the market in a much similar way. He enjoys working in Pike Place as a fishmonger because of the very close, friendly atmosphere and his day-to-day interaction with all the people sauntering in or bustling out. He mentioned making new friends here in the market, and how it builds a strong sense of community within everyone who visits.

Selling bracelets and other pieces of jewelry crafted from precious metals, Serena had different things to say about the importance of Pike Place. Because of the multitude of people walking through the market each day, her wares and those of every other artist get exposed to a huge audience. That exposure is vital to any craftsperson, and Serena could not understate it. More importantly, all the artisans at Pike Place are working independently, representing themselves (though, ironically, Serena was acting as an agent for the artist today, who was sick.)

All three of these people eventually had the same thing to say about Pike Place Market: it acts as proof that the city of Seattle values its culture, from the community of the market itself to the works of art displayed and sold there, with all the talented street performers and sample-offering sellers of produce in between. I couldn't explain this better than with a scene from my afternoon walk. In front of me were two men enjoying a jaunt through the marketplace. While we walked, across the street a quartet of singers began their next set. I watched intently as the two in front of me first recognized the sound of music, then slowly turned towards it smiling and retraced their steps in order to better listen and watch. As I continued on my way, I couldn't help but smile.

Pike Place

A well renowned area seattleites dare go due to over whelming tourists such as those in full red ensembles sporting their hometown of Nebraska, clumped together in leashes so they are not separated.

Every corner every foot of the market is different. The market appeals to every sense. Music from street performers, visual pleasure of artwork and craftmanship, and the smells and taste that come from the many assorted styles of bakeries and food stops.

Pike place is full of life noise and the occasional flying fish... It may seem as if it is nothing but a nuisance, but if you really look in the nooks and cranys you find small shops such as Cafe de France where you feel you have been portalled out of seattle into the middle of France.

There is a brilliant idea out there that is to wear camo to hide, maybe to essentially become invisible, but if you wear full camo mid day in a city of cement, tall building and hipsters you will find yourself doing quit the opposite and drawing attention closer to yourself.

A joke from the magic shop "I couldn't fix your brakes... So i made your horn louder."

Mr. Sam Lewis

This is Mr. Sam Lewis, the man who sleeps at the bus station on 7th ave. Between Blanchard st. and Bell st. He's originally from New Orleans and just recently moved from Tacoma up to Seattle. He likes Spiderman and enjoys smoking Marlboro Reds.