I had an amazing opportunity to attend the first ever,  Women’s Entrepreneur Conference at Amazon Headquarters in Seattle, Washington. It was a very quick trip and I traveled without Dusty. I can’t wait until we’re able to revisit together. I traveled with 2 other women and we wanted to see what we could of Seattle given our circumstances of no car and about 6 hours to kill. One of the things we decided to do was take a foodie tour at Pike Place Market.  This was one of the coolest things I’ve done in a long time. It was a great way to see

The market was total sensory overload- there was so much to taste, smell, hear, see and buy!

I really can’t imagine it being much more busy than it was when we were here, but I am sure it is even busier on a weekend.

Nearly every vendor was handing out a sample of some kind, which I hadn’t expected.

The best looking produce I have seen in a long time. And so much of it.

These Morel Mushrooms were HUGE. I swear these were as big as my forearm.

The shrimp…. as big as the palm of my hand.

It’s worth noting that the pictures I took were all on the fly so most are not great. The next time I go, and there will be a next time, I will have the help of Dusty and hopefully our good camera.
Our first stop included some mini doughnuts. They were OK but I regret taking the extra donut just because I was firmly planted next to our tour guide. We ate so much and the donuts were filling. I should have known better but who says no to extra mini doughnuts? Certainly not me.

The Ellenos Greek Yogurt was off the charts!  The local fruit, Marionberry in the first picture and Passionfruit in the second picture was just icing on the cake, errrr yogurt. Just incredibly soft and full of taste. Dare I say, better than ice cream? I have forever been spoiled by having real greek yogurt.

Up Next was Oriental Market. This place has Filipino foods.  We tasted Lumpia (right) and Longanissa.  Both were very good. Lumpia is like an egg roll and filled with vegetables. Longanissa is a Filipino sausage. Also very good. Here is a great article about Oriental Mart written by Bon Appetit.

Next- Pike Place Chowder. There is an awesome story about how this chowder came to be and you can read about it here. Let me say, this chowder was worth standing in line for. We did not have to stand in line for this chowder but stand in line you will, unless you get there during non-peak hours. Each time we walked by the line wove outside and down the alley. Worth it though!

Here is a blurry picture of Beechers Handmade Cheese.  This place has purely handcrafted artisan cheese. You can watch cheese being made in the window, or as I like to call it, the stuff that dreams are made of, happening right before your eyes.

The crackers that they served the cheese on are also one of the products that Beecher’s make. They are the perfect cracker for cheese sampling because they are nice and thick- they don’t crumble when you take a bit.  They can be purchased on Amazon here.

This gorgeous macaroni & cheese is worth every calorie. I think our guide mentioned that it has 5 of their homemade cheeses.

Our last stop was at Pear Deli & Shoppe. If memory serves me right, this little sandwich consisted is called the”Lusty Loin”. It looks like a simple sandwich, yet it is anything but. The sandwich consisted of arugula, goat cheese, and a red onion marmalade, and brined pork loin all dusted with fennel pollen. Isn’t everything better with goat cheese?

This foodie tour was such a fantastic experience. We wouldn’t have sampled a fraction of the food that we did if it weren’t for this tour. The history lessons that our tour guide gave along the way were fun, too.

We had a few hours to kill the morning that we flew back so we made a quick trip back to Pike Place specifically for some Starbucks!

Pro Tip for Pike Place Market: visit during non-peak hours.

A great way to beat the crowds is to go on a weekday around 8 am and it’s fun to watch the vendors get set up for a busy day of selling.
When we walked by Starbucks during the tour this line for coffee was out the door and at least 30 people deep. It was much better at 8am.
This particular morning we waited in line for about 5-10 minutes. This particular location sells a special reserve coffee, only available here and I brought one home as a souvenir.
Here is the unassuming exterior. If our tour guide hadn’t pointed this location to us on the tour it would have been easy to overlook.

Here is the plaque commemorating the first store.

I can’t wait to go back and visit Seattle and explore some more with Dusty.

Related: Experience Olympia National Park

Tips for the Savor Seattle Pike Place Foodie Tour

• Allow yourself plenty of time to find the starting point. Google Maps were not easy to follow for this because we met in a building with alley access. Directions should have said ” go to the alley and look for the Gum Wall
• Wear comfy shoes- the tour covers several blocks and you’ll be walking for 2 hours.
• Bring an umbrella- tours take place rain or shine and it is Seattle, after all.
• You’ll be given an earpiece to hear the tour guide so don’t worry about missing what he says. 
• You end on the opposite end where you start. This gives you plenty of opportunity to meander back through the market when the tour is complete.
• Save your shopping for the end.
• The tour does accommodate diet restrictions, you just need to indicate your restrictions when you purchase your ticket.
• Arrive hungry!! The samples are very filling.
• Book your ticket here