Pike Place Market

Few attractions in Seattle are more famous than the always bustling Pike Place Market. To think that during the 1960s urban planners lobbied to tear it down! Seattleites voted to protect it as a historic site, and so today this sprawling 1907 market continues to buzz with fishmongers and food stalls of every ilk - all told you'll find 200 year-round businesses, 190 craftspeople, 240 performers and musicians, and 120 farmers who rent table space. Pike Place sort of tumbles down a hillside toward Elliott Bay, and there's a fascinating assortment of book, clothing, gift, crafts, and antiques shops occupying the lower floors and adjacent buildings. For $8, you can also take a walking tour of the facility, Wednesday through Friday as well as Sunday at 11 a.m. (reservations are required, so call first). Some of the better food vendors include Crepe de France (made-to-order crepes), Daily Dozen Doughnuts (coffee and donuts), Le Panier (artisanal breads and chocolate croissants), Razey Orchards (organic Yakima Valley cherries), Pike Place Market Creamery (cheeses from all over the region), Pike Place Fish Market (the freshest Dungeness crab you'll ever taste, plus smoked salmon packaged to go), and Sisters Cafe (heavenly focaccia sandwiches). The original outpost of Starbucks is across from the market, along a strip of additional shops and restaurants, and you can always find plenty of the freshest imaginable produce in the farmers market.