Day #60 - 5/11/2011 - Seattle, WA

A lazy start to the day, which is I guess is just as well as we avoided the rush hour traffic from Issaquah to downtown Seattle.  Our Motel 6 room was comfortable enough, but after 2 months of cheap motels along with some camping, I can tell you why M6 has the lowest price of any national chain:

• No ‘fridge
• No microwave
• No coffee maker
• No clock-radio
• No box of tissues
• No shampoo
• No breakfast
• Meager shower towels
• No free WiFi (they charge $3)

Most of you may never need to know this.  Anyway, I was excited about the day as I would be meeting a recent UF graduate and friend for lunch. 

And, with that,  we took to the downtown and the Pike Place Market. 

Named after the central street,  the Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers' markets in the United States.  The market is one of Seattle's most popular tourist destinations and is much bigger than meets the eye, home to more than 200 year-round commercial businesses; 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day; 240 street performers and musicians; and more than 300 apartment units, most of which provide housing for low-income elderly people. 

Anyway, I had someone to meet: Dave Wang.  Dave and I met in 7/2008 when he was a fourth-year sub-intern on my ward team.  You can find him pictured here and here.

Originally from mainland China, Dave and his family made it the U.S. via Canada.  He became a naturalized
citizen during the month I worked with him.  As congenial as he is bright, Dave successfully
competed for a Fulbright Scholarship in spite of the letter of recommendation I wrote for him.

About to start his Pediatric Residency at Seattle Children's Hospital, Dave was in Seattle looking for an apartment.  Through the connectivity of the tubes that make up the internets, I was alerted to Dave's synchronous presence in Seattle by the Book of Faces.

Dave and I last saw each other last year and 3000 miles ago.

 I like to avoid things that scream tourist, but Lani insisted on a picture with Pike Place Market's unofficial mascot, Rachel, a bronze cast piggy bank.  Rachel weights in at 550 pounds and has been on location here since 1986.

Rachel receives roughly US$6,000–$9,000 annually in just about every type of world currency, which is collected by the Market Foundation to fund the Market's social services.

 In addition, to Rachel the Pig, there are other iconic attractions to The Market including the Pike Place Fish Market, where employees throw three-foot salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the Fish Market's ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the counter top, where another employee catches it and preps it for sale.  Tourists line up to watch salmon in flight.  I did...what a hoot.  It sorta reminded me how the staff the San Francisco's Specialty Cafe would sing when fresh cookies emerged from the oven.

Dave graciously accommodates some tourists who want to be seen with Rachel.

Inside The Market, the upper street level contains fishmongers, fresh produce stands and craft stalls operating in the covered arcades.

These big-ass grapes caught the photographic eye of another blogger.  There was a lot of great looking produce inside the Market.

 Looking for a place to eat and armed with the Yelp, Urbanspoon and TripAdvisor apps on my iPhone, we headed to the nearby Pike Place Chowder (#3 for Seattle according to TripAdvisor)

After a great meal, we walked together a bit before taking off in opposite directions.  It was great seeing you, Dr. Wang.

 According to my count, there are 38 merchants at the Market who sell flowers.

Pretty colors.  You should click on the picture.

There are enough places to eat in the Market that one, or you, or even me, can graze their way from one end of the Market to the other.

The gloomy Seattle weather did not keep the throngs from making their way through the confines of the Market

After setting Dave free, Lani and I walked around a bit, then returned to the Top Pot Donut Shop to take advantage of their WiFi and plan the return of the cycling part of the trip.

The day ended  with Lani meeting her friend Maria, who was working in the area.

Lani and Maria were friends from UF.  Maria, originally from Russia, works with Public Outreach Fundraising in Seattle.  She is applying for grad school at the University of Washington.

As the day in Seattle came to an end and we prepared to hit the highway tomorrow, I thought about how great it was cross paths with the friends we've made years ago and miles away.