Downtown

My husband and I celebrated Veterans Day in downtown Seattle. We had an excellent lunch at Blueacre and walked in the rain. Our route was dictated by bus stop locations, the restaurant's location and streets I had not yet walked. Our approximately 4 mile walk took us to streets near Denny and to the streets below the Pike Place Market. This area, on the periphery of the downtown core, is a mix of old, new and refurbished residential buildings, parking lots, specialty shops and restaurants.











We passed Alley 24 (whose facade is from the old steam laundry business built there in the early 1900's), the Mirabella (retirement community), a small strip mall, under the Monorail, what I call Tom Douglas corner (4th and Virginia) because he has three restaurants there (Lola's, The Dahlia Lounge and Serious Pie), the Moore Theatre, the Virginia Inn (established 1903), Victor Steinbrueck Park, an elevator to the waterfront, steps to the waterfront, stairs at Post and Seneca and a series of plaques with facts about the Market.

The Market opened in 1907 and is the oldest continuously operating public market in the U.S. Donations to Rachel the Pig support low income and senior residents of the neighborhood. In the early days of the Market, produce was locally grown and sold from wagons along the street; local produce is now sold at the covered daytables. The Market has been threatened over the years but a 1971 vote to "keep the Market" helped to preserve it.

Downtown Seattle always has things to offer, even in the rain.