HappyTummy              

We picked Seattle as our weekend getaway mostly because we were sick of the finicky weather in Chicago. After a wretched winter (70 days of which had some snowfall), the Pacific Northwest sounded like the perfect place to head to for a few days…even if there was a possibilty of rain.

Our first stop on Saturday morning was Pike Place Market, just a few blocks from our hotel in downton Seattle. With all the organic fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, whole grain breads and pastries, this was pretty much the highlight of the trip for me :)

Our first stop was Pure Fish Food Market, where they were selling THE biggest fish, shrimp and crab I have ever seen in my life. The king salmon was probably longer than my arm, from shoulder to fingertip. I was seriously tempted to buy some–they ship overnight anywhere within the country–but I truly didn’t think B and I would be able to eat all of it anytime soon :)

There are so many beautiful flower stands at Pike Place Market. The prices were good too. If we had stayed more than just a weekend, I would have loved to buy some, just for our hotel room.

Mmmmm. A pasta lover’s dream! Pappardelle’s had a variety of artisanal pastas, many of them whole grain and super high in fiber. We tried a dark chocolate linguine…raw! The woman said it was edible raw, but of course most people cook it first, to serve with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, etc. for dessert.

When we walked by the Snoqualmie Valley Honey Farm stand, I had to stop and buy something. I eat honey almost every day, whether it’s on toast or in oatmeal, and I’m always on the lookout for quality raw honey (I won’t touch commercial honey–the heating process kills a lot of the good bacteria that helps my tummy). I bought a 6 oz. tub of Mount Rainier Fireweed honey, and let me tell you–it is good.

While I was purchasing the honey, B wandered away to find something for himself. What do you know…I found him at a stand selling beef jerky. He bought a bag of spicy beef pepperoni to take home.

Of course I couldn’t pass by the bakery counter without at least taking a picture :) Normally I would have jumped at the chance to gobble down some sweet goodies (and there was baklava too!), but I didn’t want to completely eat with abandon…especially since it was still before noon!

By far the best part about the market–fresh, organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables. I was amazed at how BIG all the produce was. The peas were bursting in their pods, the tomatoes were softball-sized, each kernel of corn was almost the size of my thumbnail. B and I bought a bag of green grapes to munch on as we walked; they were so plump and juicy.

Across the street from the indoor market are more produce stands and fish mongers, as well as a bunch of cute shops. We stepped into Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, where you can watch the employees in the process of making cheese.

By the end of our walk around Pike Place Market, B was pretty hungry. We made a final stop at Uli’s Famous Sausage, where they grilled up a sausage of his choice, and put it in a warm roll. He picked the chorizo picante and had it with mustard. He was definitely satisfied!

The rest of the day was jam packed with other great Seattle sights. We took an Argosy Cruise around Puget Sound, through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and around Lake Union. After that, we walked to Pioneer Square and browsed the shops. We had an early dinner at Ivar’s on the waterfront–I had cod, B had a clam bake, both were phenomenal. We ended the long day with a walk across town to the Seattle Center, where we saw the Space Needle. Needless to say, we were exhausted…and we went back to the hotel, where we rested up for more Seattle yummies on Day Two!