Readers of DesignDestinations have been exposed to a lot about Seattle in recent weeks.

The reason: My friend Peggy and I both visited Seattle within a couple of month of each other and found a lot to share. We enjoyed posting blogs about the places to visit in this growing and active Northwest city.

We haven’t written about Pike’s Market which is always front and center in the travel guides. Established in  1907, the accumulation of food and fish markets, stalls of crafts and creative stuff and a plethora of restaurants is on every tourist’s “go to” list.

I found it best in the morning before the crowds descended. We found a great spot for breakfast and on another day, enjoyed an authentic French lunch. I loved the guys who threw fish when purchased, hooted and hollered while they did their work. Who wouldn’t like the fun and funny shops and the many musicians who performed for a few bucks?

Signs like these made me smile and it seemed like I saw something new each time we meandered through the complex multi-level emporium.

Seattle Art Museum

Also big in the guide books is the Seattle Art Museum, called SAM. I enjoyed it, particularly the Northwest Native American exhibits and one of English china, an interest of mine. The museum seems to have small amounts of a lot of different art styles and media creating a nice overview of the artistic world.

Seattle Underground Tour

We also enjoyed the Underground Tour—a favorite of many visitors. In fact, when I asked on Facebook about fun things to do in Seattle, this tour came up quite frequently. It explores the history of the city which started in a swamp and eventually got built up in layers.

The tour was fascinating, showing the buildings that were once above ground and now under the sidewalks. The guide was entertaining, possibly embellishing the stories to make them more interesting. Certainly the parts about the Ladies of the Night and the issues of removing sewage in a swamp captured a lot of attention.

Seattle Space Needle

We ended our time in Seattle on New Year’s Eve so of course, we meandered toward the Seattle Center, home to the Chilhuly Museum, the Museum of Pop Culture (photos posted last week)  and, of course, the famous Space Needle. The Seattle icon built for the 1962 World’s Fair with observation deck and restaurant, spouts a delightful firework show on New Year’s Eve.