Pike Place Market’s Newest View

7/7/17 ink, Tombow marker, colored pencils

The north end of the Pike Place Market has been undergoing an expansion that finally opened to the public just last week. The new MarketFront has stores, restaurants and other venues and one of the best views of the waterfront from a huge, multi-level plaza.

USk Seattle wasted no time in getting over there for an outing, and I wasted no time in tackling that panoramic view (if I hesitated, I was afraid I’d chicken out). On a sunny but comfortably warm morning, I found a spot on a wide stairway overlooking the Great Wheel, Safeco and CenturyLink stadiums, the viaduct (both north and southbound) and the MarketFront’s plaza.

7/7/17 brush pen, colored pencils

With the tough one out of the way, I relaxed and wandered over to the vendor area, where Billie the Pig (sister to Rachel) was the top selfie spot for tourists. Unlike standing Rachel, who is easy to climb aboard for photos, Billie is seated, so her slippery, sloped backside proved to be challenging for most kids who attempted to ride her.

Billie’s bronze footprints can be engraved with donors’ names and placed in the ground. Likewise, the fencing all around the MarketFront was decorated with thousands of charms engraved with the names of supporters. (Back in the ‘80s, I got my name engraved on a floor tile in support of the Market, so these types of tokens are part of the Market’s legacy.)

Speaking of top selfie spots, here’s one we couldn’t resist: Greg joined us for lunch after the sketch outing, so on our way back to the car, we walked through Post Alley, home of the world-famous Gum Wall. A couple of years ago, more than a ton of gum was scraped from the wall in a cleanup effort (sugar was causing the old bricks to erode). Immediately new applications of gum started appearing, and today it looks as thick and good as ever. (I don’t chew gum, so I couldn’t contribute.)