Being Tourists In Our Own City | Pike Place Market & The Olympic Sculpture Park

The other day we decided to be tourists in our own city. That afternoon we explored Pike Place Market and and visited the Olympic Sculpture Park. We didn't really explore the market, but we did ate. We had lunch at Lowell's and then grabbed some dessert at Joe Chocolate Co. 

Pike Place Market was so unbelievably busy for a weekday, but it is summer in Seattle, and the visitors and locals were all out in full force. It can be difficult to navigate through the narrow areas and it does take a little longer when there's lots of people. My pro tip for the market is always knowing my destination ahead of time and heading directly there. It is fun to wander around, people watching, trying samples, going into different stores and browsing. But if time is limited because of parking and you're going out to eat, I like to head directly to the restaurant I've chosen ahead of time. 

We chose to have lunch at Lowell's, which has three levels of dining and offers nice views of the water. On the first floor, which is the market level, you can order food and then eat it upstairs on the third level. We wanted a sit down lunch with cocktails, so we waited for a table on the second floor. Unfortunately, the tables with the views are 21 and over, so we had to wait awhile for a table on the other side with views of the market. The view was kind of cool, you could look down and watch people in the market, sampling food and buying produce. 

The workers were nice, but we were forgotten about and I had to track someone down. Luckily the host helped us and we were able to order. My husband had a Bloody Mary while I chose a Grand Mimosa, a Mimosa with ice and Grand Marnier. While we waited for our lunch, my son and I walked down the stairs to the main part of the market and checked out the yummy fruit. My lunch was one of their awesome sandwiches. I ordered the Beecher's and tomato sandwich with tomato jam. This was one great meal in the market. The cheese, Beecher's is local and their store is in the market. The tomatoes were just right, too. I loved how much cheese was in the sandwich. It reminded me of a crab melt, but with tomatoes instead. The tomatoes were so good and fresh I didn't miss the seafood. My husband had a Caesar salad with salmon. He really enjoyed the fish and how fresh it was. All of their produce and seafood comes from the market. Our sons shared an order of the Chicken Strips with fries. We waited a while for our table, so by the time our food arrived, we were famished. We didn't have any problems with anyone not finishing their lunch. 

Since everyone ate their meal, it was time to get some ice cream. Joe Chocolate Co. opened this summer. Their company started out making trail mix with high quality chocolate. Now they have a storefront in the market where they sell ice cream sandwiches, coffee, beer and wine, and of course-chocolate. We came for the ice cream sandwiches. They had two kinds of homemade cookies to choose from-Sea Salt Chocolate Chip and Snickerdoodle. The ice cream choices were Vanilla and Salted Caramel. Our sons shared a Snickerdoodle with Vanilla and my husband and I shared one with the Salted Caramel. They also dip the ice cream in dark chocolate, (yum!) and then you can choose either sprinkles, nuts, or shaved coconut to be sprinkled over that. The boys chose colored sprinkles and we picked coconut for ours. 

Wow! The presentation was so cute and they were huge, perfect for sharing. Our salted caramel ice cream was really good and my favorite part were the big chucks of caramel. The cookies were super fresh and so delicious with the ice cream. My husband also ordered a Thai Tea Iced Coffee. It was really refreshing and we could taste the Thai flavors well. The people helping us were really friendly and we liked how the shop looked. You could actually watch someone making chocolate and the whole vibe of the place was really relaxed, even in the busy market. They have a treat or beverage for everyone and it would be hard to leave unsatisfied. Joe Chocolate Co. is a welcome addition to Pike Place Market. 

Before we knew it, our two hour parking spot was up and we needed to get back to our car. Our boys still needed to run of some energy, and ice cream! It had been several years since we hung out at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Our boys didn't remember it and we wanted to take them there to explore. They loved running around in the sunshine and checking everything out. The views of the water and the city skyline are nice ones. The many sculptures are worth checking out and I was surprised by how many trees there are now. This park is a nice reprieve from the bustling city. After the boys ran around a ton, we found some chairs in shade and relaxed. Then it was time to head home and chill.