The bronze pig, the big Market clock, the bustle, the view of Puget Sound and its chuggy ferries, the gobs of tulips... The Pike Place Market is exotic and square and folksy and awesome and everything else, and is probably almost as famous as the Space Needle when it comes to Seattle tourist destinations.

Fresh strawberries, the "fish throwing guy", import fixins, comic book shops, cafes, it's a whole day's worth of shopping and snacking and dining fun. Just a skip from your stay at the Ace, too.

The Pike Place Market was founded on August 17, 1907, as a city experiment to bring farmers and consumers together and soon became a Seattle institution. The Market was at its peak in the 1930's; over 600 farmers had permits to sell in a single year. Average Daily Pedestrian Traffic at the Pike Place Market: Winter and Spring Seasons: Weekdays = 20,600; Saturdays = 37,800 Summer Season: Weekdays = 27,000; Saturdays = 40,100.

The Market is always crawling with buskers and mimes and acapella groups and jugglers and carnies and Replicants and balloon artists and Spoon Men, so bring your Nikon!

(Statistics and other information culled from the Pike Place market website, @ http://www.pikeplacemarket.com).