Pike's Place Market - Seattle, Washington

When you think of Seattle, very rarely do people think or say "I really want to go there." More often than not, they tend to think about the fact that they don't need to go to yet another city that has a tall building as their claim to fame - the Space Needle. And while this unique structure deserves some attention, it is not Seattle's claim to fame, or it shouldn't be.

Seattle is a very unique, though not pretty from all angles, seaside city that has more hidden treasures than it is given credit for. One has to enjoy the fact that on their drive in and out of the downtown core, they are transported on a double decker freeway (not highways like they are in Canada) that give spectacular views of the old buildings that surround the newer high rises downtown.

But the real gem of Seattle is a little (well really not so little all things considered) Pike Place Market. Besides the fact that this is where a little company called Starbucks opened their first shoppe - to which it is still outfitted as it was to begin and will have the longest Starbucks line ever - there are numerous landmarks that make this an amazing stop.

Foodies will find gourmet delicacies for purchase and to sample, besides the little shoppes like the Market Shop that serve the most amazing Clam Chowder, and their prawns with blackened spice are to die for, that will all entice and make your taste-buds water. The Marketspice shop will allow you the chance to buy unique spices that are hard to find in many other places, as well as their cinnamon-orange tea that is one of my favorites.

For those people after entertainment, if watching fresh cheese being made at Beechers, or fish being thrown at the Fish Market, there are buskers, jugglers and many others waiting just for you. Antique bookstores with owners that are flabbergasted that you haven't read some of the oddest titles you swear you have ever heard, shoe museums, bead stores and more are all waiting to be discovered.

What are you waiting for?