Seattle - Washington State - page 101

Good Times in Bad Taste
If you love bad jokes and are fascinated by the bizarre (or maybe this
describes your children), you won't want to miss the Underground
Tour and a visit to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Together, these two attrac-
tions should reassure you that, espresso, traffic jams, and Microsoft
aside, Seattle really does have a sense of humor.
If you have an appreciation for off-color humor and are curious
about the seamier side of Seattle history, the Underground Tour, 608
First Ave. ( & 206/682-4646; www.undergroundtour.com), will likely
entertain and enlighten you. The tours lead down below street level in
the Pioneer Square area, where you can still find the vestiges of Seat-
tle businesses built before the great fire of 1889. Learn the lowdown
dirt on early Seattle, a town where plumbing was problematic and a
person could drown in a pothole. (Tours are held daily. The cost is $9
for adults, $7 for seniors and students ages 13-17 or with college ID,
$5 for children ages 7-12; children under 7 are discouraged.)
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, 1001 Alaskan Way, Pier 54 ( & 206/682-5844 ),
is a cross between a souvenir store and Ripley's Believe It or Not! It's
weird! It's tacky! It's always packed! The collection of oddities was
started in 1899 by Joe Standley, who developed a more-than-passing
interest in strange curios. See Siamese-twin calves, a natural mummy,
the Lord's Prayer on a grain of rice, a narwhal tusk, shrunken heads, a
67-pound snail, fleas in dresses—all the stuff that fascinated you as a kid.
an eye out for low-flying fish at the Pike Place Fish stall, and be sure to save some
change for Rachel, the market's giant piggy bank, which has raised more than
$100,000 over the years.
Victor Steinbrueck Park, at the north end of the market at the intersection
of Pike Place, Virginia Street, and Western Avenue, is a popular lounging area
for both the homeless and people just looking for a grassy place in which to sit
in the sun. In the park, you'll find two 50-foot-tall totem poles.
For a glimpse behind the scenes at the market and to learn all about its his-
tory, you can take a 1-hour guided Market Heritage Tour ( & 206/682-7453,
ext. 653, for information and reservations). Tours are offered Wednesday
through Sunday at 11am and 2pm. Tours depart from the market's Heritage
Center, 1531 Western Ave. (take the Skybridge to the Market Garage and then
take the elevator to the Western Ave. level). The Heritage Center is an open-air
building filled with historical exhibits. Tours cost $7 for adults and $5 for sen-
iors and children under age 18.
Between Pike and Pine sts. at First Ave. & 206/682-7453. www.pikeplacemarket.org. Mon-Sat 9am-6pm;
Sun 11am-5pm; several restaurants keep late evening hours. Closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving,
Christmas. Bus: 10, 12, 15, or 18. Waterfront Streetcar: To Pike Place Market stop.
Seattle Art Museum You simply can't miss this downtown art museum.
Just look for Jonathon Borofsky's Hammering Man, an animated three-story
steel sculpture that pounds out a silent beat in front of the museum. Inside you'll
find one of the nation's premier collections of Northwest Coast Indian art and
artifacts and an equally large collection of African art. Exhibits cover European