Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market

The first time I ever went to a Farmers Market was when I lived up in the U-District.  Being a girl from the suburbs, I used to think that it was a uniquely Seattle CITY thing to have a Market on a Sunday.  We didn't really buy anything, but we did go a few times to just check out the handicrafts.  

The best Farmers Market that I'd ever been to in Seattle is probably the Fremont Sunday Market.  It's huge and has a lot of great antique things to checkout.  

We've been going down to the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market every Saturday to restock on fresh produce to make baby food.  The Farmers Market is located right in the parking lot of the Des Moines Marina.  

The Saturday Farmers Market is a lot better than the Wednesday one because there are more vendors out…probably because a lot more people are free on the weekends.  The Market opens from 10 am - 2 pm from June to September.  

***Views of the Des Moines Farmers Market!***

It's a really great way to spend part of a Saturday.  There is food, music and a lot of fun for the kids (face painting…running around catching Pokemon…the usual).

Fun Fact:  Another Farmers Market, which is pretty nearby to Des Moines is the Burien Farmers Market.

Burien Farmers' Market

Burien is a little city on the south side of Seattle.  It's the main shopping area around the area, hosting some staple stores as Safeway, RiteAid, Starbucks, Trader Joe's, BigLots!, Fred Meyers, etc.  You can also find the post office, public library, service stations, restaurants galore, sewing machine repair shops, thrift stores, car dealerships and everything else under the sun here.  

Today, we went into Burien to check out the farmers market that we saw advertised on the street.  The Burien farmers market is located on SW 152nd St. and 5th Place SW.  It is pretty near the Burien Public Library in the Burien Town Square.  It is open every Thursday from 11 am - 6 pm.

There are a load of booths here - from handmade jewelry, dolls, and paintings to honey, produce, and freshly baked bread.  There are also a good handful of food trucks off to the side where you can also find outdoor seating.

The Burien Farmers Market sits right next to the Burien Town Square Park, where you can find loads of grass to chill on, a lot of paved side walks to chalk draw on and a wonderful mini fountain for your kids to splash around in.

Visiting the farmers market to day was a really good half a day of fun.  We got to have lunch here, shop around, meet some new people, sun tan in the lovely Burien sun…and just enjoy life.  It truly felt like the perfect summer afternoon.

It's good being back in the Pacific North West!

Des Moines Waterfront

The summer is the best time to visit the farmers markets around the Seattle area.  We are staying down in Des Moines with family right now.  So, driving around, I couldn't help spotting signs for the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market down at the Marina.

Fun Fact:  The Des Moines Marina has a nice path nearby that is great for skating.  It's called the Des Moines Creek Trail.  It also has a bunch of magicarp (pokemon) in the stream that runs along the trail.

When we got to the farmers market, everyone was pretty much still setting up, so we decided to walk around the Marina.  

The Des Moines Marina is where you can find boat moorages, launches and refueling spots.  There is also a paddleboat/kayak rental place on one of the docks.  When my folks first moved up here, they used to take out-of-town guests down to the Marina to watch the boats launch.

My father, being someone who really likes to talk story with the locals, used to ask all kinds of questions of the people who were launching their boats.  There were people that he met from Australia who were docking their boats there for the week.  I used to think that it was such a great retirement plan to sail the world after hearing that.

The marina is a really nice place to hangout.  It's also the place where I first thought about creating a blog!  Every time I come back to Seattle, I take a trip down to my folks' home and walk along the Marina.  The crisp Pacific Northwest air feels so refreshing.  And the aroma of the Puget Sound is so lovely!  I feel so lucky to be able to live in a place so beautiful!

We ended up just skimming through the farmers market…but I might go back as the summer ends.  There may be more to see and do in a few weeks.

Seattle: Pike's Place Public Market

I would say that one of the most famous tourist spots in Seattle is Pike's Place Public Market.  It's a mostly indoor mixed market (part farmer's market, flower market, and local handicrafts market) where you can find seafood for sale, fruits and veggies, sausages, cheeses, seasonal fresh/dried flowers, tourist tees, artistic tees, paintings, wooden pens, handmade jewelry, and more!

I think I could spend an entire morning and part of the afternoon just wandering around Pike's Place looking out onto the waterfront, window shopping all of the booths, and eating things.

Post Alley runs along the Public Market and it also has a lot of great shops and eateries to check out.

Beecher's Handmade Cheese Shop Window

Shops along Post Alley

Shops along Post Alley

View of Pike's Place Public Market

Tiles on the floor of Pike's Place Public Market

By the way:  Seattle's Pike's Place Public Market is also incredibly famous for the fish that are thrown in the Fish Market.  If you are ordering up a Salmon, one of the fish guys will toss it back to someone to weigh and wrap.

Fun Fact:  Pike's Place is ALSO famous for having the original Starbucks, which opened up in 1971.  It's always bustling with customers, but the service is ALSO always fast.

Below Pike's Place Public Market, there is also the famous Gum Wall, which...you just have to see...and perhaps leave your own bit of gum on.

The View from the Market

There are shops below the market, as well.  They have some really awesome antique/collectable type of shops, some tourist souvenir buying shops, and also a lot of oddity type of shops that really warrant a look see.

Since being back in Seattle, we've been to Pike's Place a few times...mainly for the oysters.  Actually, we're making our way around to all of the eateries just to sample all that the area has to offer.  It's been really great playing the tourist.

This is definitely a great way to sample what the Seattle area has to offer (in every way)!