On a gray Monday afternoon, people crowd together at Pike Place Market. In typical Seattle fashion, tourists watch in amazement as workers toss fish to each other. Men and women line up for beautiful, cheap bouquets of tulips and wildflowers. They move through the market slowly, like a herd of cattle, trying to take in all that is to be seen. Some browse through comic books and movie posters while others fill brown paper bags with fresh produce. There are many shops in the market and not one of them is empty.
Children line up outside as a heavy-set clown makes balloon animals. A polite young boy asks, “Could you please make me a puppy?” The clown reaches for his front pocket and pulls out a yellow balloon. After taking a deep breath, he puts the balloon to his mouth and blows into it until it turns into a long, skinny tube. He quickly twists and bends the inflated yellow tube, manipulating it into his preferred shape. His fingers rub against the balloon, making squeaky noises as the boy watches in awe. In less than a minute, the clown has created what looks like a yellow poodle and passes it to the youngster, who gladly accepts his gift.
Street performers capitalize on the huge crowds of people, as they compete for their attention. Across the street, an old man with white hair and a long beard sings songs while playing an old wooden piano. A half a block from him, a younger man draws an impressive audience as he hula-hoops while juggling. In order to see performances as unique as these, one would usually have to go to a carnival or circus. However, at Seattle’s Pike Place Market you never know what you’re going to see, which makes it the perfect tourist attraction.
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