Though it is both a shopping mecca and a tourist trap, there is frugal fun to be had at Pike Place Market. To start with, stick to samples. Food vendors in the market offer enough samples to serve as a lunch replacement. One of the best stops is the Sotto Voce, an oil and vinegar vendor at the corner of Pine Street and Pike Place. They offer bread with a wide selection of oils and vinegars to sample, on a rotating display at the corner of the booth. Across the aisle at City Fish, you can participate in the fish merchants' famous fish toss if you have good hand-eye coordination.
Pike Place Market
85 Pike St., Room 500
Seattle, WA 98101
206-682-7453
pikeplacemarket.org
There is a reason Seattle is known for its coffee culture, which is more than just Starbucks. Seattle coffee shops take coffee and cafe ambiance seriously. Espresso Vivace in Capitol Hill district has spent more than 15 years developing its own specialized espresso roasting and brewing process, documented in an illustrated time-line over the order counter. Though a sign bearing a detailed explanation of why espresso should be consumed quickly graces the pick-up counter, the cafe is well furnished for wiling away the afternoon with a book in the glass-walled quiet room or engaging in lively conversation in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows facing Broadway.
Espresso Vivace
532 Broadway Ave East
Seattle, WA 98102
206-860-2722
espressovivace.com
You can sample all the chocolate you like on the Theo Chocolate tour for only $6, as of 2010. The hour-long tours are offered four times daily on weekdays and five times on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The tours begin with a discussion of fair trade and single estate chocolates, featuring samples from different parts of the world. On the factory tour, you'll view the cacao bean's journey from pod to nibs to liquor, through to the hand-mixed, multi-flavored bars you'll taste in the Theo shop.
Theo Chocolate
3400 Phinney Ave. North
Seattle, WA 98103
206-632-5100
theochocolate.com
University amenities are not just cheap for students. The University of Washington Waterfront Activities Center is open to the general public 10 months a year for rowboat and canoe rentals. The Center only closes in November and December, and reservations are easier in spring and fall than in the summer. You will need a photo I.D. to check out a boat, but for only $8.50 an hour on weekdays or $10 an hour on weekends, you can rent a canoe for three people or a rowboat that holds up to four.
UW Waterfront Activities Center
3900 Montlake Blvd. NE
Seattle, WA 98195
206-543-9433
depts.washington.edu
