At Seattle’s Pike Place Market one will undoubtedly encounter a kaleidoscope of different people, food, sites, smells, and experiences on any given day. At the North West end of the Market projects a long narrow concrete wall terminating at an information pagoda located at the corner of Virginia Street and Western Ave. The wall is perforated with a series of protruding surfaces that act as seats, and/or tables for eating. I noticed this site, not for its aesthetic appeal, but rather the amount of different people gathered around, all using it for different reasons. The people completely activate this site. There are Merchants on their lunch breaks, families taking pictures of the sound, the ubiquitous beggars talking to one another, and tourists sipping their novelty Starbucks. All of these elements blend together to create and layered experience that is unexpected, but complimentary to the inherent diversity within the Market. The seats are also very inviting and conducive to conversation, as they form a nook in which one person can stand and others can circle around. The monotony of the solid concrete structure also emphasizes the sense of urbanism in the site, forcing you to notice people in the space rather than directing your focus to the space itself.
View Ledges of Pike Place. in a larger map
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