Pike Place Market has so many specialty food, meat, and produce shops along with restaurants that it would be easy to pig out. But one of the must sees while there is actually a pig!

A 550-pound bronze cast piggy bank sits under the “Public Market Center” sign in the Market. The pig, names Rachel, has served as an unofficial mascot of Pike Place since 1986. Rachel was modeled by local artist Georgia Gerber after a real pig named Rachel.

Besides being a mascot and photo op for tourists, Rachel also is a real piggy bank and collects money for the Market Foundation to fund the Market’s social services. Each year she collects between $6,000 and $9,000 in currencies from around the world.


Site: Rachel the Pig at Pike Place Market
Location: 86 Pike Place, Seattle, WA
Hours: Pike Place/1st Avenue level: Monday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm, Sunday, 11am to 5pm / DownUnder stores: Monday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm
Costs: Free admission
Date: June 30, 2009