The Greater Seattle Area is full of neighborhoods with personalities all their own, and the eclectic neighborhood of Fremont has one of the loudest personalities around. While you can find things to do and see any day of the week here, Sunday is the best. Every Sunday throughout the year, the Fremont Sunday Market fills 34th Street, parallel to the canal. It’s easily accessible by bike, bus or car!
Depending on the time of year and how much rain is falling, the size of the market will vary, but rain or shine, there will be a market. There is a big garage on the street that is filled to the brim with vendors and protects from the elements. These vendors are fairly established features of the market and easily found week to week. They include everything from used shoes to vintage jewelry, retro clothing to antique cameras. One of my favorite stands is a selection of disassembled watch parts, typewriter keys, as well as other little trinkets. The vendor has some already made into bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, but you can buy the pieces you like and easily create your own personalized jewelry (a great way to create unique, personalized gifts!). Back outside, you’ll find a lot of antique furniture, vintage clothing and accessories, such as sunglasses and handbags, artisan crafts and other gems.
While this is not a market of the fruit and vegetable kind, there are food vendors out on the street. Some are fixtures found year round, and others rotate. Favorites include incredible Colombian, Indian, BBQ, Russian and French vendors.
After you’ve had your fill of the market, just turn up Phinney Avenue at the end of the market, and you’ll hit Theo Chocolates. The store sells amazing organic, fair trade chocolate bars in flavors like Pili Pili Chili, Cherry Almond and Coconut Curry. There are samples of every flavor in the store, and if you really love what you see, you can take the factory tour on the spot.
Across the street is an ‘almost-free’ drive-in movie theater that operates in the warmer months, and within a few blocks, you’ll find great restaurants, bars, breweries and cafes. As you walk, you’ll come across a lot of strange art installations that Fremont is known for, including The Rocket, Lenin, and clowns. Up Troll Avenue, you’ll find the famed Fremont Troll, a monstrous sculpture of the slightly sheepish-looking troll holding a real VW bug. To learn more about these pieces, you can partake in the Fremont Art Walk every first Friday from 6-9 p.m.
At the base of Troll Ave, there are tremendous views of the city, and if you keep walking east along the Burke-Gilman Trail, you’ll come to Gasworks Park in about a quarter mile. Climb Kite Hill, and you’ll have a picture perfect view of Lake Union, downtown, Westlake, and houseboats that look straight out of Sleepless in Seattle. It’s worth the walk, especially on a sunny and windy day when everyone will be having picnics, riding bikes and flying kites. You’ll also see sailboats, crew shells, amphibious vehicles and kayaks out on the lake.
