We'll help you renew and celebrate your ties to Market that is city's soul

Pike Place Market is the first place I took my future wife the first time she visited Seattle. I picked her up at Sea-Tac Airport and drove straight there.

The frosty mug of beer and the view of Elliott Bay from the Athenian Inn were my way of saying, "This is where I live. I hope you will, too." I share that story more than 25 years later because it reflects the spirit in which The Seattle Times intends to celebrate Pike Place Market's centennial this summer. The Market turns 100 Aug. 17.

Most of our coverage will be under the theme "My Market," which captures the special status it has in all of our lives. For the centennial, we want to present a range of intimate relationships that have kept the Market at the heart of our city's past and present.

"We want to share our Market with readers and we want them to share their Market with us," said Denise Clifton, who is coordinating coverage.

For starters, you will want to keep today's Pacific Northwest magazine handy all summer.

It not only will help you sound authoritative to visiting friends and relatives, but Bill Dietrich's cover story will remind you why the Market is the oldest continuous farmers market in the nation, that its survival has at times been tenuous and possibly always will be.

Dietrich tells the Market's history in a way that connects us to it much as a family's stories connect generations of aunts, uncles and cousins. The magazine's words and pictures are like a family's photo album and journal.

The character of the Market is what we hope to reveal through "My Market" stories such as today's front-page article by Stuart Eskenazi, with photos by John Lok.

Eskenazi gets credit for coming up with the "My Market" theme.

"It seems as if every story about Pike Place Market has been told at least once.

"With that in mind, I've taken it as a personal challenge to find stories that will surprise readers, either stories they haven't read before or familiar stories told in a fresh way," Eskenazi said.

He is thrilled about how the project is coming together, especially the marriage of stories with Lok's photos. Eskenazi said Lok's "enthusiasm about the project has been amazing. His images will reveal his passion."

Every Monday through mid-August, The Times will print a feature on the Market. This Monday, readers will find a poster page showcasing a photo from the Market's earliest days. The Times will print six photo poster pages over the summer.

Other Monday features will include "My Market" stories and photos, told through the unique characters and places that make up the Market.

You'll see Lok's documentary-style photo story on a day in the life of the Market and an Eskenazi story looking to what the future holds. The Market is all about food, so Times restaurant critic Nancy Leson will contribute her insights.

There will be extensive coverage of the centennial celebration and more.

As stories appear, they will be posted on seattletimes.com/pikeplacemarket, which will also feature enhanced content. The Web not only enables us to add audio slideshows, photo galleries and historical information, it enables you to share your stories and photos from the Market. This project will take the collaboration between print and online to a new level of sophistication.

"It really is a team effort," Clifton said. "It reflects how people feel about the Market. It's our Market. It's everyone's Market."

The Web site already includes a beautifully illustrated Market map that was printed as a pullout section in Northwest Weekend last Thursday. Interactive and printable versions of the map are online.

The concept of the map was the result of a visit to the Market by Clifton, travel editor Terry Tazioli, illustrator Julie Notarianni, graphics art director Whitney Stensrud and online producer Holly Henke. They explored the Market looking for special places and information that would be both useful and evocative.

Readers will immediately recognize Notarianni's watercolor style. "She did a beautiful job," Clifton said.

Most of us have our own routine for visiting the Market, and we likely miss much more than we see. "I think we can keep surprising readers throughout the summer. We want them to say, 'Oh, I haven't seen that before,' " Clifton said.

One surprise will remain a secret until we get closer to revealing it. This special feature was Eskenazi's idea, and when you read it you will understand why a sense of mystery is appropriate.

We'll capture the sweep of this project in a keepsake form later this summer.

The project will evolve over the summer, which is fitting because the Market is also evolving.

"It's still here. We still go there to shop. We send visitors there. It's a living, breathing part of the core of the city," Clifton said. "It was always that way. This connection just continues."

Eskenazi said he is happy that The Times is contributing to the connection.

"I'm surprised whenever I hear locals say they haven't visited Pike Place Market in years," he said. "There is such vitality there, and it is such a vital part of the city and region. I hope the centennial — and our coverage of it — will remind people why the Market is so essential to our identity."

Inside The Times appears in the Sunday Seattle Times. If you have a comment on news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310 or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists