Today, we visited Pike Place Market. The last time I had visited this famous market was in 2004. At that point, I had only visited two states outside of California and had never even left the country. Since then, I have visited 23 additional states, 12 countries, and lived in two other states. I have finished college, studied a foreign language abroad, and learned that Chinese food is more than just Cantonese cuisine. Between then and now, my perception of Pike’s market has changed. Then, it was enthralling, intense with its energy, chaos, and people in an inviting way. Now, it’s still intense, but overly touristy, crowded, and… expensive. I’ve come back with more knowledge of the world outside of the West Coast, and thus greater perspective on what the world has to offer. It’s amazing how your view of the same exact place can change over time as you get older and (hopefully) more mature.