SEATTLE — A crowd of both maskless and masked faces packed Seattle's Pike Place Market on Saturday morning as people enjoyed the weather and the first full day without an indoor mask mandate.
"I've got my mask with me and I'm like trying to feel it out because it's been an interesting concept," said one man standing in line at Le Panier.
His girlfriend standing next to him was all smiles with her mask stuffed in her purse.
"I am just very excited because obviously as a girl, when you're wearing masks and makeup, it just does not go hand in hand," she said.
Her boyfriend who is immunocompromised said he felt comfortable without a mask as long as the science says it's okay.
"To finally be -- you know, to see the light at the end of the tunnel here and be able to get past it a little bit has been great," he said.
However, some moving through the crowds were cautious as they peered around at all the maskless faces.
"I don't think it's very smart," said one young boy visiting from Utah where the mandate has also been lifted. "Just seeing a humongous crowd, if one person has it, it can spread to thousands of people," he said.
A nurse, also standing in line at Pike Place's Le Panier bakery said the pandemic has made her want to quit her job because of how exhausted frontline workers have been.
"COVID is not gone," she said. "Every time there is a mask mandate lifted, we have another surge."
Many vendors at the market on Saturday just wanted customers to feel safe so they would keep coming in.
"Just out of habit and courtesy for others, I will keep wearing my mask," said Scott Chang with See Lee Garden.
However, he did say that it makes personalized customer service a little easier.
"Now I can recognize our regulars who have been coming down here for years. It's rough with a mask on," he said. "You can be a local and I've known you for years, but with the mask on you forget who they are."
Some in the market said they fear another surge, while others said they are remaining optimistic.
"It will just be nice to hopefully have the rest of the year where we don't have to worry about, where did my mask go? Because I'm always losing mine," said one woman laughing.