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Monday, July 2, 2012

My weekend: Eastern Market, Washington, DC

This past weekend- after the HUGE storm that blew through the area (jump to the break)- we decided to go to Eastern Market in Washington, DC.

Marketplaces were once common all over the U.S., but they generally have been replaced in neighborhoods with the supermarket chains like Safeway, Giant, etc.  BUT- though it all- the traditional market has survived!

Farmers markets are the most common occurrence that you see in towns and cities across the U.S. Each town/city/county will decide what is the best day to hold these markets and where.  In the Washington, DC, we are lucky to be so close to many farms and to have a population that enjoys having the local produce.  As such, there is a farmers market open almost every day of the week in the different towns.  Fairfax County (where I live) has a list of their farmer markets and schedule online here, if you are interested.  Old Town Alexandria claims to have the oldest continuous running farmers market in the country, and their information is here.

BUT, in this posting, we are talking about the established marketplaces in the U.S.; those in actual buildings! In the Washington, DC, Eastern Market is our marketplace.  Sure, there is the fish market by the river and the farmer markets all over, but Eastern Market is unique in that it has it's own space.  The feel may remind you of the market places in Europe (although ours is much smaller in DC. Larger markets in the US are in Philadelphia).

Eastern Market (National Park Service Information Link here) is Washington, DC's oldest continually operating public market.  It is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, right off the Eastern Market metro stop and a short drive from the Capitol.  (probably a long walk, which I wouldn't recommend in the summer heat!)  It was built around 1873 and only was closed after a fire burned most of the building down in 2007.  Thankfully, they rebuilt the building and it is open and thriving now.

In addition to the indoor market, Eastern Market has a farmers' market outside the building as well as a flea market every Sunday in the school across the road.  Inside, there are many meats, cheeses, sweets, flowers, and pastas sold while outside is the fruits and other produce you find at farmers markets.  The flea market has sellers of jewelry, clothing, toys, home decorations, leather and more!

The area around Eastern Market also has a good variety of restaurants, delis and coffee shops and so in the summer (or winter) when the weather gets to you, you can duck into one of these to enjoy a small treat.  The Market itself also has their own eatery.










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So, their was a HUGE storm that blew through our area on Friday night (June 29).  I didn't even know that it was coming until all of a sudden I heard all of this noise!  I looked outside and the wind was going so strong- we had gusts up to 70 mph!  That's hurricane wind!  The rain then did come, although not too much.  The wind has left about half a million people without power in our area and water and other essentials are down.  Thankfully, my house was fine, but when we drove into DC, we saw some of the damage that happened there.  Here are some photos of the downed trees near Eastern Market- this large tree fell across the road!  It took out the stairs to a house, broke some glass and smashed a truck!  Unbelievable!  (we don't normally get extreme weather in DC!)
The Tree that Fell across the road

The staircase is missing on the left and their windows are broken.  The house on the right's staircase is bent.

The smashed truck