Market – Bradley Farless

Weekly Flea Market Ave A and 11th Street

June 30, 2012 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

I’d forgotten about this place until I started going back through my photos. Last week, my wife and were walking down 11th Street. I don’t recall where we were going, but we saw a flea market and stopped in to look around. I’d always thought of flea markets as being a uniquely ‘Southern’ thing and I’ve been to quite a few. I have this vague memory of being at one where a guy had a stall set up to sell animals. I remembering seeing snakes. I have no idea how many years ago that was.

I asked around a bit and this flea market is set up once a week. The space it covers is pretty big, which made me wonder how much each individual seller pays the lot owner for the time they spend there.

If I had more time and more space, I would probably pick up some of the things they sell there, specifically books. I hardly have time to read the ones I have, though, given how much I read for classes I’m taking. I also saw some bicycles near the front entrance. I think I want to get bicycles for myself and my wife again. It would be fun to ride around Central Park and the bike paths that go around Manhattan. I don’t think I’d want to ride inside the city though and especially not on busy roads. Too dangerous.

On the way out, this guy saw me taking photos and indicated that he wanted to post for the camera, so I humored him and I’m happy with how it came out. He looks pretty slick.

The Limelight Market

August 3, 2011September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless5 Comments

The Limelight Market, New York City

The Limelight Market, located at the corner of 6th Avenue and 20th Street, is a pretty interesting place, but mostly because of the building it occupies. As you can tell from the exterior, this building used to be a church. When you get inside, you’ll see that the chapel has been converted into a series of small stores.

A yogurt shop, inside the Limelight Market, New York City.

This is a yogurt shop. I didn’t try any, but there was a constant stream of people going to the counter, so it must be pretty good. Around the corner to the right is Jezalin’s, where I got the kopi luwak arabica.

Inside the Limelight Market, New York City.

Turn around the other way and you see one of the boutiques. I didn’t pay much attention to what was being sold in the boutiques. It all looked a little too pricey and useless for my taste. Through the door in the back there I think there was a pizza restaurant.

If, from where I was standing in the previous picture, you were to walk forward and go to the left you’d wind up in this area, which looks like it used to be the main sanctuary. You can walk up onto the second level using stairs hidden away on the sides. There were more display cases up there and what looked to be a coffee bar that had shut down. I have a feeling the rent in this place is pretty high, which might be why Jezalin’s was trying to drum up more business by offering the Groupon discount on their kopi luwak.

I couldn’t get a straight on shot of the stained glass window because the area was blocked off by a register and some merchandise. There were smaller stained glass windows in some of the stairwells, but they weren’t completely viewable. The railing they’d built into the original structure to support the second level and the stairs blocked the windows partially.

Like I said, this isn’t the type of place I’d shop at for myself. I’ll probably go back just to look around again, and maybe to get another cup of that coffee. For me, the real fun was waiting outside:

I love when I see these vehicles, because it’s an opportunity to go inside and play with cats!

I wish I could take them all home…

The Fresh Market in Columbus, Georgia

October 11, 2010April 9, 2023 Bradley Farless7 Comments

After doing quite a bit of shopping in cramped, sometimes dingy Asian grocery stores, or in wet markets, it was a treat to shop in The Fresh Market. Granted, it’s more of an upscale grocery store, but that will just help to highlight the difference between what you usually see in Singapore and the Philippines, and what’s available in the US.

The first thing I saw when walking into the grocery store were these humongous apples:

The interior of the store is well decorated and there’s a pleasant aroma of cinnamon and other spices.

The fruits and vegetables in The Fresh Market are really awesome looking:

Notice how red the tomatoes are. When I went to Asia I couldn’t figure out why the tomatoes there always had more of a yellowish green look to them, instead of the read I was used to. I later found out that tomatoes in the US are artificially ripened using methane gas. Even knowing that, there’s something comforting about seeing bright red, luscious tomatoes. The ones in Asia always looked like they hadn’t been left on the vine long enough to finish growing.

Fresh baked pies:

They all looked delicious, and I really love pumpkin pies and pecan pies, but we picked up one that I hadn’t heard of before: praline peach pie. It’s delicious!

The cuts of meat on display looked incredible:

Ya, with all this good food, I’m gonna start looking like a pig if I’m not careful.

A whole wall of spices:

Mixed nuts:

The Fresh Market is clean, smells nice, everything is in order and it’s quiet inside. Most importantly, it has plenty of space. In Asian markets and grocery stores, as in most other areas, you’re constantly jostling around and past people to get to what you need. Shopping there is an ordeal that has to be endured, but in grocery stores in the US there’s enough space to take your time to find what you want, to enjoy the experience, and you enjoy looking around. Also, though this doesn’t usually apply to grocery stores, there aren’t jackasses hovering over your shoulder constantly trying to push you to buy something. I hate that!

This level of spaciousness is something that’s more available in Georgia than New York City, because there are far more people in the city, obviously. Even there, though, stores often have more space to accommodate people.

Visiting The Fresh Market was a fun experience.

A Smiling Pig in the Market

July 27, 2010September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless3 Comments

So, you’re strolling through the market and you stop to check what’s for sale at the butcher’s stall next to you and then you see this:

Somehow, the poor bastard looks like he’s smiling. I imagine they’re waiting for someone to buy this head, probably to make pork sisig or grilled ears. We went tame this time and just bought some pork chops.

I’m sure we’ll have a smile on our faces too when we’re eating them!