For local residents of the DC metro area, this will not be a “new” post about an area hotspot. But for those of you who visit DC often, or even vacation here, it’s one of the places that exudes DC’s character beyond that of the common “US history” theme. One of the main reasons I wanted to move here was due to DC’s great cultural vibe. It’s so much more than visiting the Library of Congress or any of the Smithsoneans. DC culture is extremely versatile and feeds into whatever desire you want fulfilled.

In other words: you want fine-dining, we got it. You want Ben’s Chili Bowl, we got it. You want hipster, we got it. You want snoody, high class, “whose who of DC”-type cocktail establishment, we got that too. It’s finding those hidden gems of areas that feed into what make you you the treasure that is DC. And one of those is Eastern Market.

I have only been on weekends and I think like most people, that’s when most of DC residents can go, unless you live in the area. I say this because my view is of the hussle and bussle that is Eastern Marekt on weekends, and I believe this is why I love it so much. It’s a combination flea market, farmer’s market, and has a boutique feel to it. Beyond that however, it has an amazing vibe to it. People come from all over the DC metro area in search of individual things anywhere from furniture to food to jewelry.

Easter Market is located a few blocks east of the Library of Congress (you can see the great dome from the Market, actually) and it nestled on a street surrounded by local eateries, many of which specialize in coffees, breakfast, and brunch. The ambiance is what one thinks of a small town market occupying the main road. I saw many families with children in strollers, many individuals my own age, as well as older generation. Clearly, it has something for all walks of life and all age groups.

I especially like the variety of items available from all of the vendors. My mother actually sent me there with the sole task of purchasing doilies. Yes, you read correctly, lace doilies. I spent a good half hour with the vendor looking through all of her items in order to get the size, shape, and color that my mother requested. The vendor was so happy and helpful, and I felt really bad because she was ignoring other customers to help me (once I told her the predicament, she gladly assisted then told me to tell my mother hello and thank you from her). It’s experiences such as this which really make someone like myself come back to an event like this.

Besides the small town feel of Easter Market, my favorite part has to be the building. Now, Eastern Market has numerous booths arranged on the periphery of a large building. There’s a side market that only comes on weekends, which is across the street in a parking lot (where the doily lady is). Then there are the permanent and food vendors arranged around this large building. Inside the building are the permanent vendors who sell refrigerated goods. Again, this is my favorite part of the Market because there is such a variety I cannot begin to describe. There is a fish supplier, a couple meat vendors, a grocery shop, and an Italian vendor. The reason I love this part the most: the fish vendor had an entire Mahi Mahi in its case. If you know what a Mahi Mahi is, it is not a small fish, moreover the only time I ever saw it was in Hawaii. WOW! In addition, the meat cases are filled with such a plethora of meat it took me a good half hour just to peruse all of the options: bison, any kind of pork or beef, pig feet, liver, skinned rabbits (in which case I slightly vomitted in my mouth, but others enjoy), and a dozen different flavored sausages. I was in awe! I ended up buying a pound of ground bison to make burgers some day and three sweet Italian pork sausages for spaghetti. But, even that was a hard decision.

Needless to say though, I had a great experience. The vendors were kind and not pushy. They let me shop and touch their products without being rude (some flea markets are very pushy and protective of their items). The meat selection was awesome and I look forward to cooking the items I bought, and the fresh vegetables and fruit was affordable.

Even though this seems to be a glowing review of the Market, I just want to make you all aware of a few things. First, clearly, if you g with ideas to purchase meat, please be aware that you must go straight home afterward. From Rosslyn, Eastern Market is 11 metro stops away so it’s not exactly close, and the last thing you want is for your rather expensive purchases to get warm and spoil. Also, it’s wise to bring cash. Vendors are more appreciable if one gives them cash, plus I didn’t see many taking credit cards. Lastly, the produce was a bit more expensive than what one finds in the grocery store plus I found it doesn’t keep as long. What I bought (veggies and some peaches) didn’t keep for as long as I would have liked, and so again, if you don’t have sights to immediately cook or eat your produce, it’s probably not the wisest to purchase many items. I froze my meat, so I will cook it when I get a chance and come up with an idea of a great meal. But freezing is not an option for lettuce. So just be mindful of these things when you go (even if it’s not to Eastern Market, but to any farmer’s market). Lastly, I went once with a friend and this time by myself. The environment, however, is much better when going with a group or even on other person. It gets lonely and talking to someone else about a vendor’s items is a great experience and makes it worth going even more.

In the end, I cannot express to you how great of an experience this was. I wish it was closer, and I also wish that Winter was shorter so I could go more often throughout the year. I hope I have convinced you all that this is a great example of what DC culture has to offer beyond the common tourist attractions, and can be seen as a showcase for the DC locals and many of their talents. Moreover, some yummy food that one can buy and cook up their own five star meal without traveling to an expensive restaurant. So, the main point of this post: Go to Eastern Market and make it an experience!