To Market, To Market

This adventure is from a couple of weeks ago but there have been too many natural disasters to count (ok- two) and I'm a social butterfly...and couldn't get the pictures on my phone to work so I am posting it a bit late..still relevant though.

From NY Farm 2 Door

 I love markets. I wouldn't say I necessarily purchase too many things from them but I like the concept. Little stalls spread out with different goodies- what's not to like? I had heard about an ice cream tasting type market in South Street Seaport and since I rarely go to that area I thought it would be fun to explore. I walked from The Nolitan, picking up a Vietnamese sandwich from Saigon on Broome St (delish!), and wandered through Chinatown towards the Seaport. Now I must say that Chinatown on a hot summer's day is not necessarily the most pleasant sensory experience I've ever, but there is so much to look at..and I walked quickly..so it was ok.  At the seaport I was disappointed at how commercial everything is. The streets are cobble stoned and many of the buildings are over a hundred years old (and I had just seen Gangs of New York so I was particularly interested in the area) ..and then they have the Gap, Abercrombie and other large label retail stores. Kind of takes away from the historical aspect of the area.

Fulton Stall Market

 But I rounded the corner of the mall-like area and came upon a market. The sign says FSM which stands for Fulton Stall Market and there were about a dozen or so tables set up with different companies selling their wares. It wasn't like those street fairs throughout Manhattan that always sell the same cheap sunglasses, iPod covers and low quality garments that, at the end of the day, are kind of a waste of money.  The stands were run by independant companies and everything they sold was either handmade, fresh from a farm or an artisan food and you could tell the care that was put into producing the individual products. There was a farm stand selling fruits and juices at low prices, a pickler and her pickles and some really cute organic clothing with fun designs of bugs and veggies on them. Others sold baked goods, pizzas, lobster rolls and even watercolors from a local artist. My personal favorite was Sisterhands Syrups, twin sisters that make homemade syrups in flavors like Classic Ginger and Orange-Honey. They have a small booth with soda water and make the drinks to order. Very refreshing on this particular hot day.

Ice Cream Sunday!

 I then headed over to the New Amsterdam Market, nearby on South Street and Peck. This particular day they were having Ice Cream Sunday!, an ice cream tasting with booths from vendors such as The Bent Spoon, Otto Enoteca and Van Leeuwan.

Delicious Treat

You could purchase tasting for $2-$4 a piece or pay $25 for several tickets in exchange for the treats. The money was to benefit the market's longevity. The flavors were all unique such as Tomato, Sweet Corn, and Honey Bourbon. The tiny tasting were probably a good idea, as a large portion of these interesting flavors might be intimidating. I opted for the Ginger Kombucha, one friend chose an ice cream sandwich made with homemade chocolate chip cookies, and the other, a salty caramel flavor. They were all interesting and delicious, especially on a hot summer's day.

The Ice Cream Social was in addition to the usual stalls that are at the New Amsterdam Market serving meats, cheeses, and my own personal favorite Kombucha Brooklyn serving homemade beverages.

All in all, I had a great day strolling about the markets and didn't spend more than $5! The weather was great, the area fun and I felt like I had had a productive day! If you have a lazy Sunday to spend in the city, I suggest checking these two markets out.

Have fun!





The Fulton Stall Market is open every Sunday from 11am-5pm until October 30th. 

http://fultonstallmarket.com/

The New Amsterdam Market is open every Sunday (except 9/4) from 11am-4pm
http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/