After an exhausting work week, last night seemed like the perfect time to get out of the house for some fresh air and to explore our city. Mike and I have lived in North Park, San Diego for six months now and we’ve done a fair bit of exploring, but there remains plenty of places we have yet to check out (the weekly farmers market being on the top of the list). And since it’s only around on Thursday, we figured we would start there!
Located on North Park Way and 30th Street, you can be sure to find the North Park Thursday Market every week on Thursday from 3pm to 7pm. The Market covered a few blocks, which left me pleasantly surprised for I was expecting something on a smaller scale. Right when we walked up, the smell of organic strawberries wafted our way and, let me tell you, they tasted even better than their heavenly scent suggested. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of this first booth, but their produce is locally grown and they offered beautiful fresh flowers along with it.
Next we ended up at Garminx Curbside Boutique, where my friend Mona and I fell in love with the wardrobe and accessories available for purchase. To be quite honest, I didn’t want to look at the clothes because I assumed the prices would be astronomical like every other boutique you find farmers markets, swap meets, flea markets, etc. But Mona pointed out how reasonably priced the items were, and I was instantly intrigued! Along with gorgeous items of clothing, you can find rings, necklaces, bralettes, candles, and more.
Mike ended up buying me a dress that I had been lusting after, as an early birthday gift. I can’t wait to show it off!
We spent the next half hour trying samples from several of the other booths, including dark chocolate from Nibble Chocolate and Tropikale from Earth Equals: Farm to Smoothie (these were my two favorites). I’m always hesitant to try samples, because I feel guilty knowing that I won’t be able to afford the delicious food I just tried for free. Even more, I don’t like feeling pushed into to purchasing something. But all of the vendors that we sampled from were extremely sweet and not at all pushy, simply offering up a free taste and background information on their products.
It’s difficult to walk around the farmers market, located in heart of the bar scene in North Park, and resist temptation, so we made a stop at Waypoint Public for a couple beers before returning home.
I like beer, but I wouldn’t call myself an expert (nor am I able to stand drinking anything unless it is extremely light). I went with the Dogfish Head Festina Peche for my first beer and the Benchmark Blonde Ale for my second.
And thus concludes our adventurous Thursday evening in North Park! I’m definitely looking forward to paying the farmers market another visit, hopefully with more cash to be spent on the amazing food we sampled.
Until next time,
Ciara
