Mixed Market Feelings
I had the day off so I headed over to the West Side Market to pick up some lamb and parsnips for dinner. I was sitting up in the balcony eating my customary Maha's falafil and drinking my equally customary Regatta ginger beer when I realized that in spite of living a mere one block away, I haven't been to the Market in at least a month.
Why? Because the only day I can go is Saturday and I hate going on Saturdays, when everyone and his great-uncle is lumbering through the aisles, pointing at all the sundry innards and telling their kids about the good old days.
Now don't get me wrong -- I love that the Market is full on Saturdays. I love that so many past and present Clevelanders still include it as one of their favorite family traditions and stuff. But so many of the people who shop there on Saturdays aren't really shopping -- they're day-tripping, and it's unpleasant to negotiate your way through them.
So I end up staying in my apartment on Saturdays, wracked with guilt for not shopping at the Market. And then on Sunday, I go to Dave's.
It's sad and difficult because frankly, if I were forced to distill my reasons for moving back to Cleveland down to one specific thing about Cleveland, it would be the West Side Market.
I just wish it was open late one day a week, so I could shop there without so much of the crush. And I suspect other people -- particularly in the neighborhood -- feel the same way.
Why? Because the only day I can go is Saturday and I hate going on Saturdays, when everyone and his great-uncle is lumbering through the aisles, pointing at all the sundry innards and telling their kids about the good old days.
Now don't get me wrong -- I love that the Market is full on Saturdays. I love that so many past and present Clevelanders still include it as one of their favorite family traditions and stuff. But so many of the people who shop there on Saturdays aren't really shopping -- they're day-tripping, and it's unpleasant to negotiate your way through them.
So I end up staying in my apartment on Saturdays, wracked with guilt for not shopping at the Market. And then on Sunday, I go to Dave's.
It's sad and difficult because frankly, if I were forced to distill my reasons for moving back to Cleveland down to one specific thing about Cleveland, it would be the West Side Market.
I just wish it was open late one day a week, so I could shop there without so much of the crush. And I suspect other people -- particularly in the neighborhood -- feel the same way.
posted by Christine Borne at 2:56 PM
6 Comments:
i agree with your reasons for not shopping on saturdays. we purposefully avoid going to the market on saturdays...i go in there w/ a purpose and when there's too many people there just perusing the stands it slows down my process.
Me too...I feel like every time I get the urge to go there it's a Tuesday or Thursday!
I'm with you on this one also! It'd be so nice to have an extra hour so I could stop by on the way home from work.
Not all vendors are open and most are still setting up, but it's totally possible to hit the market around 7am on days it is open.
Prasti...yes. There are a lot of lookers on Saturday, and the amount of lookers is usually inversely proportional to the amount of food that I will buy. And trust me, I want to buy food! But pushing through the crowds of food tourists is really unpleasant and stressful. And this is coming from someone who willingly used to stand in The Line at both the Whole Foods in Chelsea and Union Square in New York (I REALLY hope someone reading this has also had this experience and can back me up...it's *an experience*, to say the least.)
Russ...yes, that's true, it is possible to go at 7. You're right, half the vendors aren't open at 7. A lot of them aren't open by 8, either, which is when I leave for work (spending the 7:00 hour eating breakfast and getting ready for work). I have gone a couple of times, but invariably, the place I'll want to buy something from won't be open yet. Plus, if I do my grocery shopping before work, that means I have to go back home and put my groceries away and then go back out again. I just don't have time in the morning for that - so much easier to hit the store on the way home from work. I think they would do a really good business if they would just be open one evening a week!
I can enjoy going to the market on Saturdays if I get myself into the frame of mind where I let the sensation of being in the crowd -- a crowd where all of the counters and nearly all of the people are taller than I am -- just wash over me. If I don't fight it, I usually enjoy it.
For me, it's like being in very hot weather. If I stop pretending that I should feel fresh and comfortable, sometimes I really dig it.
On the other hand, I *really* think that the market needs to think about extending its hours.
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