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Fullerton Market

I went to the Fullerton Market this afternoon, its first week of operation this year. Because of my New England focus last year, this was the first time I'd been in two years. The market has improved since the last time I've visited, and is a nice step up from the basic "Farmers' Market" format that many communities hold weekly. I'm thankful to live in a place where I can walk to great experiences like this.


Today's great weather, the good number of families walking around, and the smell of tasty food wafting through the air made it a really pleasant experience. The market takes place in a completely new plaza area on Wilshire near Harbor Boulevard, and the setting works well. A good selection of produce (Japansese tomatoes! jalapeno carrots!) was available, but it made up much less than half of the total market space.


An almost county-fair level array of food stands are present, without the third-rate filler a lot of full-size fairs have. I had a tri-tip sandwich, an ear of roasted corn, a homemade tamale, and a "wacky waffle" (My recent healty-eating push was suspended briefly for this experience), all of which were surprisingly good. Another highlight is a gentleman selling Bonsai, from $15 starters up to an incedible $750 masterpiece mini-tree. A good variety of other stands, too; art both legit and tacky, crafts mostly tacky, some local-interest booths like the Muckenthaler Center and the Coyote Hills preservation group, and some health and wellness (or purported health and wellness...) booths as well. Add live entertainment, pony rides, and a Beer Garden, and it's a winner.


I had a few specific experiences at the market worth noting, but I'll detail those later. The teaser is that those experiences involved Smurfs, 50 guitars, and a Ghostly Aura. Stay tuned for details.