Each week, we'll be featuring a place of interest around Cleveland, site of Gay Games IX in 2014. Cleveland, Akron, and Northeast Ohio are great places to visit, and are also great places from which to experience some of the finest destinations in the USA and Canada.
This week we're featuring the best public markets in the US, according to Frommers travel guide.
Western Market
Cleveland, Ohio
West Side's approaching 2012 centennial hasn't slowed the bustle of Cleveland's oldest operating indoor/outdoor market space. It now houses more than 100 produce stands, bakeries, specialty food stores, and shops selling meat, dairy, and seafood (several of which have remained in family hands since the market's opening). West Side boasts an incredible meat selection -- bison, goat, lamb, poultry, beef, sausages, and bratwurst all make the cut -- as well as an array of ethnic food offerings representing Cleveland's diverse community: expect everything from Middle Eastern-style baba ghanoush to authentic Cambodian sticky rice.
Where: Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood
When: Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays year-round
More info HERE.
Public Market
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh's long-awaited public market (the city's first since 1965) finally opened last August in the city's historic Strip district. The 65,000-square-foot space hosts an array of shops and vendors that highlight the city's ethnic diversity and its thriving art scene. You'll find plenty of organic, grass-fed, and gluten-free foods, along with homemade empanadas, gourmet marshmallows, pierogies, and locally foraged mushrooms. Here, you can also shop for one-of-a-kind items, such as handmade knits and hand-drawn collages.
Where: Pittsburgh
When: Open Fridays-Sundays year-round
More info HERE.
Eastern Market
Washington, District of Columbia
Capitol Hill's beloved public market was nearly destroyed by fire in 2007, but today it's back with a superb mix of fresh food vendors, eateries, and locally crafted goods. Indoors, you'll find everything from Maryland crab cakes to Asian groceries, while an open-air weekend farmers' market showcases organic heirloom tomatoes, honey-crisp apples, and freshly baked pies. Also on weekends, more than 100 local artisans gather in Eastern Market's outdoor plaza to sell handmade jewelry, painting, pottery, woodworking, and more.
Where: D.C.'s Capitol Hill neighborhood
When: Open Tuesdays-Sundays year-round
More info HERE.
Reading Market
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia's public market occupies the former Reading Terminal train shed in the heart of Center City. After being revitalized in the 1990s, the Reading Terminal Market now features more than 80 restaurants, shops, and farm stands. A central seating area is an ideal place to enjoy samples of Pennsylvania Dutch specialties like shoofly pie and scrapple, along with Philly favorites like hoagies, cheesesteaks, and soft pretzels. It's also a great place to shop for kitchen wares, cookbooks, and handmade soaps.
Where: 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia
When: Open daily; PA Dutch merchants operate Wednesdays-Saturdays only. Market tours take place every Wednesday and Saturday.
More info HERE.
Also in this zone: the Public Market in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Chattanooga Market
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Since opening in 2001, Chattanooga's seasonal Sunday market has been one of the region's best places to find hand-blown glass necklaces, homemade salsas, organic fruits and vegetables, and artwork sculpted from recycled materials. To ensure home-grown authenticity, the market requires all 350 active vendors to be both the sole producers and retailers of their goods.
Some of the market's best features are their weekly themes, which have included an Oktoberfest celebration and a Father's Day Brew & Bluegrass. The season finale (held each December) is always an art-centric holiday market.
Where: Chattanooga
When: Sundays (May-December). Organizers also host a Chattanooga River Market on Saturdays.
More info HERE.
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