On a late sunny morning, my mom, Jorge and I took a short drive over to the North Tonawanda City Market to find some fresh fruit for my dad’s 60th birthday feast.
Photo from 2008
We were lucky with parking but it seems to be the only real complaint about this bustling area of North Tonawanda that has grown and expanded throughout the many years since it began in 1908.
If I happen to be in North Tonawanda in the Summertime, we usually swing by for a wander through to see what goodies we can find. You’ll notice some of the photos at the end are from 2008, which is the last time I brought my camera with me. The ones without a date are from this visit.
At the beginning of the market, we found a large stall full of plants and flowers.
As we walked on, the flowers gave way to veggies and cheese.
I noticed a lot of the vendors embrace a trend of sartorial patriotism with American flags on baseball caps and tee-shirts.
It was the same in 2008. Things around here don’t typically change too quickly.
The piles of corn stacked up on wooden tables reminded me of sitting on the back steps as a kid, husking and pulling all the little hairs off but also of our recent camping trip where we browned it in the fire.
Plenty of tasty looking green stuff, but we were there as “tourists” this time since we can’t exactly tote fresh veggies back to London.
This market has a deep history in the city, with some vendors having been around for decades and many of the visitors likely have childhood memories of shopping here.
It’s nice to see fresh produce and such cheap prices.
We bought cheese and cherries to take home.
There were some less healthy options too, like donuts.
We skipped the donuts, but indulged in a little snack from the Gelato Gipsy who plans to ride her Italian Gelato stand around the area with her bike to help beat the Summer heat.
It snows quite a lot in the Winter, so the outdoor market season is really limited to Spring, Summer and Fall.
Photo from 2008
It can get pretty crowded on a good day!
Photo from 2008
People watching is all part of the market experience.
Photo from 2008
The market here is teeny tiny compared to the London markets I’m used to now, but it’s still fun to walk through the few rows of tables and see how different it is.
Photo from 2008
Especially since I always spot some local treats… like honeystix!
Photo from 2008
And after an hour or so we were off to introduce Jorge to beef on weck sandwiches from Mississippi Mudds!
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