Category Archives: market

An Ann Arbor Photo Shoot, Coffee Style.

Posted on May 21, 2015 | 8 comments

I’m at babo: A Market By Sava in Ann Arbor, Michigan enjoying and taking a few pictures of my morning coffee and doing a photo shoot came into my head. A photo shoot, coffee style that is.

So live in the moment I start writing this post, while the coffee(s) and coffee cup(s) were working the camera. First a mocha, than a Spanish Latte. Some shots indoors, than outdoors.

Babo is a local market with fresh produce, a hot and cold bar and groceries. It caters its products to the Ann Arbor area, supporting lots of local producers. They also have a coffee shop with a seating area, to spend some time and soak in the market and community. I was doing just that as the camera was clicking.

Definitely got a better feel for the market as a whole through the coffee photo madness. No worries, I actually drank each coffee too before they got cold. Too coffee photo shoots! I’m now highly caffeinated. 🙂

8 Comments

Posted in Ann Arbor, coffee, coffee shop, market, Michigan

Tagged Ann Arbor, coffee, coffee shop, market, Michigan

Walking the Market on Pike Street in Seattle.

Posted on January 23, 2014 | 22 comments

When people think Seattle they think Pacific Northwest, coffee, seafood, the Space Needle and Mount Lanier. One of the first things that came to mind also when I found out I’d be spending a little time there was Pike Place Market.

Right along Elliott Bay and Pike Street, in the heart of the city, is a foodie and shopping paradise. It’s one of the oldest public farmers’ markets in the United States.

You’ll find many, many people capturing the signage and clock. It’s almost lunch time.

One thing that will definitely catch the eye right away are the flowers. The assortment of boutiques, arrangements and flower colors at very reasonable prices will make the tourist wish they lived locally.

Being along the water in the Pacific Northwest you’ll definitely find a lot of every kind of seafood imaginable. The size of some of the fish you can buy wow!

Ditto on the produce. One stand after another of colorful vegetables in perfect condition.

Walking outside of the main market area along Pike Street you’ll find shops, restaurants, stands and people lining the streets.

One of the shops is the original Starbucks. Of course I will notice anything coffee related. 🙂 It’s definitely worth a visit, but get there early. If you want to sit inside and/or get a caffeinated coffee beverage, be prepared to stand in line. A good alternative is Local Color Art Coffee and More a few doors down. It’s part coffee shop, part gallery and a good place to people watch and hang out.

There are unique vendors all-around selling something for everyone. One that caught the eye was the tie-dyed t-shirts stand. If you’re looking for a local souvenir to take home check out Mt St Helen’s Ash and get something made of the ash from the 1980 volcanic eruption.

Tip: Hearing a lot from the locals while there, finding a parking spot is a major issue so pack patience or walk/take public transportation.

Whether its people watching, shopping, hanging out in the big city or enjoying coffee and some eats, Pike Place Market in Seattle is definitely worth the time.

What other markets would you recommend that you have come across in your travels?

22 Comments

Posted in foodie, market, Seattle, travel

Tagged flowers, foodie, market, Pike Place, Pike Place Market, seafood, Seattle, Starbucks

Photo of the Week: Toronto’s Garden Car.

Posted on November 4, 2013 | 5 comments

While walking around the Kensington Market neighborhood in Toronto this past summer I came up across a hand painted community car filled with grass and soil, the “Garden Car”. Sitting on Augusta Street near Oxford, this car has been a stable of the market in the warmer months since 2006. An interesting mural as a back drop too.

5 Comments

Posted in Canada, market, Ontario, Toronto, travel

Tagged Canada, garden car, Kensington Market, mural, neighborhood, Ontario, Toronto

Cleveland: West Side Market

Posted on December 8, 2011 | 10 comments

Food lovers (Foodies) from all over the world flock to West Side Market in the historic Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. West Side Market has been highlighted on both the Food Network and Travel Channel and has roots all the way back to 1840.

The market is open four days a week and my most recent trip there was this past Saturday. Saturday morning is the best time to go. There are more stands open and more people making it more vibrant inside and outside in the neighborhood. The market is not open on Sunday’s.

The main part of the market is in an enclosed old yellow brick market house with a 137-foot clock tower that stands out in the whole neighborhood. It’s home to the best and an amazing variety of:

Cheeses and dairy products.

High quality meats, including of course lot’s of varieties of bacon!

Fish, eels and lot’s of seafood.

Breads, desserts and other baked goods. Who can’t beat filled-to-order cannolis?

Every kind of ravioli and pasta you can imagine. Pumpkin ravioli? I guess it is the season. I always check out Ohio City Pasta.

Lot’s of oils, hot sauces, spices, candy and more can be found. Lot’s of people weren’t there to shop or sight-see, just to grab lunch or a snack. Some of them were upstairs eating gyros, sausage sandwiches, pastry treats or having a hot coffee. Great views of the market and people watching opportunities can be had upstairs.

The arcade portion of the market, recently enclosed and right next store is home to vendor after vendor selling a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.

I always seem to gravitate towards the onions and garlic.

You’ll see lots of people throughout the market like myself with cameras out getting pictures of all the amazing products. No vendors have ever raised an issue about it. You’ll also see all the fruit and vegetable vendors reaching out to you trying to get you to buy from them, but you can’t really go wrong it terms of price with any of the stands. I always make sure to pick the specific tomatoes, onions, oranges, etc. that I want.

As this is the holiday season, outside the market we saw holiday trees for sale, Santa Claus for the kids to see, a small arts and crafts market and even a line to get some of the Christmas Ale being brewed. You’ll find breweries, restaurants, book stores and other shops and my favorite spot, Koffee Cafe. Grabbed a peppermint stick coffee with Bailey’s. I wasn’t be able to take it outside haha, but it was well worth relaxing inside and getting out of the cold.

West Side Market is my favorite market. I love driving a few hours each way just to go there to people watch, have a coffee, soak in the city neighborhood atmosphere and bring back goodies to make some amazing meals. This is one market I hope you’ll get to someday.