Boston Public Market opens

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

This market is NOT seven days! It's 8 am to 8 pm, Wednesday to Sunday, I think. Double check. There will be many disappointed people trying to visit on those two closed days.

Isn't Pike Place Market open seven days? (not sure). I had read last year that this market aims to be like Pike Place.

I read they even have ice cream..yum!...I wonder from where (who cares, as goyguy may say). They'll even have cooking demonstrations, like how to cook good food on a budget. I think "America's Test Kitchen" will have some kind of presence there.

Can't wait to check it out, as I've been waiting since two years ago when I first heard about it.

For TD Garden events, it will be nice to also go to the market.

The plan is Wednesday-Sunday year 1, then 7 days a week by year 2. By that time the indoor vendors will be at full capacity (45) plus an additional 20 temporary vendors in the outdoor area (seasonally)

Crescent Ridge is selling ice cream. Didn't try any myself but I heard it's excellent.

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands

The plan is Wednesday-Sunday year 1, then 7 days a week by year 2. By that time the indoor vendors will be at full capacity (45) plus an additional 20 temporary vendors in the outdoor area (seasonally)

Crescent Ridge is selling ice cream. Didn't try any myself but I heard it's excellent.

Thanks! Didn't know about the future year-round plan, or even the seasonal outdoor vendors. Sounds great.

Mmm...loved my drives to Crescent Ridge in Sharon in past summers...need to get down to Sharon soon before it closes for the season.

Oh, and isn't Star Market opening a store next to TD Garden when those tall luxury rentals/condos are done? It will be quite the corridor with Haymarket open on Fri/Sat, Boston Public Market, North End food shops and the wonderful Roche Brothers supermarket in Downtown Crossing.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

Thanks! Didn't know about the future year-round plan, or even the seasonal outdoor vendors. Sounds great.

Mmm...loved my drives to Crescent Ridge in Sharon in past summers...need to get down to Sharon soon before it closes for the season.

They're open year round.

[jellybean23]

We checked it out this past weekend. I really like the idea of it, but the execution was a little off. The aisles were extremely crowded and hard to get through, even though it didn't seem like there were all that many people there. There were areas of wide open space with no vendors and areas where the vendors seemed all packed together. They scattered a few tables here and there in random places and we literally walked through the entire place looked for an open one and finally had to go outside. There were a few vendors serving lunch but they were in different aisles so again, you had to walk through the whole place to find them all. It would probably be better if they put similar vendors in the same place, and had a large space with many tables and chairs.

The vendors themselves were great and I liked that they are all local. Lots of yummy stuff. There was a nice selection of meats, produce, and specialty items. It would have been nice to see more produce though. But overall, a good addition to the city.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands

Crescent Ridge is selling ice cream. Didn't try any myself but I heard it's excellent.

Best ice cream money can buy in my opinion.

[mmyk72]

Bostonguy - ice cream is Cresent Ridge farms. It seems to be 1 of the more popular stalls when I was there on the weekend.

There are still quite a few empty stall spaces. Taza chocolate is supposedly going in, a preserved meat (sausage, salami, etc.) place, and a few more should open soon as well.

I agree about the non-logical assignment of the shops, but I'm sure it'll feel different when all the vendors are setup. I think the aisle isn't big enough for people to congregate. Between people who are browsing, deciding what to get, standing in lines, looking for a place to eat their goods right then and there, etc... it was civilized chaos. The layout seems to be designed so that most people take the food/merchandise away after purchasing. They should set up tables on the wide sidewalk outside (facing the North end side) so people will go outside after they purchase the food.

Also, there was a long line at a stall selling some sort of prosciutto and lettuce sandwich but I had a hard time figuring out what are on the menu (or maybe that's the only item they sell) and what the price is. I'm puzzled.... maybe I'm the only one price conscious these days?

The vendors were all pretty nice though... willing to talk to you about their products. Especially the bee lady telling us about her bee hive (go check it out!!) knowing we are just browsing for fun and probably not buying anything.

I agree that this is definitely a good add to Boston. It's wonderful to have more and more attractive, vibrant and safe venues in the city. However, is it really that 'unique'... I don't think so. Maybe it's one of the few in the country where vendors must sell locally sourced goods. But I've been to a few other markets that look and feel very similar to this, such as Pilly's Reading Terminal Market and Cincinnati's Findlay Market.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by mmyk72

Bostonguy - ice cream is Cresent Ridge farms. It seems to be 1 of the more popular stalls when I was there on the weekend.

There are still quite a few empty stall spaces. Taza chocolate is supposedly going in, a preserved meat (sausage, salami, etc.) place, and a few more should open soon as well.

I agree about the non-logical assignment of the shops, but I'm sure it'll feel different when all the vendors are setup. I think the aisle isn't big enough for people to congregate. Between people who are browsing, deciding what to get, standing in lines, looking for a place to eat their goods right then and there, etc... it was civilized chaos. The layout seems to be designed so that most people take the food/merchandise away after purchasing. They should set up tables on the wide sidewalk outside (facing the North end side) so people will go outside after they purchase the food.

Also, there was a long line at a stall selling some sort of prosciutto and lettuce sandwich but I had a hard time figuring out what are on the menu (or maybe that's the only item they sell) and what the price is. I'm puzzled.... maybe I'm the only one price conscious these days?

The vendors were all pretty nice though... willing to talk to you about their products. Especially the bee lady telling us about her bee hive (go check it out!!) knowing we are just browsing for fun and probably not buying anything.

I agree that this is definitely a good add to Boston. It's wonderful to have more and more attractive, vibrant and safe venues in the city. However, is it really that 'unique'... I don't think so. Maybe it's one of the few in the country where vendors must sell locally sourced goods. But I've been to a few other markets that look and feel very similar to this, such as Pilly's Reading Terminal Market and Cincinnati's Findlay Market.

Cleveland's west side market is still the gold standard for urban markets, in my opinion. Kinda didn't dig the Boston public market so much, but i guess it's not a bad addition.