After a brutal commute home from a long work day, I can’t think of anything more refreshing than stepping off the Metro at the Mission Street station to find myself smack dab in the middle of the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market.
The event takes over the center of town every Thursday night with vendors hawking locally grown fruits and vegetables, flowers, and other local products like honey, nuts and beans, and organic roaster chickens. And it seems like the whole town comes out to celebrate.
Even better than the groceries are the food vendors who cook up sidewalk cuisine to rival the best of them. I headed straight for the fresh tamale stand and chased one down with a buttery roasted corn on the cob. If you prefer barbeque tri tip or Peruvian or Korean or Greek or Vegan, they have something for you too.
The kids entertained themselves popping bubbles with our new friend, who we still only know as “the bubble man” (you’ll meet him later on Weekndr). He sets up camp in the grass among throngs of kids and creates giant bubbles, tiny bubbles, and everything in between, while the kids stand at attention ready to pop.
The girls topped off this night by convincing us to pony up for a pair of balloon wands, ordering up one with an alien head and the other sporting a picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. The five-dollar fee was the well worth the 20 minutes we waited in peace while the girls patiently watched the Balloon Man’s inflatable creations come to life.
Weekndr by Matt Berger 