Eastern Market, DC
 

I'm going to be in DC from Aug 31 - Sept 5. I know there are tons of things to do, and we already have a day trip planned to Mt. Vernon....having said that, would you plan part of your Saturday around the Eastern Market? How big is it, is it unique? Is it all food or food and crafts? Where's a good place for lunch around the Market? We have a market in Detroit and I do enjoy going to it, then again there's not as many things to do in Detroit as there are in DC. Thanks!

Also, does anyone know if there's a place that you can book tickets for the different tours ahead of time? I'm not a big fan of mornings and being up and in line by 7:30 to get tickets before they are gone does not sound appealing to me.

Thanks again!

I thought I read they had a fire in the Eastern Market this past week. Maybe someone from DC can confirm. ((b))

The main building burned this week I haven't heard whether the outside vendors will return, but the inside was almost totally gutted. It's a terrible tragedy.

Don't know exactly which tours you mean. But for Capitol, White House, etc., check with your Congressman. At least pre 9/11, you used to be able to get tickets from them. I'm sure someone here will be able to tell you whether that's still the case.

The fire was indeed, heartbreaking. However, there is strong city and community support to both rebuild and continue operations. (The market has been in continuous operation since the 1870s, and no one is ready to give up on that!) For now, food/craft/flea operations will continue on weekends only. There will be some necessary rearrangement of spaces to surrounding plaza areas, and efforts are underway to find new space nearby for the indoor merchants who have been completely displaced. By August, the arrangement may be a little different, but I assure you that the Market will still be in operation, so pleae do come. While not the best organized site in the world, one place to keep track of developments may be www.easternmarket.net The famous "Market Lunch" is, sadly, no longer standing, but you will find plenty of other food options in the market area.

p.s. the following piece by a local newspaper columnist gives a good overview of what Eastern Market has been, and what the community is determined to preserve: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfi...weve_lost.html

Sad news. We ate at the the Market lunch on our trip last month. I chatted with the owner for a bit and he was quite interesting. He obviously loved his job and seemed to know most of his customers by name. Hopefully it wont take long to get them up and running again. Best wishes to all of the vendors there!

Thanks for that, Moongirl. Eastern Market is one of those beloved places in DC because it brings all sorts of people together. Tourists and locals, whites and African Americans, straights and gays. Different socioeconomics. Different parts of the city.

<i>would you plan part of your Saturday around the Eastern Market?</i> YES! The best time to go is in the morning and ending your visit with lunch somewhere.

<i>How big is it, is it unique?</i>On a Saturday, there will be about a hundred artists/craftspeople and a few dozen outdoor food vendors. The inside of the building is closed due to a recent fire, but don't let that stop you - there will be plenty outdoors, including one of the best flea markets in the country (right across 7th street from the market building).

<i>Is it all food or food and crafts? </i> Both and also art, collectibles, etc.

<i>Where's a good place for lunch around the Market?</i> There are about a dozen right at the market area, but my favorite is Montmartre.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...amp;id=1065967

There are also a ton of additional restaurants across Penn. Ave. along 8th st. SE (by Eastern Market Metro).

Al’s Seafood – American food; 1003 8th Street, SE – (202) 543-7662

Banana Caf&eacute; &amp; Piano Bar – Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Tex-Mex food; 500 8th Street, SE – (202) 543-5906

Belga Caf&eacute; – Belgian food; 514 8th Street, SE – (202) 544-0100

Capitol Hill Tandoor &amp; Grill – Pakistani and Indian food; 419 8th Street, SE – (202) 547-3233

Chicken Tortilla – Peruvian chicken; 1100 8th Street, SE – (202) 543-1904

Ellington’s on Eighth – Soul food; 424 8th Street, SE – (202) 546-8308 (dinner only)

Finn MacCool’s – Irish food; 713 8th Street, SE – (202) 547-7100

Firehouse Caf&eacute; – American food; 423 8th Street, SE – (202) 547-5467

Las Placitas – Mexican and Salvadoran food; 517 8th Street, SE – (202) 543-3700

Levi’s Port Caf&eacute; – Soul food; 1102 8th Street, SE – (202) 547-6500

Marty’s – American food; 527 8th Street, SE – (202) 256-4952

Old Siam – Thai food; 406 8th Street, SE – (202) 544-7426

Starfish Caf&eacute; – Seafood; 539 8th Street, SE – (202) 546-5006

Fusion Grill – Chinese food; 515 8th Street, SE – (202) 546-5303

Tapatinis – Tapas and martinis; 711 8th Street, SE – (202) 546-8272

Today’s Pizza – Pizza, subs, and pasta; 531 8th Street, SE – (202) 546-6001

Trattoria Alberto – Northern Italian food; 506 8th Street, SE – (202) 544-2007

Ugly Mug – American food; 723 8th Street, SE – (202) 547-8459

Thank you so much moongirl and bardo1 for all of the suggestions! I hadn't heard about the fire - how sad. I will keep track of the progress and will fit that into our day. Lunch at or near the market sounds nice.

Caph52 - I have already tried to get a White House tour, but was told I waited too late - bummer! My congressman is going to set us up with a Capitol tour. I heard that for The Mint tour and the Washington Monument you had to be in line early to get tickets. But I read on a post that you could get them ahead of time and even though they are free tickets, you can pay a service fee and have them mailed to you - which would be so much better than getting up really early, imho.