It’s Fleet Week!
So in honor of our sailors and marines visiting the city, we New Yorkers have arranged for splendid weather and some wonderful market events. This weekend already feels like summer through and through!
Two very special events this weekend:
The Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit (Pictured Above): Back for its 81st year, this market was originally founded by Jackson Pollack and Willem DeKooning in 1931. Both were strapped for cash, and they brought a few paintings down to the street to sell to passers by. Today, the exhibit features fine artists and artisans from around the world, all showing their work on the sidewalks of Greenwich Village. This is an event not to be missed! It runs this weekend (Sat – Mon) and next weekend (Sat- Sun).
Better Than Jam Pop-Up Shop on Governor’s Island: While not exactly a market, this pop-up shop is an extension of Better Than Jam Co-Op in Bushwick, which features fine, fun, high quality handmade items from The {NewNew} Etsy Artisan Group, who sell at the markets all over the city. Better Than Jam is sponsoring these artisans in the Pop-Up on Governor’s Island. Grab a free ferry ride to Governor’s Island and visit this very special shop in Historic Home 6B, Nolan Park, on Governors Island. The shop opens today and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through September 25.
Other picks for the weekend:
Hester Street Fair: Hester Street is hosting members of the Japanese Folk Dance Institute, who will be selling kimonos, obis, fans, cards and more to raise funds to help the people of Japan who struggle to rebuild their homes, communities and cities after the earthquake and tsunami. Our awesome friends from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck will be there too, providing Salty Pimps and Bea Arthur in a cone to hot, hungry people. Last week the BGICT helped raise over $2000 for Doctors Without Borders with Ottavia and Anthony Bourdain. Good karma, good eats, and good fun all around this weekend!
The Market NYC/Young Designers Market in the Meatpacking District: Find the latest trends in clothing, jewelry, and accessories at this market. Its regular location is on Mulberry Street, but this weekend they will be opening up shop on 328 West 14th St. between 8th & 9th Ave.  There is no doubt that you will find something to impress your friends with at this market.
Madison Square Market Eats: This food extravaganza is running every day from 11AM – 9PM through June 3rd. It is a great place to grab lunch in the shadow of the Flatiron Building. At night, it is a charming spot to grab dinner and a beer with friends under the festive twinkly lights. Check out some of my favorites, including Bar Suzette, serving delicious crepes, P&H Soda Co. for refreshing artisanal sodas, Cookie Panache (try the almond curry cookie – seriously delicious!), and NuNu for handmade chocolates and craft beer.
It is also the second weekend for Smorgasburg on Saturday, so maybe, just maybe it will be a little less crazy crowded. And show some love to the Essex Street Market, which is in peril from developers. Pick up some delicious cheeses, seafood, handmade chocolates, any kind of international ingredient, and please sign this petition! [singlepic id=999 w=320 h=240 float=center] On a personal note this Memorial Day weekend, my dad, aka Captain Marvo, enlisted in the Army at the tail end of WWII as a tender teenager. He later transferred to the Navy to attend Annapolis. At local Memorial Day celebrations, he would stand for both the Army and the Navy anthems, which is such a great memory for me and my sisters. He was as crafty as my mom, making his own fly rods and flies, brewing his own beer, and even making wine from exotic things like artichokes and watercress. No gourmand was he though. In college, I’d meet him for lunch in his biology lab, where he’d cook us up some hot dogs in a dented pan from the Salvation Army over a Bunsen burner, washed down with day-old coffee from an old thermos. Lunch never tasted better.
Have a great weekend! Don’t forget your sunblock outside and sobriety behind the wheel!
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