It sounded like an amazing market... Maybe something along the lines of Pike Place or something similar. We walked in, looked at maybe 10 stands selling some fresh produce, meat, fish.... And that was it. In and out within 5 or 10 minutes. At one point we actually thought we were in the wrong place. There was absolutely nothing that made this market memorable. We are used to visiting every market everywhere we travel, and this one we just didnt get.
This was a real treat for us being that we are from the desert. Maybe markets like this are common in DC, but we absolutely loved it. I recommend it to any tourist or local.
An Eastern Market was one of three public markets (along with Western and Central Markets) in Pierre L'Enfant's plan for Washington, D.C. In 1805, President Thomas Jefferson issued a proclamation calling for the market to be located at 7th and L streets near the Navy Yard (about half a mile south of its current location).
Despite being heavily damaged by fire during the War of 1812 (possibly due to the fire set by American forces at the Navy Yard to prevent British capture of the stores and ammunition stored there), it remained in operation until the Civil War led to a disruption in the supply of goods.
After the Civil War, the original market fell into disrepair leading to the design and construction of a new Eastern Market building at this present location in 1873. It stayed in continuous operation until a major fire (possibly due to arson) severely damaged it in 2007. After extensive repairs, it reopened in 2009. In some respects, this fire was fortuitous as the market's facilities could also be updated in the process, leading to many positive reviews in the press.
We visited the market early on a weekday morning. We found it to consist of one long aisle with a number of meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and produce vendors, a specialty grocery, a deli, a sweet/bake shop, and even a flower shop. There is also a breakfast/lunch counter which has limited seating - their pancakes certainly looked good from what we could see! Apparently on weekends, a large number of art, custom furniture, pottery, etc. vendors augment the indoor shops in numerous outdoor stalls
While certainly smaller than many such markets we've seen elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad, it certainly looks to provide an interesting alternative to the chain groceries and smaller mom and pop markets around this now booming, increasingly upscale neighborhood.
From a European prespective, this is a quaint little market... But not that special ( those that have been to the major European cities will have seen more impressive markets) . However from an americain prespective, I can imagine that this je quite something else with a lot of fresh local produce.
I live close to the market but find little of interest inside other than the deli and the cheese shop. The produce vendors outside make a visit worthwhile on the weekend. There are some interesting restaurants and stores on the same street and in the surrounding area.
