For primo loitering, go to the Saturday Morning Market. And, go hungry. There’s lots to eat from established restaurants, but also independent market-only cooks.
Farmer/fisher vendors bring their produce and products, too. Everyone’s favorite–you have to get there early to get some because they always sell out quickly–is a fish paste made from freshly caught fish.
As you might expect in a semi-tropical environment, flower and plant sellers abound at the market. Again, both bricks-and-mortar flower business, such as Thai-rific (a place I’ll feature in another post), as well as independent growers, display their goods.
Of course, there are many arts and crafts stalls. One of my favorites features pillows, mouse pads, tote bags, and coasters with reprints of vintage St. Petersburg picture cards on them. Perfect gifts to take home or send through the mail.
There’s always entertainment in the center of the market. This runs the gamut from a 70s folk-rock duo fronted by St. Pete’s own mayor-guitarist to the St. Petersburg Opera doing highlights from coming events.
There is another weekend morning market farther down on Central, but I’ll cover that another day. The Saturday Morning Market, however, is the first and the biggest.
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