Studio City Farmer's Market

***This is a late post and has been sitting in my drafts for 6 months. LOL.

I accidentally found this market online while searching for a vendor for Sofia's 2nd birthday. Once again, this is why I love living in LA. So many things to do, so many places to go!

This market is open every Sunday 11-2pm. Parking is a downside, but if you're early, you can park at the Chase Bank lot or at the CBS Studios lot.

First stop was the train ride around the market and side streets. ($3/person)

I'm not sure if the kid enjoyed this or not. She wasn't at all excited during the ride, lol. As for me, I don't think it's safe. It's kinda old and rickety, definitely not a smooth ride. I would skip this and just take the kid on a real train ride at Griffith Park.

This one she was really excited about! Her first real pony ride! As soon as she saw the ponies, she started jumping frantically. Not scared at all! It was $4 a ride. The saddle has a back support and has a seat belt. I think it's pretty safe (?). The ponies just went round and round and did not go fast at all. She definitely enjoyed this ride even if her face doesn't really show it. Haha.

 My daughter is a sucker for petting zoos. She absolutely LOVES petting the goats, pigs, rabbits, llamas, chickens etc etc. This is not the best and cleanest one we've been to but it's a close second. She had so much fun getting to know the animals and brushing their fur.  As expected, getting out of the petting farm was a struggle because if I actually gave her a choice I think she would rather live there than come home with us. I love that they have a "hand washing station" where you can wash and clean your hands with plenty of water, soap, paper towel and hand sanitizers. E Coli is an absolute NO NO! :D

There were other attractions at the Market for bigger kids like a giant slide and a pirate themed bounce house. Food stalls, flowers, fresh produce and other random things were also sold. It wasn't that crowded but was still busy enough.

We grabbed a breakfast burrito and sat down at one of the tables that they set up in the grassy area. Definitely a family environment and a fun Sunday place to go to with the kids.

Studio City Farmers Market
Ventura Pl  Los Angeles, CA 91604

(818) 655-7744

L.A. Eats: Farmers' Market on Wilshire/Vermont (Koreatown)

 How do I begin to tell you how much I love farmers' markets?

I love the hustle and bustle of a busy market. It reminds me of home. I love the diversity. I love how fresh everything is, from the flowers/plants, fruits, vegetables, food and even the people. They are small farm owners, small scale business people and your everyday common folk who want fresh and cheap produce. :D (like us!)

Here are some photos I took from last week and earlier today. The kid had so much fun people watching and eating her pupusa. :) My Mom enjoyed the cheap fruits and vegetables. We bought a bunch of yellow peaches, mango nectarines, dinosaur egg nectarines, kalabasa flowers (squash flowers), ampalaya (bitter melon), sitaw (string beans), patola (gourd), lemon grass (for making tea!), tomatoes and a bag of peanuts all for $17!

THE PUPUSA STAND: I ordered (1) Chorizo and Cheese (1) Chicken and Cheese and (1) Spinach and Cheese all for $8; it came with a pickled side salad, salsa and sour cream. They cook it right in front of you in a grill. Amazing deal, amazing flavor. The kid loved it and she ate the salad too. (well, she likes vegetables anyway)

They do have a lot of other options for a quick lunch and snack. There was a Thai food stand, tacos, Blazin' J's kettle corn (I want to try this next after reading all the great reviews), Hawaiian barbecue, crepe stand and a lot more.

My Mom taking ampalaya buying too seriously.

Chilis! This one is for my brother Ray. :)

Love, love this fruit stand! This is where we bought most of our fruits that day.

FREE TASTE!

Weather was great and how else do we end a beautiful, busy morning? By grabbing a quick lunch!

My plate! :) 

This market is right smack in the middle of a busy intersection, bus and train station. Part of its charm is that it's also in the middle of a small business center (the Wilshire Center). There's a Chase bank, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and small boutiques all around it. It just looks like it doesn't belong there! LOL.

But I'm lucky to "discover" it last week when the husband and I were practicing my bus route to work. On our way back, there it was! It just appeared out of nowhere! :P The guy who was selling pupusas said they are only there on Fridays from 11am-3pm.

Too bad they are closed on the weekends, because I think it's one of the city's best kept secrets. :)

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