A few years before moving to Boston I came out to visit a friend for a week. As I was preparing for my trip I made a list of places I wanted to visit - who know I would move here later. One of the places that made my list (and I am SO glad it did) was the Haymarket - Boston's historical, year-round outdoor produce market.
First (having nothing to do with being a tourist) if you have never been, GO! It has the best produce prices around. Where else can you get romaine lettuce, strawberries, a bag of carrots, onions and 3 lbs of green beans for under 10 dollars.
Besides the great deals, the Haymarket is an amazing place to go people watching. You will see folks from all over Boston, and even out of town tourists, walking among the vendors. You will here vendors announcing their deals in loud booming voices that carry over the crowd noise. You will also be assaulted with vibrant colors and sometimes odors - which aren't always pleasant (gotta love the smell of fish) as you wade through the sea of people.
As you wonder among the stands and observe what is going on around you, the Haymarket almost has a small town feel. The same vendors are there every Friday and Saturday interacting with the same shoppers. I have observed friends meeting and briefly talking about how their families are doing. One vendor even told me about a regular customer who brought homemade zucchini bread made from her last week's purchase. (My frequent visits have allowed me unique interactions - and even helped me get the above video. Thanks.) You will also hear the occasional verbal scuffels between vendor and customer, but it just kinda adds to the atmosphere. (I wouldn't recommend trying to start something, being polite and smiling helps make things more enjoyable.)
The Haymarket is also a great place if you are seeking the unusual (or at least something different than what is in your average grocery store). I'd like to think of myself as a minor foodie, but I have seen vegetables and cuts of meat here that I have never seen in stores.
The vendors are also good at being creative in selling their goods. One of my favorites was a shop vendor (there are a few permanent stores in the area, that have great stuff) who was selling fish. To highlight its freshness he was shouting "Fish so fresh it is still moving" while causing the fish he was holding to wiggle. It made my day.
When you go to the Haymarket a few things you should know.1) Have cash. The vendors don't take checks or credit cards
2) Some vendors allow you to pick your own food, others will bag it for you. If you don't get to select the food yourself, before you walk away check what you got. Occasionally you may get some overripe fruits or veggies, just ask for a swap.
3) Don't try to stock up. The produce being sold at Haymarket is what did no get purchased by grocery stores. It is not bad, but it is either just ripe or even a little past ripe. Unless you are able to preserve what you buy, just get what you can eat for a week.
4) If you want freshness, go in the morning and on Friday. If you want deals, head out in the evening on Saturday.5) Before you buy anything do a round through the market. You never know what fruits or vegetables you will find so this gives you a change to plan what you want and see where the best deals are.
If I haven't been able to convince you to take a trip to the Haymarket, check out this Boston Discovery Guide post. The writer shares my love of the Haymarket and also provides some other fun facts and history of the market.
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