The OBT Flea Market is like an international experience in my own backyard. My husband and I found it on Google and decided to explore one Sunday afternoon.
Parking was a challenge. There is a private lot in the front that appears to be the only parking available for the flea market. We kept making circles around it and eventually found a spot, but we saw many cars give up and leave. I'm glad we stayed!
The first section of the market holds a variety of open-air Latin restaurants that all look and smell very similar, yet are apparently unique vendors. As soon as my husband and I stepped out of the car, we had multiple vendors start waiving us over like it was a competition to see who would get us. It made us feel a little bashful, but also like we were celebrities :P
We picked a place called "La Pasadita" and the owner was sweet as can be. He talked to us about how he and his family owned the business and how they had started it. We ordered and they brought us out 3 AUTHENTIC types of salsa. The likes of which you'll never find in a grocery store. One even had carrots - that was new! During our meal, the owner brought us out (for free) another dish that my husband had considered getting, and then after the meal, I asked them how they made their mole sauce (just out of curiosity) and they brought us out a small cup of that and a bundle of tortillas to take home. We definitely got more food than our stomachs could handle!
Some of the vendors only accepted cash, so we went to the on site ATM and took out a couple $20's. I have to say, there's a part of me that was nervous to be holding that much cash (flea markets have that stereotype of being kind of sketchy), but I really had nothing to worry about. There were a lot of families and family-owned businesses.
We explored exotic groceries, antiques, souvenirs, second hand-finds, and a variety of things that look like they were purchased in bulk from China. People kept walking around with these really cool looking fruit cups and we eventually found where they were getting them. There was a guy at a booth chilling up fruit like a ninja, then he would pass the cup to another guy who would dress it with juices and spices. He would stab a fork in it and serve it to the customer. It looked super cool, and if I had had an ounce of room left I would have gotten one!
Overall, I want to go back! It was neat to step into Latin America for an afternoon. read more