Boston's Haymarket Fruit & Vegetable Market

 A view of Haymarket from a distance - you can see the traditional red brick old style of the buildings directly behind the market and above that the fog blowing in on the ocean breeze starting to cover the tops of the buildings.

Vendors accept cash only, of course.  Many vendors wont give change for a $20, so come with small bills and a backpack or cart and load up for the week!

Haymarket Square is an open-air area between the North end, Government Center and Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  The market is held every Friday and Saturday during daylight hours (except next weekend, when it will 

be open Thursday and Friday since Saturday is the 4th of July).  I love this market for its intensity, low prices, surprising selection of fresh fruits and vegetables that changes every week depending on what overstock shows up for sale, the diversity of foods and cultures represented at market and the atmosphere.  I enjoy hearing many languages, seeing people from different cultures in their traditional clothing, smelling the fruits, vegetables and seafood for sale, and even having to push through the crowds as the narrow corridors between stalls are always clogged with people, carts, strollers and boxes.  It is a crazy, unruly open air market and I love the unorganized, wild nature of it, so different from the orderly pricey perfection of Whole Foods.

The open air stalls face a building that houses several small Middle Eastern markets and a pizzeria.  I haven't tried the pizzaria, but the Middle Eastern markets sell many hard to find items at good prices including bulk dried fruits, nuts, spices, seafood and halal meat, incense, African made soaps and beauty products, tropical juices, and probably many other interesting things I haven't even spotted yet.  The last picture is me, happy to be hanging out at Haymarket.

Global Student

I wrote about my alternative path in education, skipping high school and going straight to college and taking several opportunities to travel and live abroad, for Maya Frost's new book Global Student.  It is receiving a lot of press already - check out this USA Today link!  http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-08-college-book_N.htm

And a Boston Globe book review:

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/06/07/new_global_student_you_majored_in_what_how_to_love_provide_different_ways_of_learning/

ING Miami Marathon

January 2008 I ran the ING Miami Half Marathon, which I am really proud of since I was never a runner.  In fact, when I was in grade school gym class and we had to run, I would often pretend my sneakers had come untied so I could stop, rest and slowly re-tie them.  I am proud to report I did not do that during the Half-Marathon!  In fact, I remember in high school we had to run a mile and I timed in at 15 minutes.  I think some people can walk a mile faster than that.  But I actually finished the Half-Marathon in 2 hours 20 minutes, which isn't fast but is a better average than high school.  So its comforting to realize that you can become a runner at any age, really.  I just read about the twins Barbara Alvarez and Angelika Castaneda, winners of several marathons and triathalons, who didn't start their athletic training until they were in their 40's.  

Now that is inspiring!

Miami was fun to travel to for the ING Marathon too, since my dad is near there.  Miami seems like a very fun city to go out in, although I didn't go out the weekend of my half-marathon.  Actually, as I was arriving at the start line there were groups of inebriated people just leaving the clubs.  I thought it was a funny juxtaposition for 6am and it was the first time I was on the arriving-to-the-start-line side not the leaving-the-club side of things.

So after the ING Miami Half, I took some time off from running.  I wasn't sure it was for me, actually.  But I kind of miss it, the way it makes me feel physically and the clarity of thinking it brings.  But I still run a couple miles several times a week and just this practice has changed my routine and made me feel stronger.

The Last 3 Years: A Brief Update

After Japan, I returned to Boston and found a job teaching Spanish.  It has been a fun job and I have learned a lot about secondary education and how to teach a foreign language in general.  My third school year here is almost over, I can hardly believe it!  

Tuesday Night, Tango Night

For all the tango enthusiasts out there, obviously there is no better place to be than its birthplace, Buenos Aires.  I never realized just how strong the tango force is here until now.  Any night of the week you want tango, you got tango.  Its Tuesday night.  I was a little bored and have already watched all the movies out in theaters, so decided to head to La Confiteria Ideal, a tango place mentioned in a lot of guide books.  Its on the beaten path and just around the corner from the place I'm staying, so I thought it would be a good place to start for a milonga, or tango dance night.  There was some live music and about 40 people, 10 couples seriously working their tango moves on the floor.  From the schedule, I saw there were tango classes all day and then the milonga didn't even get started until around midnight.  I am super impressed by the work-night stamina here.  Also, I was super impressed by one couple in particular - the woman had really cute tango shoes, which for me are the #1 best thing about tango - the couple was just so graceful and had really creative moves.  Even if you don't dance, its pretty fun just admiring the footwork.

Dieting Troubles in Argentina

A recent article in La Nacion ranks Argentines as the #1 consumers of diet pills and a Reuters Article puts them just behind Brazilians as diet pill abusers.  Some Brazilian brand diet pills even include the active ingredient of Prozac.  Sounds like strong stuff.  I'm starting to think maybe women here are so thin not because of the carbs & beef, but in spite of them (and with a little help from the pharmacy).

10 Best & Worst of Buenos Aires

I'm sure this will be updated later on, but so far here's the quicklist of best / worst

Best of Buenos Aires so far...

1. Nightlife

2. Hostels - meeting people from other cities in Argentina & all over the world

3.  People - watching

4. The Argentine diet - as mentioned in post #2

5. Soccer

6. Antibiotics over-the-counter

7. Coffee anywhere, anytime

8. Tango culture

9. Revival of the mullet

10. Winter in July 

Worst of Buenos Aires so far...

1. Revival of the mullet

2. People - crowds 

3. Hostels - no TP, broken lights, 10-bed-rooms...

4. Smokers everywhere

5.  Winter in July

Coup d'Hostel

hen is the last time you complained to management?  Sent back your food at a restaurant?  Protested anything at all?  I am learning very quickly that people in Argentina do not take any shit.  They will much more likely protest than look the other way.  I mean, look at the people banging pots out in the streets on Sunday and Monday night over a grain export tax increase.  When would that make anyone (not directly involved in the sale of grain) in the States bat an eyelash? And so, I read in La Nacion this evening that guests at a local hostel took it over because they were not happy with the service. According to La Nacion, the guests have reported numerous thefts to the management and it does not respond.  Also, the guests complain of bad treatment in general.  And so they have made a sort of Coup d'Etat... err... Coup d'Hostel???

La Continental Restaurant Review #1

"La Continental" Location: Defensa & Chile in San Telmo  

I don't care what other people may say, I LOVE La Continental's pizza!

This place is a chain with several locations throughout BA.  I just had the best slice of pizza (price 3.25 pesos = $1.05)  It was simply cheese with fresh tomato, but everything was perfect.  The crust was light, with the perfect balance of aerated doughy center and crust, sans pizza sauce (the toppings always slide off of pizza sauce, so I'm a no-sauce convert), the mozzarella cheese was absolutely delicious as it melted right into the crust, the tomato slices were fresh with basil sprinkled on them and to top it all off, a green olive on top.  YUM!  I also ordered 2 empanadas - ham & cheese and onion & cheese (price 2.20 pesos each, about $0.75).  I was less impressed with the empanadas. The cheese in them was too gooey and creamy and there were too many onions for my liking, but you live and learn.  I will definitely return for the pizza!  Next I want to try the slice I saw with anchovies...!  The place had about 50 seats and they were packed @ 10pm.

You Can't Beat the Street

I searched for a plug to be able to plug in my computer and other stuff for what seemed like forever today (granted it probably felt like a long time because I would rather stay in - I am sick).  The first store I went to was a really old school hardware store - they didn't have it.  Then I went to an internet place - just an internet cafe.  Then I went to an electric store - they had a gigantic 10 plug adapter for 80 pesos (30 bucks).  Thank goodness I asked if he had smaller ones, because he didn't but he told me they can be bought in the street.  How nice!  Who would have known?!  In the States we really suffer for lack of illegal street vendors.  Of course this is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it has its advantages for the consumer, albeit caveat emptor.  I found a perfect 3-plug adaptor (computer, camera & cell phone, woo hoo!) for 14 pesos.  As you can tell, since I am back writing, it works!