San Diego Part Five: The La Jolla Open Aire Market

I love going to the market. This is a big surprise, when I was a kid I absolutely hated markets. The Open Aire Market in La Jolla is my absolute favourite Market. Halifax and Calgary have great markets but they do not really compare to the market held in La Jolla on Sundays.

Today the Market was a lot less busy than our visit last year. With all the rain I guess it was hard to tell if it would be worth setting up for vendors, our trip was dry and it looks as if the afternoon just keeps getting nicer weather wise.

We decided to skip lunch at home and have street food at the Market, Kevin had gyros and I ordered what they called a breakfast pizza with a gluten-free crust. Unfortunately I have yet to find a gluten-free traditional pizza crust that holds up to a traditional pizza crust. This was the best crust I have had so far that was gluten-free; over all the pizza was great! Cooked in a portable wood-fire oven from Cucina Caprese it was a great quick meal (it took about 10 minutes from order to plating).

I should note, before we actually ate our market meal we were lured in by Sugar & Scribe Bakery. We cannot pass by cupcakes! I had the red velvet mini; it was amazing! We were told it was the top red velvet cupcake in San Diego and I believe it. From what I was told (from Elaine) the vanilla was also very good! It was Sugar & Scribe Bakery’s first trip to the market. I hope they had a good reception; we sure enjoyed their offerings!

After the gyros and pizza we had a mocha Rickaroon. For $3 it was a perfect dessert for two very full people to split. I tried a couple different bites; the mocha was definitely my favourite. Like so many of the vendors at the La Jolla Open Aire Market you are able to have these treats shipped out to you. They were really good, filling snacks. Bonus Rickaroons are gluten-free and paleo friendly, right up our (non on vacation) alley!

You can actually walk the market and sample before you buy. It is so nice to check everything out and then make your decision from the different vendors. Be careful, it is hard not to fill up on samples before you buy! 

Last year when we visited there was an amazing collection of vintage posters and artwork. Incredible old ads for designers, the price tags for these items were steep but they are still fun to look at! 

I love the La Jolla Open Aire Market, you can find everything from Asian-fusion street food to treasure found on scuba diving adventures. You can get a quick massage or have your knives sharpened. There is even live music to entertain you while you shop away your Sunday!

Don't forget to grab a bag of San Diego Kettle Corn before you leave so that you can enjoy the market all day long! 

For more info on the  La Jolla Open Aire Market click here. 

A couple tips to help you enjoy the Market more efficiently:

1.   Bring cash, there is an ATM but it charges you nearly $4 to withdraw money. Add in a cross-border charge if you are Canadian. Many vendors offer the Square for card payments at a much lower cost than withdrawing money, very cool and something you may want to look into if you are a small business.

2.   Bring a bag; we totally forgot to do this! Your arms will fill quickly with items you will pick up.

.