April 2014 I attended a photography conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I extended the stay by a couple of days so I could walk around on my own to take some photos. This was my third visit to the area and at the time I decided I didn’t need to go again. But six years later if somebody asked me to accompany them on another trip I wouldn’t turn them down!
The top photo was taken on Canyon Road where a lot of artists live and there are many galleries of all kinds.
I discovered this lovely doorway as another student and I were wandering around town on a break between classes.
I got out of the general tourist area and found myself at the railway station just as the Railrunner Express was pulling in to make the perfect photo.
We split up and bought our lunches at a variety of eateries. We had a choice of dozens of vendors spread out over 30,000 square feet (2787 square meters). A shrimp curry tickled my fancy. We regrouped and enjoyed our disparate dishes.
Grand Central Market opened in 1917 and has been in continuous operation ever since… that means in just two years it will celebrate its 100th birthday. Quite an achievement in a city where everything gets torn down or reinvented every few years. But LA is growing up and recognizing that history is not irrelevant.
Like much of downtown, by the 1980s Grand Central Market wasn’t much to look at. In 1984 a developer named Ira Yellin bought the market (along with other iconic buildings in downtown) and initiated its revitalization. The market is still a work in progress, but as you can see from the photos, it is a popular place for tourists and Angelenos alike.
The market hosts special events from live model drawing classes to bread festivals to game nights.
A pupusa, anybody?
You can purchase anything from grass-fed organic meat to ice cream and coffee to Mexican candy to fruits and veggies to imported moles. No, not that kind of mole… the sauce used in Mexican cuisine!
Now I’m making myself hungry. Well, next time I’m in the downtown area I may go for that shrimp curry again.
When you are at Grand Central Market, cross the street and visit Angels Flight. Sad to say it is no longer running and I’ve heard no recent news about it, but I keep my fingers crossed that one day soon I can ride it again. When it’s running it’s billed as “The Shortest Railway in the World.”
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