RAIL YARDS MARKET

On Sundays from 9-3, May 4 – Nov. 2, you can visit the Rail Yards Market near downtown Albuquerque, NM. The site is next to the tracks and is in a huge old Santa Fe Railway repair shop. The market has over one hundred vendors and artists. It draws thousands of people. Outside there is plenty of free parking and a line of food trucks.

It is worth the trip. It is close to the Rail Runner Station and could be combined with a trip to Santa Fe and the markets there.  It is also near the Amtrak Station  and downtown Albuquerque.

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Entry to the Rail Yards Market building.

Inside, which is free, you find artists, bakeries, local produce, music and crowds. Turn down your hearing aid.

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Rail Yards Market on July 27, 2014.

 

Rail buffs, and most other people, especially those of us who can remember riding the train to college, will be fascinated by the interior of the Santa Fe Railway Repair Shop, now abandoned, waiting a new life, and used as the setting for a number of movies.

 

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Inside the old Santa Fe Railway repair shop in Albuquerque, NM

To learn more about the rail yards visit the City of Albuquerque  web page.

 

Street Food Institute student food truck.

Maybe you are looking for a second career in your retirement. Central New Mexico Community College in conjunction with the Street Food Institute  offers a course in “Street Food.” Maybe you should apply. Visit Craigs List to find food trucks for sale.

The bottom line is that for a few hours on Sunday morning, you can’t go wrong, and you will see a part of American History. Drive through the surrounding streets and see “new town,” which came into being with the arrival of the rail road over a hundred years ago. Then compare it to “Old Town.”

 

 


GROWERS’ MARKETS – A source for traveling seniors!

If you are traveling to Albuquerque you should visit the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market on Saturday morning.

The growers’ market is a weekly event, though many towns have different markets on different days.

In Albuquerque, there are several, but my favorite is the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market on North Rio Grande. There are farmers (maybe urban) selling peaches, onions, beets, berries, etc. There are also a number of bakers and several vendors of meats. The mix changes weekly and what is offered changes as crops are  picked. Always fresh, never shipped in.

There are also dozens of  local crafts people  selling jewelry, hats, canes, clothing, etc. Almost anything someone could make at home; especially if they are old and retired.  A number of our friends have set up sales tents to sell things they have made. You might even want to consider a new career. Want to sell hats?

Take a look at Hat Academy to learn how. You don’t just have to be a buyer; you can also be a seller. The same goes for any other craft. If nothing else, these markets are a source of creative ideas.

Some of the stands at the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market.

The best part for me is the food. I always stop for a breakfast burrito. For $4.00 I get the # 1 which is a large tortilla filled with eggs, potatoes, crisp bacon and Hatch green chile. Another dollar gets me a cup of coffee and there is a table and a few chairs where I can sit and watch the people go by.

I know that it sounds strange to go to a growers’ market when you are travelling, but it is an interesting bit of local lore and even when you are on the road you need to eat and you may want some fruit to tide you over. I have been to such markets in Taos, Tucson, Waynesville, NC,  Washington, DC; not to mention Bulgaria, Armenia and Belgrade. Each has been an interesting experience.

How to find a growers’ market near you; wherever you may be:

GOOGLE

“growers’ market”+City

“growers’ market”+Albuquerque

THINK OLD!

 

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