Our hostel along Fairfax Avenue is fairly convenient – there are buses that go to the city and surrounding suburbs.  Whenever I see the long line of palm trees along the road, it always makes me feel like I’m really in California, you know?

It’a s 10-minute walk to the nearby Farmer’s Market, a historic landmark in Los Angeles with over 100 restaurants, grocers and souvenir shops that has been operating since 1934.

From afar, one of the most visible landmarks within the area is the clocktower. It was lit by soft, yellow lights at night.

A tourist tram service operates to the Grove, an outdoor shopping mall located just next to the market itself. It’s really just for the experience, because the place is within walking distance.

The Gilmore Oil Co. gasoline station within the area has historic significance. Although the pumps are not operational, the structure is a reminder of how the company was founded in LA.

First opened in 1934, the Farmer’s Market is a medley of alleyways, hosting over 100 low-roofed shops that sell everything from food and souvenirs to groceries. The fringes of the market are reserved for meat and seafood shops, whereas the centre has things like candy, small cafes and taco stalls.

Caramelised apples are not common in Malaysia – but neither are a host of other candies – some of which I’ve never seen before in my life. Americans, you sure are spoiled for choice!

We got ourselves some chocolate-covered gummy bears and nonpareils to snack on.

For dinner, we grabbed a quick beef hotdog from FritziDog. It was pretty good. I like how the hotdogs in America taste like sausages ie they have this chewy skin on the outside. In Malaysia, ‘hot dogs’ are the processed type with a consistent texture throughout. Also, since Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, many restaurants and cafes do not offer pork, so it felt quite… surreal to see pork options on the menu everywhere I went. 😛

Farmers Market LA

6333 W.3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90036

Regular Hours –
Monday – Friday: 9 am to 9 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 8 pm
Sunday: 10 am – 7 pm
Telephone: (323) 933-9211
Toll Free: (866) 993-9211

The outdoor shopping area, The Grove, is just next to the market.

In most parts of South East Asia, outdoor malls are not practical due to our tendency for rain, extreme heat and humidity, and thunderstorms. Otherwise, the shops are standard brands that you can find in most parts of the world.

There is a figure of an angel in the middle of the square, an outdoor fountain and cafe patios shaded by large green trees.

The inside of the Grove Cinema felt more like a ballroom than a movie theatre! We wanted to go in for a movie coz E had free tickets, but guess what? He left them in the hostel….We ended up snooping around Barnes and Noble for books.

Til next post!