Downtown Holiday Market Pics (7th & F St NW)

Maybe it’s just that the weather now is nicer than last year, but I’m much more impressed with the market this time around.

The market this year is very well done — lots of food, a good variety of vendors, engaging entertainment.

And as an added bonus, I noticed that it seems to be quite the “scene” — lots of people meeting up, checking each other out, flirting — excellent!!

Congrats to the organizers. It is events such at the market that bring continued vitality to the neighborhood.

There were lots of folks strolling through the market tonight, and there was a great holiday feel all around. This is one of my favorite times of year in PQ. I hope everyone in the market does well – the food tents definitely had lines tonight!

It would further complicate traffice and probably discourage people from coming down here, but i have wondered whether they would ever try to close off the whole street for the Holiday market.

Those of us pedestrians would probably like it but i guess the traffic probablems would be too much.

Rather than shutting down traffic on the street, I’d like to see the sidewalk on the western side of the block cleared of construction barriers and opened back up to the walking public (why construction trailers continue to linger outside the museum I do not know). Then there would be plenty of space to expand the market and bring in additional life to the neighborhood.

This is a fantastic holiday destination in our neighborhood– the market has vastly improved since the half baked idea was lauched in the parking lot on the old convention center site– I’d love to see continued success and expansion in the future.

#4: They’ve closed down F St before, I think it was for Arts On Foot. No huge traffic issues or complaints as far as I could tell.

Eventually, when the Old Convention Center site is built-out, I recommend using 8th Street between I Street and Mt. Vernon Square; is is already public space, a closed street, with room to spare. Also, why not have the farmers’ market in the same space on Summer Thursdays?

Yes, we close F between 7th and 9th and 8th down to E for Arts on Foot each year, but Arts on Foot is on a Saturday and it ends at 5pm so we are out of there by 8pm. It would be more difficult to close F all day, every day for a few weeks.

I believe the construction trailers and equipment will be removed from the west side of the Old Patent Office building and the sidewalk available for pedestrians at least for a while. I understand that there is one other project on the eventual construction list for the Reynolds Center that would likely require a construction staging area when it is carried out.

I wish we had a market all year. It’s so nice to have a central place to shop/greet/eat/meet.