Exploring Grand Central Market

With the windows down, I held my breath under the countless tunnels in Los Angeles, anxiously looked for parking, and I eventually made my way to the iconic Grand Central Market.

Grand Central Market first opened in 1912 in Downtown Los Angeles. The market has been home to a variety of unique foods and ecompasses the diversity that comes with Los Angeles.

I went to the market on a Thursday for their game night, a fairly new event at the market which was introduced in June 2015. I walked into a large open space, filled with people and different smells. This was my first time at the market, and it wasn’t anything like I had expected; I expected to see a farmers market on a larger scale. At first glance the market was busy; there were tons of people, and it was very loud.

There were numerous vendors set up in the market, and it seemed that there was every food to satisfy any craving. I walked down the crowded aisles and noticed the many vendors with a variety of cuisines: Mexican, Japanese, Italian and so much more. A very popular eatery was EggSlut; the line was out of the door, literally. Unfortunately, due to the long wait, and their early closing time, I wasn’t able to see what all the people were crazy about.

Senior Patrick Castro has endured the long wait of this eatery, but says it is definitely worth the wait. “Eggslut takes the normal idea of an egg and transforms it into something that blows you away,” Castro said.

As I looked at the different vendors, figuring out where to eat, I noticed that many of the foods were a bit over priced — one taco for $3, for example. I figured that if I were going to eat here I might as well get something that was good and filling. I stopped at one vendor called Belcampo Meat Co., which served hamburgers, and different assortments of raw meat. I ordered a lamb burger with french fries.

Around 6 p.m., the crowd died down, and game night began. Though there weren’t many people playing games, there was a great selection. It was free to play the games, but all they asked was to hold onto an ID to ensure they would retrieve all their games back.

They had Jumbo Jenga, which not only made the game even more tense, but also resulted in a very loud downfall. They also had Cards Against Humanity, Charades, and many other games, some I had never even heard of. Game night was fun, but as the night went on there were fewer people in the market, and many vendors began locking up for the night.

I was able to talk to some of the business owners as they were cleaning up. “The market usually reached out to owners who were looking for a place to open up their shop,” said Steve Valdez, a worker at The Oyster Gourmet. Valdez said the mornings are usually busy due to Eggslut, and it mellows out around 10 a.m. and picks up again during lunch time, because people usually come to the market for lunch.

There are lots of businesses in the surrounding buildings which result in many people coming down to the market on breaks or for lunch. “Everyone is friendly and cool and everyone is like a neighbor, whenever you need something other vendors help you out. Everyone’s got something unique and different,” Valdez said.

The unique and diverse atmosphere of Downtown Los Angeles is one of the main reasons why senior Trey Sanbar loves the city. “There are lots of things to do in L.A.— the music scene, for example is really great because they showcase lots of upcoming bands and artists,” Sanbar said.

Over the years, Grand Central Market has had many renovations and took in a load of new vendors, including Eggslut and Ramen Hood. Adele Yellin, the owner of the market, is the woman behind all the recent changes. In an interview with The Planning Report, Yellin said that he has plans to repaint the market, renovate the bathrooms, as well as create more seating.

In recent years, Downtown Los Angeles, in general, continues to evolve by creating new structures. The Broad Museum, a contemporary art museum, opened their doors in September 2015, and showcases art from owner, Eli Broad’s collections. The museum has gotten a lot of attention, and is widely popular.

Another new feature in Los Angeles is Grand Park and it has been the place to be during New Year’s Eve for the past few years. The park hosts a live countdown to the new year and numerous bands and entertainment for the thousands of people that come out to celebrate the new year.

Finding parking in Los Angeles is often very difficult, so people are usually walking. “The market gets a lot of foot traffic,” said Kristine Morgan, a worker at G&B Coffee. Morgan said G&B Coffee is the spot everyone knows to get coffee at.

Senior Jared Ortaliza said he would be interested in going to the market because of the different assortment of foods. “I feel like the market is a L.A thing to experience, and I’ve lived in L.A for a couple of years, and I  haven’t been able to experience it,” Ortaliza said. In Ortaliza’s opinion, the main lure of the market is the food, and because it’s a break from the “monotony of Glendale and Pasadena.”

Downtown L.A. may not appeal to everyone because of the distinct qualities in some parts, such as the dirtiness, but “it gives it character,” Ortaliza said.

Senior Joshua Windolph doesn’t find L.A. to be as glamorous as everyone else does. “I think it is a bit dangerous,” Windolph said. “I’ve never been there and I wouldn’t really know what to do there. I just don’t really care to go there.”

Downtown Los Angeles is rich in the history that it holds, and Grand Central Market is just one piece of the vast city. There are numerous districts in L.A, each offering something special and different. Los Angeles continues to change with new additions — museums, parks, and buildings — but is still able to hold onto the decades of history engrained in the city. The Los Angeles skyline continues to evolve.

“There is so much history in Los Angeles, wherever you go, you see something unique and different,” Castro said.