It’s hard to imagine a family in Los Angeles who isn’t familiar with the kid friendly offerings of The Grove at Third and Fairfax. Children can sit on the laps of Santa or the Easter Bunny, enjoying their faux homes made out of giant candy. They can cavort on the grass while family friendly bands rock the mall. And outdoor G-rated movies draw families out of their houses on warm summer nights. We live in the vicinity and have enjoyed it all. However, for my family’s money, the old world charm of the adjacent Farmer’s Market beckons over the Vegas-like allure of The Grove.
Full disclosure: I am a mother on a constant quest to find activities that I can enjoy as well as the kids. And even though I can stand in line to ensure that my children get to talk to a six-foot-tall plushie rabbit, I’d really rather be sitting in the shade eating brie cheese, sipping a glass of chilled white Bordeaux, and pretending to be French at Monsieur Marcel’s on the east end of the Farmer’s Market. Fortunately, my children are all too happy to give me time to do this with my husband, when they’re being entertained too.
Let us speak, now, about the magic of stickers. As adults, we can dimly remember our own childhood obsession with them. This is because we have moved onto brie. So let me remind you, that there is not a child alive who does not yearn for a few new stickers. This is why The Sticker Planet, mere steps away from the spot where you and your husband are now ordering French onion soup, has flourished for over twenty years. Sticker Planet knows their stickers. Stickers is all they do. Buy each child a fifty-cent strip and let them decorate the bag it came in. You will be able to stay for coffee.
And if the kids are getting drunk on too many stickers, walk it off by taking a stroll through Kip’s Toyland. This small old-fashioned toy store is packed with timeless favorites: Gumby Dolls, Etch-a-Sketches, invisible pen books, and individual magic tricks that are in the five dollar range. These old standards are fun to flip through even if you’re not buying. We usually end up dragging my husband out of there, pining, “Look a light-up yo-yo.”
The Farmer’s Market is also an ideal place to meet family friends, especially on warm nights when a live band is playing. The kids can boogie to the beat while you catch up over meals chosen from several diverse concessions. No need to agree on cuisine. Pizza? Done. Mongolian BBQ? No problem. Jambalaya? You bet.
Johnny Rockets is the best place to top everything off with chocolate milkshakes for everyone. My family happens to celebrate every milestone at the 50s style diner from the first lost tooth to the last day of school.
Whatever your taste, the historic Farmer’s Market is a magical spot where a kids can be kids and adults can be adults. And if you are my husband, you get to be both.
I love the Farmer’s Market. When I first moved to Los Angeles many, many years ago, I lived in the Fairfax area and didn’t have a lot of money, but could go to the Farmer’s Market and load up on veggies, etc. I remember the first time my mother, my sister and my mother’s best friend came to visit me and I took them there, they fell in love with it (the old Farmer’s market). Each time she would come back to visit (once a year) we would go and visit the Farmer’s Market just looking at the fruits/veggies/meats, etc. The shops were fun places to go into. I love the Farmer’s Market then and now. I need to visit it again.