Digging for Treasure

While not one myself, I am very close to a few treasure seekers. You know the type. The ones that will scour, sift and rummage through countless shelves, racks and piles to save 80% on a 70% off sale burning $30 worth of gas and an entire day off from their paying gig in hopes of "sticking it to...". I don't even know who.

I have tried to understand their justifications, but I can't. I'll just say bless 'em and then get the hell out of their way. They probably say the same thing about my addiction to Saturday college football, To each is own, I suppose.

Although I'm not a shelf scourer or bin tosser, I am a devout people watcher and I have learned over the years that there are excellent people watching opportunities at these "fests". And, I have learned to incorporate a touch of this into my leisure life just for the chance to see the donut-glazed stares of harried women leaning over a table filled with 80 pounds of panties scrambling for the two "medium" sized pair amongst the thousands of "extra-smalls" and "XXXLs".

Grab yourself a beer, a glass of wine or just a bottle of water and venture out on your next day off to one of these famous markets for a little treasured people watching. Here is a list of some of the world's best people watching and bargain hunting events. Try incorporating any of these into your next trip if their locales are not within a day's commute. Trust me; it's worth it.

Portobello Street Market - London's premier flea market (even if the bargains are rare) in trendy Notting Hill. This Saturday morning extravaganza is an eye full of London offerings. Like dessert for your senses, Portobello Market is rich in colors, smells and oddities. Spend a few hours rummaging or watching others in this open air bliss of madness. Go early if you are really a bargain hunter and check out the antiques. Hint: a great remedy for jet lag!

New Caladonian Antique and Flea Market - aka. the Bermondsey Market - this has much better prices and is less touristy that the Portobello or Camden markets. These bargain hunters are serious; they show around 4:30 0r 5:00 am armed with flashlights (torches) to find the best deals before daylight. While this is over-the-top effort for me, I know people very close to me who will wait in line on frigid December mornings to make sure they get their mitts on a Wii for Christmas. I would imagine this is hilarious fun, but I regret I will not be attending. I'm not even sure I can laugh at 4:30am. Do those muscles even work before coffee?

Marches Aux Puces De Clignancourt - What flea market list would be complete without the mother of all flea markets. Marches Aux Puces translates to March of Fleas. How can you not like that? This is also where we dirty Americans derived the name. Situated on the northern outskirts of Paris, this original and one of the larger markets is really twelve markets that grew together over the years. Each day, between 2500 and 3000 stalls are occupied with gloriously cool French junk. Obviously, the better your French, the better the deal. But don't let a language barrier deter you. Half the fun is trying to figure out what is going on all around you. It's a trip.

127 Corridor - Billed as the "World's Longest Yard Sale" stretching 654 miles from Covington, Kentucky to Gadsen, Alabama, it sounds more like a Jeff Foxworthy joke than a market. I'm told this week-long, once a year event is chock full of flavor, bric-a-brac and southern hospitality. I guess I'll take their word for it. I would be remiss not to mention the 127 Corridor Market here, but I prefer my flea markets slightly more self-contained like my next choice.

Rose Bowl Swap Meet- Limited to the confines of Pasadena, California's Rose Bowl and the hours of 9am-3pm on the second Sunday of each month is more my style of flea markets. Let's cram 100,000 people and vendors into a confined bowl and watch them banter over a used surf board or lawn ornament. That's what I call "people watching". What kind of stinks here is these Cali capitalists charge admission, $8-15, depending on how long you want to stand in line to get in and what time you wish to enter. This gratuitous cash grab eliminates some of my favorite kinds of bargain hunters, the super cheap. Mostly, you will find curious middle class locals at this event along with the traveling carny-like vendors barking "Hey, Rube! I got da' best stuff, check it out."

First Mondays in Canton - This market, as its name suggests, is only open on the first Monday of the each month, yet is inundated with 100,000+ bargain shoppers. This market specializes in Texas arts and crafts, some of it truly fabulous. First Monday has a state fair atmosphere and county fair ambiance. Refreshing Texas hospitality seeps from everything. Covering over 1000 acres of endless stalls, this is not for rookies. They even pass out maps in hopes of shoppers not getting lost. If you think you are just going to pop in and have a look-see, think again. First Monday is an all day event as well it should be since you have to drive 60 miles east from Dallas to get there. Oh, and did I mention the people watching. Hee-Haww!

Al, the Travel Valet
Pick of the Day(50-12-1)...Yankees