NYC Markets revisited, episode 4. In which Lara Spencer is a temptress.

Early on in this blog I mentioned one of our not-so-guilty pleasures, HGTV's Flea Market Flip, as inspiring some of our fleamarket adventures.  It is easy to fall into a lazy but inspiring weekend marathon with host Lara Spencer now on GAC (which we don't view for its intended but rarely broadcast Great American Country music videos).  Mari and I have enjoyed the fleamarketing competition show since it first appeared on HGTV in 2012 largely because we simply love fleamarketing, traveling, and unearthing hidden treasures. Another reason we keep coming back to the series is because of Lara's enthusiasm and obvious passion for fleamarketing and finding hidden beauty in objects formerly known as beloved.

Lara's enthusiasm for up-cycling shabby items into chic home decor almost got the best of me at a recent ranch auction when I began to envision a vintage kitchen stove as a cocktail bar, but, thankfully, my senses took hold after the bidding skyrocketed past my (promised to Mari) $20 limit.  A crazy wave of creativity and inspiration came over me in the moments before that opening bid and I blame Lara Spencer and the bizarrely overwhelming popularity of cocktail bar transformations on Flea Market Flip.

Besides, I know myself.  That formerly functional now dysfunctional auction bargain would have sat in our garage for months (Mari says years) before it wound up on the driveway at one of our collectibles clearance (before-we-call-Hoarders-Anonymous) garage sales.

Darn you and your charms,
Lara Spencer!

At top, I am at the flea formerly known as the Green Flea, now inexplicably and clumsily renamed Grand Bazaar NYC, a favorite setting on Flip.  The day following our unfortunately abbreviated flea Saturday was a beautiful, sunny on-the-verge-of-spring Sunday. Still winter coat cool, the day looked promising as we began our walk up the West Side to our favorite fleamarket.

You may not remember the warm mini quiches I previously relished (NYC Markets, episode 5), but I sure did and was looking forward to their role in a light brunch on a park bench in front of the Museum of Natural History.  Sadly, the Quiche Lady was nowhere in sight. The week's wintry weather (hopefully, that is the only reason) seemed to have kept many of our favorite regulars away this particular Sunday, but there were still plenty of colorfully friendly vendors and overflowingly tempting booths awaiting our empty market bag.

We found the hallway and cafeteria of PS-452 full of activity and Mari and I spent the next two hours browsing and chatting up vendors and letting them know how far away their just-released collectibles would be traveling.

Mari and I are anxious to do a little sharing next time; it's been too long.

In the meantime, check out the updated Grand Bazaar NYC site.

grandbazaarnyc.org