Eastern Market is the last operating public market in the city
of Washington, D.C. from a series of public markets which used to
exist throughout the city. All the others have closed (largely due
to competition from the modern supermarket), but Eastern Market has
survived and been in continuous operation as a public market since
it opened in 1873!
The original market building, now known as South Hall, was
designed by German-born architect Adolf Cluss and is one of many public buildings
he designed as the City's Engineer and a member of the Board of
Public Works. It is a D.C. Historic Landmark and also listed in the
National Register of Historic Places.
In addition to the permanent market vendors inside South Hall
(closed Mondays & Holidays), on Saturdays and Sundays, there is
also an outdoor Farmer's Market beside the market buildings, as
well as an Arts and Crafts Market on the closed block of 7th St.
and on the sidewalks on the north end of the market building, and
an Antiques and Flea Market just across 7th St. in the recreation
areas of the nearby school. Check the Eastern Market
DC web site for up-to-date hours and info.
In case you didn't figure it out from the previous paragraph,
even describing this place as "muggle central" might be a bit of an
understatement. It is a great place to visit and browse though, so
I suggest taking the challenge and trying to find this cache on a
weekend! You should have no trouble convincing non-caching family
or friends to join you for a trip to the market though. This
bird's eye view of the market on a weekend
should give you some idea of what to expect! (It's been updated and
must be a new shot earlier in the morning, so it isn't as dramatic
as it used to be! Compare with the Google Maps satellite image to
see it on a weekday.)
But no matter when you visit (excepting perhaps the wee hours of
the morning), you will likely have to be stealthy when looking for,
retreiving and replacing the cache, as besides the market, there is
also a tavern across the street with outdoor seating on the
sidewalk with views of the cache location, and various activities
going on in North Hall in the evenings and at night as well!
The cache container is a so-called nano -- a bison
tube. I'm not a big fan of containers this small, but hopefully the
area is interesting enough to visit to make up for it! (I wanted to
place a slightly larger container here, but couldn't come up with a
good hide that I thought would be safe from all the muggles!) If
you need the hint, note that it will only confirm that you're
standing in the right spot, it still doesn't reveal exactly where
the cache is hidden!
Please note:
- You will need to bring your own pen or pencil
to sign the log of course.
- Parking may be available right next to the cache during
off-hours, but you may end up having to park several blocks away on
the weekend. The Eastern Market Metrorail Station is a block
away.
- Restrooms are only available when the South Hall of the market
building is open.
- The cache is hidden on the sidewalk, you *do not need
to be in the road* no matter what your GPSr says (or
Google Earth might suggest)!
This cache is a seed from
Dr. Evil's Mini-Me Cache, thanks to
Code_Zero for the cache container and initial log sheet, which
made it so I finally got a cache placed here, something I've been
meaning to do for months now!