This little piggie went to market

The Alameda Flea Market, that is. From frequent mentions by everyone from sfgirlbybay to apartment therapy: san francisco, I became aware of this supposed treasure-hunter’s paradise. Since this month was the last time in the original location, and I had been wanting to go for several months, I talked my friends Megan and Julian into driving out there Sunday morning.

In some ways, it lived up to the hype. Located on a former Naval base, it certainly was huge–we didn’t even make it to the whole thing, and I think we were there for at least four hours. I took pictures to try to capture the giant scale, but I totally failed.

The location was also kind of picturesque, in an industrial wasteland sort of way.

I like how the world looks like it’s tipping here, simply because I need more practice at taking good photos.

It was nice to escape the overcast city and get a little bit of sunlight, even though I sunburned the part in my hair. Living in San Francisco, sometimes it’s easy to forget what season it’s supposed to be, so this was a good reminder.

On the other hand, they charge $5 admission (unless you’re an early bird, in which case it’s $15!), and the prices seemed quite inflated. Plus, it seemed like there was a lot of repetition–I can’t count how many booths I saw selling white coral and wire shabby-chic antique furniture.

I did find a few things worth bringing home, though.

A black mid-century magazine rack (marked $10, but got it for $5 at the end of the day).

Delicious must inspect all new items that enter the apartment.

An old (How old? There’s one listed on eBay that says its from the 1970s, so it’s not as old as I thought) Dr. Pepper tray that I got for $2 from the same vendor as the magazine rack, who had it marked at $5. I’m a loyal diet Dr. Pepper drinker, and I can assure you that it provides me with vim, vigor, and vitality.

Again, I hope it meets with the approval of Delicious. She really insisted on being in these photos and my attempts to shoo her away were more trouble than they were worth.

Two little black netted hats/hairpieces, $5 for both, but I haven’t taken photos yet. I love hats with netting–there’s just something so alluring about a bit of net over the hair and eyes. These are perfect to add to my vintage hat collection, and they seem like they’ll be very wearable and versatile. Speaking of which, I need a better way to store/display my hats, any suggestions?

Lastly, a giant bag of kettlecorn, mmmmmm. Yeah, not so giant anymore, but I prefer to think of the bag as a third full, not two-thirds empty.

Overall, a mildly successful trip, and I’m glad I checked it out, but I probably won’t be going back for quite awhile. I’ll stick to the closer and cheaper Alemany Flea Market, held every Sunday within city limits.