night market in richmond? any in vancouver?

[doughnut]

hi,

just wanted to know if anybody actually went to the summer night market in richmond. i saw some article that said it was cancelled but their web site says that they opened several days ago. im trying to make some plans and wanted to know if it really exists or not and whether or not its worth going.

while we are at it, is there a night market in vancouver?

the web site for the richmond one is http://www.summernightmarket.com/

[DylanLK]

It looks like the Richmond Night Market is running tonight, even. I might check it out.

[fmed]

It runs on all long weekends. I may be there tonight if the stars align.

[LotusRapper]

And then to 9 Dishes afterward ? [giggles]

[DylanLK]

Not a terrible idea, not a terrible idea....

[betterthanbourdain]

ooohhhh........ tempting!

hmmmm.... still lots of empty food stalls. hoping there will be new things to try other than the usual suspects.
maybe green lemongrass will be there this year with some new treats.

[doughnut]

we are still firming up our vancouver plans. is the market in vancouver plauged with empty stalls or a depressing location?

though there are a few adults, there is one 7 yo coming along. but hes from korea so the kid might be mightily unimpressed with the korean pancakes (hoddeok). i dont want him to be depressed either. maybe a better idea would be to just take him to a popular restaurant instead? we only have two nights so im trying to make it count... as it is, i guess i feel sort of unenthusiastic about either night market...

[grayelf]

I've been to both night markets and I'm not sure I'd go out of my way for either, especially if you're trying to please a 7 yo. I found the Richmond one a bit of a hassle because of parking (and you pretty much have to drive) plus the stuff for sale is pretty junky for the most part. It is held in a big open space in an industrial area with nothing else nearby. We weren't mightily impressed with the food either, though the stall thing is kinda fun.

The Chinatown one is nicer in the sense that it is held along the actual streets and of course it's much closer if you're already in town. I don't recall there being as many food options but it's been a few years since we went. A lot of crazy plastic stuff for sale but the odd nice thing (we bought some Christmas decorations one year). Not sure if this helps...

[LotusRapper]

GE hit it on the spot. The Richmond location is depressing, tucked behind some warehouses just off the river. If you even find nearby parking it can be a pain to get to the night market as they manage the foot traffic pretty anally. I also found it can suddenly get quite chilly out there once the sun goes down.

Chinatown is more user-friendly esp. given having younger ones in tow.

As far as food options, even if more limiting than Richmond, the Chinatown market should have enough variety to satisfy decent snacking. And if that doesn't satisfy, afterwards you can always head to a nearby restaurant (not many open after 7pm in Chinatown proper, but more options south along Main St or to the west into Gastown etc.).

As for the merchandise, to me they're all the same more or less. Cheap and amusing assortments of crap (er I mean knickknacks) made in China at laughably low prices (makes you think how much margins there are further up the retail foodchain).

BTW Doughnut, in case you are coming from the US (not sure), make sure you leave no unattended valuables in the car. Chinatown & Gastown are notorious for car beak-ins particularly US-plated cars.

Have fun.

[doughnut]

thank you both grey elf and lotus rapper!

i have a good foodie buddie in seattle. we will prob eventually go to both markets but on our own time without our international relations... (grammy from korea is also in this summers touring party)

thanks so much for helping us!

[LotusRapper]

I was hoping for a change of location for the Richmond one (but not the now defunct Queensborough site proposal) from the River Road site. It feels so isolated and depressing there. The first few years at Lansdowne Mall were great. Oh well, better than nothing at all.

[farman]

I was at the Summer Night Market last night in Richmond. Pretty busy with a number of large line ups (corn on the cob, Korean place with filled pancakes, potato spirals, and one of egg crepe places). A lot more empty stalls than last time I went near the end of last season.

[el_lobo_solo]

The Richmond one should be open as well. There was a spread in the paper just a few days ago: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertain...

[LotusRapper]

The Vancouver one appears to be going ahead. See:

http://www.vancouver-chinatown.com/en...

(scroll down)