Wednesday at the farmers market in Ocean Beach, CA, is always a great time to roam around, buy some fresh produce, watch one of the local bands play some good tunes, and do some really amazing people watching. Roaming up and down Newport Avenue, especially when the weather is nice can get pretty crowded, but it’s always a fun, laid back vibe with plenty of good grub and beach living at its finest.
Along the park near the beach is always a large crowd of some acrobatic-type of yoga going on and a flurry of people hula-hooping, tight-roping, and local musicians parked along the seawall playing acoustic guitars or some other instruments, just as the sun is starting to drop.
Being a true beach town, there’s always a great collection of old, classic cars lining the streets of “OB.” It is said that at one time, the community of Ocean Beach had more VW’s than anywhere in the world, outside of Germany. Is that true, or is just an OB tall tale? Who knows, but it’s not too hard to imagine.
Each week, a local band plays the market on the corner of Newport Avenue and Bacon St. As I was walking by, a four-piece band of young kids (probably early teens), were playing a collection of songs by The White Stripes and Green Day. Here you will find everything from rock bands, reggae groups, jazz, and a wide-variety of music and musicians.
Even if you’re not buying any food, it’s still a great time just wandering around Newport Avenue on a Wednesday. Here, you will find people of all walks of life, all kinds of music, foods of all kinds, and a scene that feels like something straight out of the 1960s. It’s OB. It’s weird. It’s funky. And it’s full of character and characters!
