My stomach is growling so naturally I head to my new favorite Eckington restaurant, Yang Market, for some custom Italian sandwiches. Thankfully, the owners Lyndsi and Pete allowed me to conduct a little video interview while they were hard at work in the kitchen. It was cool to hear the story of how they decided on this land parcel, and came up with the name for their business. "Yang Market" was in fact the previous name of the establishment. A term of the purchase was to keep the name which Lyndsi and Pete had no problem with. While the name might not be their own choosing, the menu certainly is. I struggled to figure out why the menu seemed familiar, and then Pete enlightened me that each sandwich is named after quotes from My Cousin Vinny! A simple concept that further adds to the rustic character and like-ability of this place. So many good sandwich options that I couldn't decide on just one; I ended up ordering the Mona Lisa Vito and the Eff'n World Traveler. As I exited, they even hooked me up with some "Yang" swag, camouflage koozies. Now that's what I call a box lunch!
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While visiting Eckington, I found myself along the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) that runs parallel to the railway tracks on the west side of Eckington. Many people passed me on foot, couples holding hands or families pushing strollers, while others were biking alone or in groups. It was a nice day outside, so as expected, this well-groomed route was very active.
Down towards the south end of the path, a large stretch of wall art murals runs as far as the eye can see. Beautiful colorful paintings enhance the otherwise average trail. I came upon a young painter, streetname KimChi, who was engaged with one of her murals and five buckets of fresh paint sitting on the grass. While diligently placing the final strokes on a rainbow unicorn, her mom explained how her 17 year old daughter acquired this section of wall to decorate. Apparently, painters can apply and be selected for 122 ft sections to splash with their visions along this wall. Sometimes, unfortunately, their works of art are "tagged" by unsanctioned graffiti which they then have to come fix from time-to-time. Sidenote: I mistakenly thought being "tagged" was a good thing as if someone was tagging her artwork on Facebook. I asked if the rumbling of train cars above ever affects their focus. Much to my surprise, they commented that falling dead birds are the most common deterrent which raised my eyebrows. The hardships of an artist are even more perilous than I thought! As I spanned the length of KimChi's wall, I admired the Asian influence in her art. A panda bear and fox joined the unicorn amidst floating pink flowers and other pleasant shapes. 122 feet of wall art took her three full days to paint - amazing! I was so engulfed in the amazing beauty of the wall murals that I didn't immediately notice the incredible four story mural called "28 blocks" on the building behind me. A towering tribute to honor workers who built the Lincoln Memorial. Without a doubt, art is a soulful conduit for expression in the Eckington neighborhood. One of my first experiences while visiting the Eckington neighborhood brought me to an outdoor flea market at the intersection North Capitol St and N. Quincy St. The pleasant sidewalk arrangement spanned almost a full block north of the main store entrance with items ranging from antique furniture to electronics and appliances. South of the entrance was a grassy peninsula bordered with an outer row of beautiful framed artwork. At the main entrance was a selection of old records next to a music player that filled the air with sounds of jazz and blues. This flea market had a very rustic and inviting aura which was further accentuated by the friendly greeting of the store-owner, Willie Barnes. He welcomed me to his sidewalk and introduced me to his colleagues, Theo and Ronald. They proudly informed me that this particular flea market has been open every day of the week (weather pending) since 2004! I walked into the store to find a variety of memorabilia that seemed to honor the heritage of the area. Outside, an eclectic scene of pedestrians perused the items on display while Willie sported a straw hat from one of the bins. After admiring the market for ten minutes and almost buying a couple items, I shook hands with all three managers and continued my tour of Eckington. While, short and sweet, a very warm first impression of the neighborhood! |
Arun DotsonThis is my research of the Eckington neighborhood. Categories
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