Fleas, Falafels & Fun, Oh My

Fall is in the air and the leaves from the oak tree outside my window slide gently to the sidewalk and the morning breeze carries them down the street.
 
A steady rain seeps through my layers as I wander the maze that is the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, Brooklyn on Saturday.

A parade of vendors expertly tucked beneath white tarped tents, sell everything from vintage clothing and antique furniture to original photography, paintings and etchings to hand spun wool hats, jackets and scarves with matching gloves to cutting boards turned from maple and mahogany to mounted goat and sheep heads(!) along with a cornucopia of food, ranging from the simple New York hot dog to the delicacy of crab legs, and a vast variety between the two extremes.

A hearty lunch of hot mushroom soup and a warm spinach salad keeps the cold from sinking in to my bones and I walk home, all 7.5 miles, under the setting sun.

I make my way along Atlantic Avenue on Sunday, to take in the Atlantic Antics, my passion for all things "flea" fueled during yesterday's time at the Brooklyn market.  

Six blocks, lined with street vendors on both sides of the street, is a feast for all of the senses.

Jugglers, mimes, cheerleaders, balloon artists, trumpet players, violinists, a children's choir and pirouetting ballerinas take turns entertaining the crowds who push their way along the pavement.

"The Atlantic Antics happen only once a year", a large Indian woman in line behind me laughs, as I try to choose between a Greek salad or deep fried oreos.

With her boisterous encouragement, the lettuce lays wilting on the table and I dig in to the warm, sweet, sticky chocolate.