Dashing Through The Snowport
Get Outta Town: A Visit To The Holiday Market Snowport in Boston Will Put You In The Holiday Spirit
I met up with some college friends on Wednesday, the four of us determined to get into the holiday spirit by visiting the Holiday Market Snowport, a European-style open-air holiday market packed with more than 120 craftsmen, artisans, and entrepreneurs, along with a food hall and special events, at the Boston Seaport, 100 Seaport Blvd., Boston, MA.
Alas, the forecast called for rain, so we made plans to attend a indoor holiday market in South Boston. But, by Wednesday morning, it was clear that we weren’t just talking about rain. We were talking atmospheric river and bomb cyclone style rainstorm, with high winds and possible thunderstorms. We headed out nonetheless to the indoor holiday market only to arrive there to find a soaked security guard dressed in bright yellow handing out soaked vouchers apologizing for the indoor market being closed, and offering us free parking the next time we came. It was raining so hard even the indoor markets were closed. So we decamped to a nearby restaurant, Marseille, 560 Harrison Ave Boston, MA, and had a lovely time catching up over French and Mediterranean drinks and eats. I enjoyed some hot, mulled red wine and one of their specials, a carrot and pear soup that was absolutely delicious.
The next morning the sun was shing and so, once again determined to partake of that holiday spirit, we headed out for Snowport. We finally got there, and had a great time! There was a fun array of gifts. I got some for family and friends, and some for myself. And there were lots of enticing food trucks, and a tent with heated lamps that helped take the chill off.
If it’s a cold day, dress for the weather! With my winter boots, layers of clothing, and winter coat on, I was perfectly happy sitting under the tent, enjoying my delicious grilled cheese (The Baconator) from the Cheese Louise food truck and some toasty hot tomato soup with flecks of basil and parm from The Soup Shack, right next to the Cheese Louise food truck, both of which were close to the Snowport entrance. Both offered GF options!
There was a vast array of other food options including Eloti (esquite, churros, and tajin fries); The Baked Cheese Haus (jambon cru—melted raclette over cured ham on a toasted baguette, sauccison sec—raclette over cured salami on a toasted baguette, and plain melted raclette on a toasted baguette), and Penny Packers (porchetta sandwiches, mac and cheese, and beignets). Other food and drink offerings included Betty’s Bar, the Blizzard Bar, Blue Fin, Bocadillos, Cheese Wheel Pasta, Clarke’s Cakes & Cookies, Dizzy Dreidel, Dumping Daughter, The Fat Cactus, The Frenchmen’s Crepes, Hudson Valley Farmhouse, Jingle Bar, Naughty Waffle, Northeast of the Borker, S’mores and More, Tuscan Kitchen, and Zaz Restaurant.
Some of our party also enjoyed some hot chocolate from the Tuck’s booth, piled high with whipped cream.
To take home, I got some shortbread cookies and meringues from Sweet Botanical Bakes, and some cocktail mixers and some flavored sugars for the glass rim from Simple Sips Cocktail Mix.
One of our favorite gift ideas was from Chopstick Art (Booth 114), where we purchased flexible bowls made of chopsticks. It seems improbable, but it’s true. Apparently billions of perfectly good chopsticks are thrown away every year and so these folks, according to their website, “…begin by collecting post-use, single-use bamboo chopsticks from restaurants. Next we sanitize the chopsticks at extremely high temperature. The chopsticks are sorted, colored(some using natural plant dyes), and then assembled into our line of home products.” Well, that’s all amazing, but the real selling point is that the bowls are very cute and sturdy, and they are easy to fold up and store when not in use.
I also got holiday cards, chocolates, notebooks, ornaments, and lots and lots of tea towels, including one that says “Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck” because sometimes when I’m working in the kitchen, all goes well, and other times, it’s just fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck. It will be nice to have an appropriate kitchen towel on hand for when that happens next.
Other holiday market features include outdoor iceless snow curling, 20,000 plus twinkling lights, and a Winter Wish Wall where you can share your holiday wishes. Many of the businesses are women- and minority-owned. The market has a Snowport Scholarship Program that helps select vendors with marketing support and funding. It’s cool to think that some entrepreneurs will get a running start while we get a nice dose of holiday fun.
We went to Snowport on a sunny Thursday shortly after it opened at 11 a.m. and, while there was a festive crowd, it wasn’t packed, it was easy to shop, and there was only a short wait to get food. Your results may vary if you go on the weekend or in the evening. Overall, we had a great time, ate some delicious food, and it definitely helped nudge me into the holiday spirit!
Snowport is open through Dec. 31 on extended hours, Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can find out more and reserve your spot in advance at https://www.bostonseaport.xyz/snowport.