Sunday mornings are a great excuse to lay in bed and scroll through Instagram for hours longer than you normally would. But it's even better if it's it the second Sunday of the month... because then you can stalk all the hauls from the Rose Bowl Flea Market.
I am obsessed with the amazing stuff that people find at this flea market and I have been for years. The envy is real and if I had a bigger house and millions of dollars I would go every month. Hands down, that's not even a question. Which is why I kind of avoided it for a long time... the temptation is just too much.
After all, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is actually the greatest flea market on Earth.
Temptation be damned, I added it to my 30 Before 30 list back in 2015 and I actually managed to check it off not long after, but never got around to posting it until now. This morning, scrolling through my favorite interior designer's accounts, checking out all the items they scored today (vintage flower pots! kilim rugs!), I finally remembered my own post and decided: better late than never.
When Ryan and I went back in July of 2015, it was the same weekend that I crossed off a couple of other 30 Before 30 items, like visiting the Magic Castle and Hiking to the Hollywood Sign. But what our friends and Ryan didn't know about the planning of that weekend is that I planned it all around the Rose Bowl Flea.
True Life: I'm Addicted To Flea Markets.
When we got to the Rose Bowl, there were people selling parking and nabbing the free parking on the street miles away. I knew I wouldn't want to walk that far if we actually bought stuff, so I decided to just suck it up and pay for VIP parking in the lot. It was cash only and around $10 bucks to park within a couple hundred feet of the entrance.
In fact, most of the day is cash only, including admission tickets, so pro tip: get your cash out before you go. The ATM lines are arguably the most annoying part of the day. Admission tickets are $9 after the flea market opens at 9am, but you can pay incrementally increasing prices the earlier in the day you want to go.
The earlier you enter = the "better" the finds.
I ended up bringing about $200 with me and spent it all between parking, admission for Ryan and I, lunch, beers, and my items: a cute "Beach" sign for the wall, an old bamboo flower pot stand that I planned to (and eventually did) spray paint, an amazing mid-century magazine rack that I just couldn't leave behind and an adorable blue vase.
All in all, I managed to find some items that were truly special to me and all hold prominent places in the house today, which makes the Rose Bowl money and time well spent in my book!
Rose Bowl Flea Market
(second Sunday of each month)
Rose Bowl Stadium
1001 Rose Bowl Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91103
