Treasure Island Flea Continues into 2012

Treasure Island has become the site of what must be one of the most scenic flea markets in the world. The event, called the Treasure Island Flea, is continuing in 2012.
For the first three months of the year the market is heading indoors, to the beautiful and historic One Avenue of the Palms building -- the last useable building from the 1939 San Francisco World's Fair.
The market -- called the TI Flea Pop-Up -- will take place the last Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. of each month from January through March.
For the rest of the year, the Flea will take place outdoors, on the lovely waterfront Avenue of the Palms pathway that offers spectacular views of the bay and San Francisco and is dominated by the massive curvy woman statue that was built for Burning Man.

Market dates are the last weekend of each month, from 9 am. to 4 p.m. each day.

I drove over to Treasure Island in late November to experience the Flea for the first time and wondered why I had waited to long. This is a fun weekend happening: there are all kinds of vendors, including antiques and collectibles, but also craftspeople and others who are clearly garage sale or junkyard scavengers with some interesting stuff to sell. Making it even more of an event are the dozen or so food trucks that participate. The organizers say in 2012 they are aiming to attract even more food trucks and create more food areas, perhaps even a "seafood grotto" with live shellfish.

Then there's the fun of being on the island itself. This 400-acre man-made spot in the middle of San Francisco Bay was constructed in 1936 and 1937 for the San Francisco World's Fair. It was considered as a site for San Francisco International Airport. For many years, it was U.S. Navy base. Many of those old military buildings remain, some now leased to businesses. A couple of wineries offer tasting rooms on Treasure Island, including TI Wines. Some old buildings are used for storage, including for the old Doggie Diner "hot dog" heads. It's also one of the best places to get a view the construction of the new eastern span of the stunning Bay Bridge. So, go enjoy, maybe buy something, but stroll and eat at the Treasure Island Flea.