Oh Market Square...oh Market Square. Such fond memories I have here....
I pretty much lived down here when I worked at the Starbucks in the square. This was before the big remodel. The square before was a haven for bums and drug dealers, throw in the daytime work crowd and you've got a great mixer! The one thing I miss about the old square is the bums...I lie....really I miss the trees. It's a little desolate looking. But I understand they had to take out the mass amount of seating and dark corners to drive away the all day all night shady characters.
The best part about the square now is the bustling restaurant business. In early 2000 the only notable places around were Starbucks, Priminati's and the Oyster House. I did enjoy the greasy Chinese food on the corner of Forbes and Bon Giorno, with all the mail order brides who worked there. But now almost every storefront is full with new restaurants like NOLA on the Square and the fantastical burger place, Wingharts. Moe's frightens me a bit because they're always screaming at me, with me or for me. I'll take Chipotle across the street, thank you!
There's also some great events that take place in the square. The family friendly Light Up Night in November to kick off Christmas season downtown. The drunkfest they call St. Patricks Day. They used to serve just about anyone at 8 AM in the morning....but I think once they realized 12 year olds were wondering around with beers, they tried to crack down. Now it starts later in the day so the drunks don't mingle with the family crowd.
In the spring/summer/fall they have a fantastic farmers market where you can buy fresh produce, flowers, jams, breads and many more items. It's actually a really great place to hang out when the weather is warm because they have tons of outdoor seating in front of most of the restaurants. The remodel created it as a more pedastrain friendly area. So now you don't have to dodge cars while you eat your taco! Nice!