New Fulton Fish Market (The), New York

Firstly, there is nothing in the world quite like Fulton Fish Market, bustling and alive with a culture of seafood people as exotic as some of the fish that they sell. This particular evening I came to the market to just follow around my friend and favorite restauranteur, Bun Lai of Miya's Sushi of New Haven, Connecticut. After he picked out and ordered hundreds of pounds of tuna, salmon, red snapper and octopus to be delivered the next day to Miya Japanese Restaurant, we spent the next three hours seeking out the most unusual seafood; live lung fish; live eel; whole live sea urchin; live escargot; live bull frogs and painted turtles. In the end, most of my time with Bun was spent watching him so obviously enjoy the people who make Fulton tick. Fulton Fish Market is every bit as interesting for people watching as it is for seafood seeking.

The Market is only open Monday morning to Friday morning so don't trek there on the weekends and expect a bustling crowd of anything. By morning I mean 1am-9am. 4am is the peak hour of excitement, New York restaurant and grocery owners and chefs purchasing their day's fresh fish. By 8 and 9am, people start unwinding, closing shop, cleaning up, etc. Considerations: Do mind the forklifts, Do keep a mindful eye of the foot traffic, Don't treat these guys like zoo animals. They're great people and they'll treat you with respect if you treat them with respect.
For added exploration, stop by The Market Bar and Grill on Peck Slip, hidden along the loading zone and next door to Paris Bar. It's seedy and rude and intimidating and wonderful. And on Fridays after work, it fills with fishmongers celebrating the end of the week with cigarettes and booze at 10 in the morning.