Outdoor Markets Gain In Popularity

Neal Peirce shares examples of dozens of outdoor markets across the country: "The biggest and possibly most spectacular may be Union Square in New York, where over 100 merchants have been on hand this season offering delights ranging from hand-blown glass housewares to hand-tooled leather belts to 'German delights sweet and savory treats, cider and cappuccino to keep you warm."

But despite their growing popularity, Peirce notes, America's holiday markets are unlikely to ever equal Europe's winter markets in "cities like Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Strasbourg, where people flock by the tens of thousands, from late morning into the icy evenings, enjoying city blocks set aside for artisans' stands, puppet shows, candies and gingerbread houses, miniature steam train rides, hot spiced gluhwein and much more."