Adrian G.
Yelp
El Rematito, translated into English is The Little Flea Market, is located on 3113 Crows Landing Rd, Modesto, CA 95358. It is fairly easy to arrive there, but what makes it difficult is the traffic. They have a VIP parking section that costs fifteen dollars, and normal parking that costs five dollars. If those sections are full, you can park across the street, which has extra parking spaces, which also charge five dollars. The flea market is very big and therefore didn't have a chance in the two hours that I was there, to visit each and every vendor. The food trucks are all scattered around the flea market and have chinese food trucks, american food trucks, and mexican food trucks. There are only three bathrooms and are also scattered around the property.
I went last Saturday I commited a big mistake: to go to El Rematito Flea Market at around eleven A.M. As we were stuck in heavy traffic, about two blocks from the Rematito Flea Market, we could see that we were heading into a mosh pit of disaster and insanitation. There was extremely loud music, people smoking everywhere, dirty food trucks, and loose dogs roaming all along the property. Half of the flea market was paved while the other half was dirt. As a result, when it rains, everyone would be stepping in mud and getting dirty. It was very busy and parking was very hard to find. We had to park far from the flea market because there was literally no parking. From my personal experience, I recommend that you should avoid going to El Rematito Flea Market on Crows Landing because it is very unsanitary, badly organized, and has terrible parking.
The major problem with El Rematito Flea Market is the sanitation. According to Joe G., "This place is filthy and just horrid. Make sure you get a tetanus shot before going in. Place is disgusting" (Joe G.). Joe is 100% correct in that the Flea Market is extremely dirty. As I was leaving the Flea Market, I asked a young American woman: What is your biggest concern with regards to this Flea Market? The young Mexican-American woman, named Emily Mariah Cruz, replied: "The restrooms. They always have a horrific stench, dirty, and never have soap to wash your hands. Also, the restrooms, at least for the womens', always have a long line of people waiting to go in." (Cruz). The bathrooms are extremely filthy. In the men's restroom, there was trash everywhere in the room, the screws holding the stall up were all loose, and had no soap. Because of this, that means that everyone that you interact with, while walking around, didn't wash their hands, if they used the restroom, which then means there are tons of diseases and bacteria thriving at the Flea Market, waiting to get someone sick.
Another major problem with the Flea Market is the poor organization. The food trucks are all scattered around the entire property. According to Aric C., one problem he notice is "... people that won't move out of your way when you're walking also. I like most rational adults will walk down the right side of a walkway to avoid walking into people but between people just stopping with no warning and people walking down the left side like the thoughtless people they are you will probably spend half your time here just trying to avoid unintentionally running into someone." (Aric C.). The lanes in the Flea Market are chaotic. There are people going in every direction, minding their own business and running into vendor stands and people. One thing that stood out to me the most is all the kids with these little poppers that when they are thrown to the ground, cause a loud crack! Many kids would throw them at people's feet in and run away. Also, there was very little shade along the property. For the most part, you are walking with the sun beating on your back because there is only a small section that has a roof to protect you from the sun.
Lastly, another major problem with El Rematito Flea Market is the horrific parking. It seemed like everyone was looking to start fights because they all wanted to leave and would honk at other cars when they wouldn't let them through. The parking area is a dirt surface and therefore will make your car very dirty. I had to pay five dollars and still had a ten minute walk to get to the nearest vendor.
Overall, if you are thinking to spend some time with your family and get a little taste of Mexico, I highly recommend that you avoid El Rematito Flea Market because they are very unsanitary, terribly organized, and lastly, have horrific parking.