When I found out that I was moving to Cleveland from Brazil, I Google-searched the city and places to visit.

The most interesting tourist attraction that I found seemed to be the West Side Market. It turned out that this was the first place that my family and I visited in early April, just days after arriving in the United States.

From the parking lot, I saw an old stone building with a clock tower, large windows and numerous entrances. It had a captivating atmosphere.

Inside, the market is an overwhelming display of sounds and colors. I wanted to see everything at the same time, but it was impossible because there were too many stands and too many people.

We started in the produce section, a crowded, well-lit hallway with vendors on either side. The variety of fruits and vegetables is amazing, from berries to tropical fruits, like limes, guava and pineapples stacked high, each one more beautiful and tasty-looking than the last.

Then I entered a door into the main market and saw a totally different world. There, everything was displayed behind glasses and counters, and the products included  meat, cheese, bread, candy, nuts and a lot of different spices.

It’s almost like a maze of food. All the people who work there are really kind and always available to offer a little piece of something to taste.

Not all the vendors are native-born Americans. Some are immigrants from places like Spain and Israel.

According to the market’s web site, the West Side Market was opened in 1912, and is the oldest public market of Cleveland, built on the site of an open-air market dating back to 1840. The architects Benjamon Hubbel and W. Dominick Beres designed the current building, which was built in 1940.

I recommend trying a variety of foods from the bakeries and other counters, drinking a cup of tea or coffee, and of course, eating something at the West SIde Market Cafe.

I never thought that I would find anything so unique in US, because the image I had was of big corporate stores like Walmart and Target, but the West Side Market set me straight.

If you like being around a lot of people, it’s a great place to go on the weekend. If you don’t like crowds, you can go during the week. No matter when you go, I promise you won’t regret it.