Opened last month, the new East End Market took the town’s farmers’ market to a new level by bringing it indoors and turning it in to a regular gig for passionate purveyors. Occupying a former church in the city’s funky Audubon Park Garden District, the two-story, 14,000-square-foot space is considered the largest public market in the Southeast.

East End is the brainchild of owner and founder John Rife, who took inspiration from neighborhood markets around the country, each a hub of real culture, good food, and dedication to craft. The space has an industrial-chic vibe—iron beams and a pitched wooden roof—and that’s a lovely backdrop for 10 or so independent local merchants, including a cheese monger, coffeemaker, seafood market, and even a furniture maker. There’s also a large event space, demo and incubator kitchens, and a catering service led by a James Beard-nominated chef.

“Coming here is like going on a bad-ass picnic,” says Rife. He recommends you visit Houndstooth Sauce Company for its Southern style brisket served with a delicious white BBQ sauce, La Femme du Fromage for handcrafted cheese, and Lineage for a cold-brew coffee. There’s also fresh bread at Olde Hearth Bread Co., kombucha and fresh juices at Skyebird, and homemade Italian desserts at Fatto in Casa. Stay for dinner at Txokos, a Spanish Basque dine-in restaurant.

You can keep the authentic Orlando experience going with a stay at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes (from $299), where an eco kayak tour takes you down Shingle Creek, an Everglades microcosm right in the resort’s backyard ($60 for adults, $30 for children).
 

The World’s Longest Passenger Aircraft Is Now Flying Out of Chicago

Lufthansa introduced the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft on October 28 as part of its daily service between Chicago O’Hare and Frankfurt, marking the first time the aircraft has been available to passengers living in Boeing’s headquarter city. The longest plane in civil aviation history, the 747-8 generates a smaller noise footprint than the 747-400 and is more fuel efficient than current wide-body jets.
 

The Next Perk to Follow New FAA Rules: In-Flight Text Messaging

Following the FAA’s recent change to in-flight electronics usage, Itasca-based Gogo is introducing a service that allows for both in-flight texting and phone calls. Piggybacking on its installed in-flight system, the Wi-Fi provider will offer an app-based service called Text & Talk. Gogo expects U.S. commercial airlines to offer text messaging by early next year, though not the phone call functionality (which is geared toward international carriers and business aviation customers). Read more at Skift.
 

Try Polish Paper Cutting in Old World Wisconsin

Head to the living museum of Old World Wisconsin for the chance to master an historic craft—or make a rad one-of-a-kind holiday gift— with new Heritage Arts Workshops. The $35-workshops run on Saturdays now through the end of the month and include Polish Paper Cutting (Nov. 16), Norwegian Rosemaling (Nov. 23), and Crochet Ornament Making (Nov. 30). Find out more at Old World Wisconsin.
 

Which Chicago Hotel Is a Magnet for Professional Sports Teams?

Hosting teams from the Minnesota Vikings to the Chicago Blackhawks, the J. W. Marriott Chicago has gotten really good at catering to professional sports teams, with the Marriott brand expecting to win some 40 percent of the professional sports hospitality business this year. But “catering” may be too small a word for the job of accommodating professional athletes at the hotel, who required stockpiles of Pedialyte and pickle juice, locked minibars to prevent cocktailing, and “a 9 p.m. snack of bison steak cooked to 150 degrees.” Read more at the New York Times.