Union Square Greenmarket

Being able to get your groceries from the same place that Momofuku's David Chang does for his restaurants is a pretty big deal. New York City residents can at Union Square’s Greenmarket, where celebrity chef David Chang, as well as almost every single Union Square restaurant, shops for their ingredients.

The Greenmarket, which sets up every Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 AM to 6 PM, is run by GrowNYC, a non-profit organization whose mission is to is to “improve New York City’s quality of life through environmental programs…and empower all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations,” as said in their website. Other than providing fresh, local produce through things like the Greenmarket, they also build community gardens, raise awareness about recycling, and offer educational programs for the youth.

The Greenmarket, which sells freshly picked fruits and vegetables, as well as homemade treats like pies and cakes, has been around for over thirty years. But little is known about how it was originally created to construct a direct relationship between local farmers and city residents --for the small farmers, a chance to be able to sell in large cities, and for New Yorkers, an opportunity to get to know the actual people that grew their food.

GrowNYC’s Greenmarket is today the largest outdoor farmers market network with over 200 farms selling at 51 locations all over the country.

Over 140 local growers participate in the Union Square Greenmarket, GrowNYC’s most popular market. Also being the largest Greenmarket, there’s always something entertaining going on. There are cooking demonstrations every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and occasionally, there are books signings and food tastings. There is a pumpkin carving/decorating demonstration that is going on right now in celebration of the upcoming Halloween weekend.

You might attribute the Greenmarket as the best place for fresh produce, a cause of Union Square’s human traffic or just as a fun place to be on the weekends. Regardless, take advantage of the flagship Greenmarket, which offers all kind of goodies such as homemade apple cider, syrup, cheeses, pastries, fruits and vegetables – the list literally goes on forever with different sellers coming in all the time. It is definitely a place that is worth spending your time at. Plus, who knows which celebrity chef you’ll run into.

For more information about Union Square’s Greenmarket click here.

For a list of the possible celebrity chefs you might spot click here.

Our Friend, Gandhi

This Mohandas Gandhi statue, located inside the Gandhi Gardens on the west side of Union Square, was built in 1987. It was originally given to Tribeca, but they returned the statue back to the city, who placed it inside Union Square. Gandhi, who was a leader of nonviolent protests against Britain's occupation of India, found his home inside Union Square Park, which itself has long been associated with protests. The statue today, is often the center for protests and candlelight vigils. There is an annual ceremony that takes place inside the garden on Gandhi's birthday, October 2.

Though it is not big, well known or in plain sight like the Washington or Lincoln statue, the Gandhi statue is one that people tend to have a greater personal attachement to. People adorn the statue with scarves and shawls during the winter and flowers and wreaths during the summer.

A Review of Union Square Restrooms

I think the worst thing about New York City parks, besides all the concrete and solicitors, is their lack of restrooms.

I spent at least a couple hours every day this weekend at the Union Square Park, shopping at the Greenmarket, enjoying the nice weather, having coffee with friends on the steps. And for more than one instance, there was definitely a time when I had to make a run for the toilet.

Having spent so much of my weekend in search of a bathroom rather than actually taking advantage of Union Square's stores and restaurants (and being constantly unsuccessful) I experienced restrooms of all sizes and hygiene conditions. I now have the valuable information of knowing exactly where to go if I am ever again in the need of the loo while at Union Square.

Most businesses require you to be a customer or to make a purchase if you want to use their restroom. None of these do. You're welcome.

Toasties: Toasties, a local favorite for decent-priced sandwiches, has one single person restroom in the back corner of the store. It's dirty, often out of order, and there is almost always a line.

McDonald's: The restrooms at McDonald's are your typical fast-food restrooms. However, they are located downstairs which is usually closed off when it's late.

Starbucks: Starbucks is usually the first place a person will head to when in need of a restroom. So you can almost always except a long line at this coffee shop.

Barnes and Noble: This is my personal favorite just because it is so little people know about it. Located on the second and third floor, the only other people usually using it are other customers. There is rarely a line and the restrooms are fairly large and clean for the most part.

Babies 'R' Us: On top of being clean, they have baby changing stations!

Ben Folds, Nick Hornby, David Sedaris at Union Square!

The Union Square Partnership website has constant updates on news, events, and deals going on in the Union Square area. It lets you explore the restaurants, stores, and the park without actually going there. It goes as far as to providing you with the forecast of the park.

Being a regular at the Barnes and Noble, I'm constantly on this site to see who's coming to the next author event at the bookstore. Past speakers have included Jon Stewart, Russell Brand and Condoleezza Rice. The Union Square Best Buy is known to generally host lesser-known bands but have had artists as big as Ingrid Michaelson and Hey Monday. There's always coupons available for local restaurants and salons. The site can also be used to make restaurant reservations.

Visit the website and keep yourself updated on what's going on in the neighborhood so you don't miss the next Union Square Kanye West concert, the NBA Tip-Off event, or Beyonce's fragrance launch party.

Events:

http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/explore/events/

Directory:

http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/explore/directory

Coupons and Discounts:

http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/explore/deals