Union Sq East, Gramercy Park

Young, hip, and vibrant, Union Square and its plethora of bars, cafes, and bookstores is a popular meeting point for young New Yorkers. From fifteen-year-old schoolgirls to NYU students sporting fedoras and ironic facial hair, the crowd here is decidedly under-thirty, punctuated by the business lunch rush of midtown office-types. Skaters and proto-punks practice their moves in the park, which doubles as a fantastic winter wonderland bazaar in Christmas Season. Barnes and Nobles, Starbucks, and other food/cafe/bookstore chains are all in attendance here (although The Strand, one of the city's best used-book stores, is just a couple of blocks away), as are some tempting shops and activities. A multiplex shares a corner with comic-book store and nerd-haven Forbidden Planet, while music stores, vegan falafel parlors, and boutiques line the sides of the square. Linking East and West Village to midtown, Union Square is a perfect nexus joining a variety of downtown neighborhoods and vibes. While its gleefully chaotic atmosphere can seem sophomoric to been-there, done-that types, the infectious newness of the place to its youthful denizens is unbeatably charming - and the place, for all its young-people cliches, never feels stale.

Of all the places in NYC, I think Union Square is one of the best places to shop. There are a ton of department stores and chain stores in the area. No matter what your taste is regarding what you like to buy, you can find it in the area. The only problem I have found is that the price of goods you buy are high. But that is the price you pay for buying anything in Manhattan. There are places to eat in the area, but they are high priced to.

If you like to shop and got the cash to burn, this place is for you.

Union Square is a great place for everybody and for everything. If you want to rest and chill after hot sunny day, here is the park right in the middle; if you want to go shopping and get some deals here are numerous retail stores and small boutiques; and for those who love to it - it is possible to find a restaurant to every taste there!!!

Union Square according to me is the heart of New York City. This historic square which is located between Broadway and Fourth Avenue is actually situated between 14th and 17th Streets on the East Side of the city and not in Midtown where you would probably expect the heart of the city to be located. Union Square Park which is dotted with statues of famous folk like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi is a popular spot in the city for demonstrations and rallies though all kinds of buskers also tend to use it as their private stage as they are almost always guaranteed a ready made audience with the number of people who continuously throng the area.
The square in itself is surrounded by several buildings that house the dorms of NYU and several big name chain stores like Filenes Basement, DSW, Babies R US, Staples and Barnes and Nobles. Also located here is an outpost of the immensely popular natural and organic grocery, Whole Foods though a branch of the more competitively priced California based organic grocery, Trader Joe's is located close by at 14th Street and 3rd Avenue.
Union Square Park which is administered by a local governing body, the Union Square Partnership in fact hosts one of the most widely patronized green markets in New York City. This green market which is a favored source of top New York City chefs, home cooks, restaurateurs and foodies is held four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8am to 6pm all throughout the year. The market features a large variety of bursting with goodness seasonal fresh produce, meats, freshly baked breads and other confectioneries, juices , syrups, cheeses, jams, honeys, butters, plants and flowers all of which produced at farms and local artisan businesses in and around New York City. Aside from the green market, Union Square is also well known for its annual holiday market which is usually held for a month before Christmas and features vendors of jewelry, candles, pottery and other exotic tchotchkes which make ideal gifts for the holiday season.
Aside from these markets and stores, Union Square which is easily accessed from nearly all parts of New York City by Subway lines (4,5,6, L,N, R,Q,W) which come into 14th Street and Union Square station. Moreover Union Square is a well known dining locale as it has within its folds some of the best restaurants in the city like the Union Square Café and Blue Water Grill.