A lively New York park
An urban link
Poets, street artists, businessmen in a hurry, protesters and tourists all meet in Union Square. A site of demonstrations since the 19th century, the famous square square has been above all a hotbed of New York social protest since 1882, when a crowd of at least ten thousand people gathered unexpectedly to celebrate workers and Labour Day, which a few years later became a public holiday.
At the intersection of Broadway and 4th Avenue, Union Square is a must. Buses, cabs and subways are plentiful here, allowing you to take full advantage of the bustling life of Union Square. Restaurants, bars, luxury boutiques and international brands are all there to entertain you.
If all this activity is too much for you, why not stop off at the small park in the center of Union Square? Here, you can salute the statues of Gandhi, Lincoln and George Washington.
A people's square, Union Square is first and foremost a meeting point, a place of union and exchange, a square by and for the citizens of the world, as it were.
Go green in downtown New York
Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the famous Union Square Market is undoubtedly the area's main attraction. The market's origins date back to 1976, when a few small producers from the New York suburbs came to offer their fresh produce for sale. Over time, the number of exhibitors grew and their stalls expanded.
Today, Union Square's Green Market is one of the most famous organic markets in the world. From bread and fish to fruit juices and eggs, you'll feel like you're in a typical French country market.
A bit of nature and greenery in a city of concrete and steel is invigorating, so don't miss out!
Art and the passing of time
Don't forget to take a look at the artistic installation called Métronome. In fact, it's a huge wall sculpture created in 1999 from which steam is emitted. Costing over four million dollars, it is one of the largest works of art financed by the state.
A little further on, you'll also see The Passage, which, as its name suggests, evokes the passing of time. To the left, a series of numbers tells you the time in hours, minutes and seconds format, while the numbers furthest to the right count down from right to left the time remaining before the end of the day. In New York, time is not just an expression!
