Union Square Gears Up For Spring With a New Playground and More

Union Square is no longer just for market vegetables and artisanal breads.
The Parks Department and the Union Square Partnership officially opened a new 15,000-square-foot playground this week, just in time for spring.
This playground is three times larger than the previous one. And play equipment (including swings and climbing rocks) is just the beginning—certain features will make their debut when it gets (even) warmer.
The new playground has three separate “rooms” dedicated to different age groups and equipment. Toddlers get swings and climbing platforms; school-age kids are offered play equipment and a spray shower; and the last area offers more of a free-for–all experience with monkey bars and a tube slide. Landscaped gardens surround the area.
In addition, the whole north side of the park will be renovated: A newly overhauled pavilion will offer a district office, a recreation space and perhaps a café starting in early summer.
The Greenmarket itself is also gearing up for spring with a wider selection of fruits and vegetables as the weather warms up. (In coming weeks, expect asparagus, new potatoes, and perhaps artichokes.) The Market is open for business Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 8 am – 6 pm.
Want to know more about the square and its origins? Free walking tours depart every Saturday at 2 PM; they leave from the Abraham Lincoln Statue near 16th Street. Participants will explore the social, political, and architectural history of the area--expect plenty of discussion along the way. (Reservations are required for groups, but not individuals.)
And, oh yes, perhaps the best news of all for patrons? Five new bathrooms will be added, three of which will make their debut next month in the new comfort station.

Some Cantaloupe With Your Coach Bag? The Farmer's Market at Rockefeller Center

While you’re roaming around New York City’s Rockefeller Center, admiring the maze-like layout, becoming immersed in the hustle and bustle, looking for the perfect gift at one of the many shops, or gazing up at the famous statue of Atlas near the entrance, your mind is probably not on buying fresh-picked apples or perhaps a bushel of nectarines.
Perhaps you didn’t even know that such foodstuffs were available at Rockefeller Center, except perhaps tossed in with some exotic ingredients at one of the many area restaurants.
But wait! New York’s lively and well-known Greenmarket sets up shop at Rockefeller Center every Wednesday-Friday from now through September 4 (it started July 29), selling flowers, baked goods and of course, fresh fruits and vegetables, all sourced locally.
The Farmer’s Market, sponsored by Ocean Spray, is free and open to the public; it’s located at 50th street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
While you’re there, check out the underground concourse replete with stores and restaurants and pedestrian passageways. You can also find your inner nature child at the lush Channel Gardens; separating the British and French Empire buildings, they were named after the English Channel.
Of course, you can also just have a seat and munch on some fresh produce and have everyone stare at you enviously.