Colors of the Union Square Summer Greenmarket

Union Square Greenmarket is the city's flagship greenmarket, where New Yorkers have access to homegrown produce, pretzels, meats, cheeses, jams, honey and flowers, and a chance to meet the local farmers, bakers, and harvesters that bring them to Union Square. Most of the items are organic or naturally-grown.

Pogopalooza 10 in Union Square

Pogopalooza, the annual world championship of the sport of extreme pogo was held today in Union Square in Manhattan. Extreme Pogo or Xpogo is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks on extreme pogo sticks, defined as such by their durability and potential for height. Extreme pogo is a relatively new extreme sport and is increasingly becoming popular. This is the first time that New York City hosted this annual event. Pogo companies were on-site selling all types of sticks from classic to extreme. There was a Free Jump area where the public can ride any stick or learn how to pogo.

Chess Players at Union Square

Union Square has many chess players even during the winter. Pictured above are some regular players absorbed in the game. 

Union Square Holiday Market

The Annual Union Square Holiday Market is one of several holiday markets for shoppers who opt to deviate from the typical department store chaos. Situated above the Union Square/14th Street subway station, 4/5/6, N/R/Q, and L lines, the market has more than 100 merchants selling the most unique gifts available. Some of the items you may find include hand-blown glass housewares, local, handmade leather belts, bags and accessories made from recycled plastic, a variety of handmade jewelry, gloves, hats, Tibetan crafts and more. Food vendors include Momofuku Milk Bar, Sigmund's Pretzels, Mayhem & Stout, Wafels & Dinges, Mighty Balls, Hong Kong Street Cart, La Sonrisa Empanadas, among others.

Market Dates and Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday, 11:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm
Sunday, 11:00am to 7:00pm
Monday, December 24th closes at 4:00pm

Art In Odd Places (AIOP) 2012: "I Paint You. You Paint Me" By Piero Passacantando

Part of this year's Art In Odd Places (AIOP 2012) Festival is Piero Passacantando's " I Paint You. You Paint Me." These images were taken early this afternoon at Union Square. 

Here is the description of Piero Passacantando's project from the 2012 AIOP website:

Two easels face each other. The artist is at one easel, you will be at the other. Paint, brushes, canvas, and painting uniforms will be provided. We have thirty minutes to make portraits of each other. You keep the painting the artist makes of you and the artist keeps the other. Piero Passacantando is a painter and social practitioner. Recently, he was a Fellow at the Laundromat Project in New York. In 2010, Piero received a Fulbright grant to research Thangka in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has an MFA from CCA and a BFA from the Corcoran. He lives and works in Harlem.