Can one really spend a full day; morning to night in Union Square? Absolutely! You can spend an entire day in this park and still want more. This guide will keep you in the Union Square area from morning until night. But if you're on a short visit to New York, just pick and choose certain things to do here then wander off to another part of the city!

Union Square is a park, a square, an entertainment venue, a shopping haven, a place for fairs & festivals and a market. The square stretches from 14th Street to 17th Street and from Broadway on the west to Union Square East or Park Ave on the east. The streets actually can get confusing in this area because the square is an intersection of many streets. Park Avenue ends at 15th Street and splits into Broadway (south of 14th St) and 4th Avenue. Also, Broadway (north of 14th St) turns into University Place (a main street for New York University).

Union Square fills up with all different types of people. It's a cultural cloverleaf. It is always crowded. Sometimes it's crowded with tourists. At night there are always skateboarders. There are artists and bakers and farmers selling their items during the day. Events are always happening in the park. Union Square is also a home to many political protests and demonstrations that take place in the city as well. My dad stereotypes Union Square as the typical NYU persona.

To get to Union Square, you can take L (from the West or Brooklyn), the N, Q, R, W or 4, 5, 6 subways. It's a major stop for express and local trains and makes it very easy to get to.

Once you get to Union Square, there are a few landmarks you need to see. On 14th Street, which is the south end of the park, there is a large piece of artwork on the side of a building that looks like a magic wand and a countdown of numbers. This piece is called the Metronome. The ˜wand' has a hole at the top of it that releases smoke throughout the day. The numbers that are constantly changing have been a mystery to many New Yorkers. Some think it is the national debt. Others think it's a clock. Some even think it is the world population. But you wouldn't know unless you searched the Internet for the design of this to find out it is actually a very creative time clock.

There are 15 digital numbers and they display the time coming and going relative to midnight. The first numbers from left to right are the time going. The last numbers reading from right to left are the time coming to midnight. The numbers right in the middle move so fast, they are normally just a blur. For example, if the numbers displayed are 070437000235616 it means it is 7:04am (7 hours 4 minutes 37 seconds past midnight) and there are 16 hours 56 minutes 23 seconds until midnight. Interesting, right?

The next landmark to look at is the statue of Mohandas Gandhi. It's located in the southwest corner of the park and was placed there in 1986. It is a mark of Union Square's history of social activism. Continue walking around the square where you will pass other monuments including George Washington as an equestrian figure, Abraham Lincoln on a pedestal, Marquis de Lafayette (Revolutionary War hero), and the Temperance Fountain.

If you're in Union Square in the morning, it comes alive as early as 6am. Farmers from NJ, Long Island and upstate NY bring their trucks full of fresh fruits and vegetables and start setting up their stands for the daily farmer's market. It's great browsing the stands and purchasing produce as well as baked goods, homemade jellies & jams, and flowers. Walk around the market for a bit, take in the aromas and vibrant colors of fruit and flowers, and then sit down for breakfast at one of two places.

The first place is Chat N'Chew 10 East 16th street, New York, NY, 10003 (212-243-1616). It's a block west of Union Square on 16th Street in between Union Square West and 5th Avenue. The prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere is great. I recommend the banana pancakes!

The other option for breakfast is Coffee Shop 29 Union Square west, New York, NY, 10003 (212-243-7969). It's right on the corner of Union Square West and 16th Street “ you can't miss its neon sign. The sidewalk seating gives you a perfect view of the park and the farmer's market. Coffee Shop is in such a prime location there will most likely be a line for a table. Their French toast is homemade and worth the wait for a table!

There is plenty of shopping to do in Union Square and as you branch out on the streets connected to the park. On the south side, there's Forever 21, Filene's Basement, and DSW Shoe Warehouse for bargain shopping. Next door is Wholefoods. The current health and organic kick happening in the city makes Wholefoods a popular grocery store. I've never been there when it wasn't crowded. However, they have one of the quickest check-out operations I've encountered in the city. There is one single line instead of individual lines at each register. This avoids the slow line phenomenon. The single line then opens up into about 20 registers and a line that looks like it's 30 minutes long turns out to really only be about 5 minutes.

If you walk east on 14th Street towards 3rd Avenue, you'll run into Trader Joe's “ another grocery store that has become very popular in the city for it's low prices and trademark brand foods. At the Trader Joe's wine store next door, you can pick up a bottle of wine for only $3.99 “ a great deal for a budget-minded New Yorker.

If you walk west on 14th Street towards 5th Avenue, you'll hit Urban Outfitters. This is a great store to browse for clothes, accessories and apartment decorating ideas. Urban is a great place to use to furnish your small apartment when living in the city.

Back in Union Square on the southeast corner, walk south on Broadway to 12th St Where you will see Strand Bookstore. It has a huge collection of overstock, used, rare and out-of-print books. If you are a book lover or avid reader, you can spend hours exploring the 4 floors of Strand. The Strand book bags are located on the first floor by the checkout line. These bags are great totes for walking around the city and are actually very popular. If you keep an eye out, you'll see a lot of students and adults wearing them around Union Square.

Lunchtime draws crowds of business men and women to the Starbucks, the small delis and the quick restaurants located in Union Square. Try to eat an early lunch before noon or a late lunch around 2 to avoid long lines and crowded places. On a nice day when you can sit in the park on a bench and eat, grab lunch at Toasties 25 Union Square West, New York, NY, 10003 (212-924-3331). It's situated right in the middle of a bunch of restaurants on Union Square West; Toasties is a small deli with a few tables of outdoor seating. You can get salads or sandwiches here. My favorite is the #5 Sgt. Sweet Pepper Combo. I used to work a few blocks from Union Square and I never ventured farther from this sandwich at lunchtime.

If the weather is rainy or cold and you can't sit outside, treat yourself to a unique experience at Republic 37 Union Square West, New York, NY, 10003(212-627-7172). Practically next door to Toasties, this is a sit-down restaurant, but the price tag is no higher than a regular deli. The exclusive part of this place is its cafeteria-style seating. You will be sitting next to strangers and you will probably be engaged in conversation with them the whole time. It's a great place to meet people and enjoy exotic Thai cuisine.

For some afternoon fun, Bowlmor is the just the place. Combine the New York club scene with billiards and a bowling alley and you've got Bowlmor 110 University Place, New York, NY, 10003 (212-255-8188). A typical NYU spot, it's located on University Place (just south of Union Square), in between 12th and 13th Streets. After 5pm Monday through Saturday and 7pm on a Sunday, you need to be 21+ to get in. Otherwise, it's open to all. The bowling is glow-in-the-dark, there are big screen TV's that take up walls, and there's even a DJ booth to get the crowd going. It's always a good time with friends or family.

Depending on the season that you are visiting New York, there are different events that take place in Union Square. During the winter (usually November to December), there is a holiday market open to the public. I usually buy all my Christmas presents here because there are unique ideas that fit everyone you know. Homemade wine racks, glass ornaments, jewelry from Italy, hand-sewn hats and scarves, and old, historic covers of New York Magazine are just a few of the gift ideas sold here. This should definitely be a stop on your list of things to do in New York during the Holidays.

If you want to spend a bit more (maybe a lot more), the Mesa Grill 102 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10011 (212-807-7400) is a top destination for Southwest food lovers.

If you're a fan of the Food Network, like I am, you not only know who Bobby Flay is and watch his shows regularly, but know that he owns three Mesa Grills “ in New York, Las Vegas, & the Bahamas. Make sure you call for a reservation when you're in New York, otherwise you won't get in. To get there from Union Square, walk west on 16th Street and make a left onto 5th Avenue. You'll see it on your right. I wouldn't recommend Mesa for younger children. The tables are close together (what else is new in New York) and the higher prices are not only for the quality ingredients but also for the environment and experience of the restaurant. My favorite dish: the Raw Tuna Nacho appetizer.

After dinnertime, take a stroll around the square again. It's a bit different at night - different crowds. The skateboarders take over the southeast corner “ watch out for them. It's still just as busy and crowded as the daytime. When you're ready to leave, all the subways are right there!

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