Hotels near Union Square Greenmarket

Union Square Greenmarket runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays year-round, and autumn is its strongest season by a distance. Growers from the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Long Island bring apple varieties that never reach a supermarket, winter squash, fresh cider, cider doughnuts and the last tomatoes of the year. The market started in 1976 with a handful of farmers and now runs to well over a hundred vendors at peak.

This is the cheapest good thing on the list. Nothing is ticketed, most stalls will sell you a single piece of fruit, and the market sits directly on top of 14th Street-Union Square station, which is served by seven subway lines. Saturday is the biggest day and also the most crowded.

Pro Tip: Go on a Wednesday morning for the apple selection without the Saturday crush. Look for Hudson Valley growers selling heritage varieties such as Newtown Pippin and Esopus Spitzenburg, which are at their best in October and never make it into shops.