Don't miss the great Madison Square Market, ending soon
It's more than a little early to be thinking about holiday shopping, so you can be forgiven if the always-a-pleasure Madison Square Market has so far escaped your attention. But really, it'd be a mistake not to stroll over at some point before October 23rd and browse through the booths here by Madison Square Park. This is a well-curated selection of jewelry, bags, pottery, clothing, kid's stuff, tableware, and gifts of every description, all created, stocked and maintained by independent designers, artists, and local boutiques. Held each year on the west side of park, the Madison Square Market features dozens of different purveyors of unique goods... sort of like a "best of" the gigantic Union Square Holiday Market that'll be landing down there in mid-November, but without the insane crowds or self-imposed pressure to find something for Uncle Whoever. This is small in scale, but large in variety, quality, and overall appeal. Plus the less hectic atmosphere makes for a highly convivial shopper-seller experience, and we enjoyed chatting this afternoon with many of the artists and designers here about their work. So the shopping is great, but the food? The food is fantastic! Really, it'd be hard to imagine a more appealing line-up of local chefs and restaurants who have set up kitchen out on the "food court" in the plaza across the street from the park, below the beautiful Flatiron. Roberta's is here firing up pizzas in a genuine wood-burning stove, and Fatty 'Cue's got dogs and brisket. Pies and Thighs will stuff one of their amazing biscuits with a piece of fried chicken for you, and Sigmund Pretzel has an array of their deservedly acclaimed doughy delights (get anything with cheese; you won't be disappointed). And if you'd rather go sweet than savory, Wafels & Dinges has a booth, as does Bar Suzette if you're feeling crepe-y... and for a sure-fire winner, there are always the slices of pie at the aforementioned Pies and Thighs! Madison Square Market is located on the west side of Madison Square Park, between, roughly, 23rd and 25th Streets, and is open every day from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., from now through Saturday, October 23rd. For more information, please see the Madison Square Market website, here. 
Posted at 09:05PM Oct 12, 2010 by Scott in United Nations |