How to shop the markets at Union Square in 1 day

This is a brief guide explaining how to best shop the outdoor holiday markets at Union Square in 1 day.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• great winter coat
• stamina
• patience
• possibly reusable shopping bag or empty luggage for purchases
• food allowance

1. The first step is to get plenty of rest the night before and get up and out early. You will need to dress wearing layers of clothing. You also want to have a good winter coat. If you have one with a hood, that is best. Wearing the hood along with your hat will trap the heat inside of your coat!

2. The next thing to do is make sure you have a great breakfast. Before leaving your house or hotel be sure to eat plenty of carbs and not much coffee. You will have good fuel for hours if you have something like oatmeal with fruit. Coffee is not good on shopping outdoors days because the caffeine will cause you to use the bathroom more, and who wants to peel off all of those layers of clothing!

3. The next thing is to grab a recyclable shopping bag, or a rolling luggage with you. As you shop each vendor, it will become dangerous and cumbersome to have all of those bags hanging off of you, it also makes you tired.

4. 
   Shop smart!

   Union Square markets are shaped like a horseshoe around the train station. Use the map posted on the side of the booths for a starting point. There is an inner and outer circle. The best way is to start at the end closest to 'Whole Foods' and wind your way through the markets starting with the outer horseshoe and then through the inner horseshoe. You should finish right where you started.

5. 
   Hot Cider and samples keep you going!

   There are many vendors to see and it can become overwhelming to try and cover all of the booths, especially in the bitter cold. The best thing to do is once you get through the outer circle, retreat into one of the restaurants nearby. If you are on a budget for food, bring your own food, grab a short beverage at Starbucks and you can stay there as long as you want. You want to sit down for at least 30 minutes. Rehydrate, use the restroom and take stock of all of your cash and credit cards. This is a good time to reorganize so that you do not fall into the trap of getting pick pocketed during the holidays. Well rested, fed, alert shoppers will fare better in the cold weather.

6. Never shop more than 3 hours at a time, keep the cycle of shop and relax going until close. At the end you will have some lovely handmade gifts and get your holiday shopping done in one day!

Tips & Warnings

• Bring your own food. New York City is really expensive.
• Pace yourself, NY has lots of outdoor markets. The same vendors are usually at the same markets all over the city.
• NEVER SHOP MORE THAN 3 HOURS AT A TIME!
• Remember that sometimes you cannot see everything!

[miasavc]

on 1/1/2009 Great tips! I don't like to shop long hours and if it cold i hate it even more! 5*****