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Reminder: Union Sq. Has Walking Tours
ByDonHere are the details:
Saturdays 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Union Square Partnership has teamed with Big Onion Walking Tours to create a free 90-minute walking tour. The tour explores the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood through discussions of the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped this community.Location: Union Square Park: Meet at Lincoln Statue by 16th Street Transverse, Union Square ParkMore Information:
(212) 460-1200
Union Square Walking TourLatest New School Construction Update
ByDonNext week (September 23 to September 27), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building. Additionally we will be using a lift on the sidewalk to wash the exterior of the building.
The following week (September 30 to October 4), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors.
This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, September 21st for interior activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.
Borgo Antico = City Tavern
ByDonGoodbye Borgo Antico on 13th across from our front door. It’s turned into City Tavern, a rather uninteresting bar with regular old bar food.
With Food Emporium Gone, The New Grocery Store Scenario
ByDonLast month, Union Square had to say good-bye to Food Emporium, formerly located at 10 Union Square East. While we are sorry to see the long-time neighborhood spot go, we are excited to be welcoming Target to this location in 2023! In the meantime, there are still great places to buy your everyday groceries and household essentials with flexible in-store and delivery/pick-up options for a seamless shopping experience. Read up more here in our Grocery Shopping Guide and find a full map of where you can do all your shopping in Union Square.
The Latest on Park Renovations
ByDonCurious about how the renovation of Union Square is proceeding? The Villager has all the details here. The bottom line: on schedule.
Seahorse, A New Restaurant on the Edge of the Park
ByDonThe renovated W Union Square Hotel now boasts a hot new restaurant that the New York Post loves:
It took Seahorse, the new seafood spot in the W hotel, four years to open after it was first planned — and only two weeks to conquer Manhattan.
The wonderful eatery from owner John McDonald and chef John Villa is a rare, instant artistic and commercial success that’s just what Union Square needed.
The blocks around the park lost their culinary cred after Brazilian-style Coffee Shop closed in 2018 and Blue Water Grill a year later, leaving the famous Greenmarket its only claim to glory. Seahorse, on Park Avenue South at East 17th Street, puts the juice back. The corner will be even more of a food destination when a giant STK Steakhouse opens soon across the street.
McDonald’s Mercer Street Hospitality owns a half dozen crowd-pleasing eateries including Bowery Meat Company, Bar Mercer and, most famously, Lure Fishbar in Soho, which might lose its home of 20 years to Prada.
Seahorse tops them all. The stunning design by David Rockwell offers everyone open views of the sea of booths, banquettes and tables. Nautical blue trim sets the theme. Walls of rich teak refer to, but don’t copy, Lure and its yacht cabin vibes.
Villa is equally at home in corporate and individual-restaurant settings. He was recently culinary head of Tao Group, but I remember him as well for Pico — a great modern-Portuguese restaurant that didn’t survive Tribeca’s street closings after 9/11.


