Walking around Union Square, I noticed people dressed like Dalai Lama singing and praying outside of the park. Their clothes and chanting were so interesting and outrageous, so I asked myself why they are there, when later I remembered about the Dalai Lama monument that stands right on Union Square. Sometimes Union Square reminds me of a circus with all the people that are trying to show off or to show what they can do (like bikers, skateboarders, etc.), or just people that perform the weirdest things one could think about thus making money. For example, there is one guy, apparently homeless or just crazy, who is wearing nothing but speedoes and a swim cap, hits his own head with the bottle. The most interesting thing is people like it , they smile and give him money…
Another guy I saw had a t shirt saying “ask me about the numbers”, which apparently was about the numbers on the building (which shows the time). So all these people try to make money out of nothing…
On the right day, Union Square can be the epitome of NYC… seems like you went there on the right day! I especially love the guy who does sand art- I’ve seen him at work in Washington Sq. park too. If you catch him next time you’re there, definitely stick around to see what he’s working on. It’s funny how the type of people, art, and utter ridiculousness all changes with the weather and the seasons. You won’t catch the sand art guy doing his thing when there’s snow on the ground, and I bet the monks don’t meditate outside during an august heatwave.
I agree with both of your takes on Union Square. I think some of the charm or uniqueness that is attributed to New York City is the ability and freedom everyone has to do their own thing. Being able to experience skate boarders, bikers, monks meditating, and the Dalai Lama presentation all in the radius of a few blocks is amazing because it wouldn’t happen anywhere else. You get to really experience so many lifestyles all in one.
Quite a contrast: the vendors/farmers market who have licenses to sell there and the performers who just come and perform. What does one need to do to have a license? Do the police bother performers? If so, how?