Perhaps few places on earth have the same concentration of dog walkers, protesters, marketplaces, and performers as Union Square Park in Manhattan. The 3.5-acre blend of grass and concrete north of Greenwich Village offers plenty of people-watching opportunities, from the break-dancing hub in the south end to the skateboarding pavement in the north.

Ben Wiggins, an actor from Brooklyn, picked Union Square Park as his choice for people-watching due to its manifold spectacles. "You've got everything from protesters to the people staring at the rats around the picnic tables," Wiggins says. "It's all fun to watch." A hub for political rallying since the 19th century, the park is both a destination and a passageway between major Manhattan neighborhoods such as Chelsea and Greenwich Village.

Nearby shopping venues include Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble. And inside the park, there's the year-round farmers' market that operates every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. But Wiggins is grateful that you don't have to buy anything: "Union Square is one of the few places in the city you can sit down and watch people without having to throw down a few bucks for coffee." Second place went to Central Park in Manhattan, which is about 250 times the size of Union Square Park but nevertheless has a diverse concentration of spectacles, including the summer influx of Rollerbladers, Frisbee players, and sunbathers.

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