Christine Egan

Today, the Gramercy and Flatiron districts embrace everything from elegant brownstones and upscale emporiums to high-rise condos and medical buildings. Roughly bordered by 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East River, the area is anchored by three popular green spaces: Gramercy, Madison Square Park and Union Square parks. Gramercy Park is the oldest private commons in the United States; its neighbors pay extra for access. Among those who've lived near its retail-free perimeter are novelist Edith Wharton and architect Stanford White. (Fun fact: The home where White resided in the 1800s is now the Gramercy Park Hotel.) In the spring of 1847, Madison Square Park's 6.8 public acres debuted in honor of James Madison, the fourth U.S. President. Today, families enjoy the park's children's programming and the Exploration Station, an educational activity booth. Union Square Park—so named because it connected Broadway and the Bowery (Fourth Avenue), not as a nod to labor unions or its history as a protest site—is bordered by a Barnes & Noble and a Babies "R" Us. Don't miss the Greenmarket (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8am--6pm). Space is tight at the park's north end because of ongoing renovations, but the apple-cider doughnuts are worth a charge into the pedestrian gridlock. Top hangouts * Area kids flip for Madison Square Park—especially its free live concerts and storytelling sessions for tots on Tuesdays and Thursdays a