Summer street fairs or winter holiday markets: Which do New Yorkers miss more?

Now that we’re firmly in the middle of fall—as evidenced by the omnipresent #PSL on social media—and just about halfway between summer and winter, we thought we'd ask our fellow New Yorkers their opinions on a quintessentially New York feature: the outdoor market.

So, we asked six of them: Would you rather have the summer street fairs or the winter holiday markets?

• Winter spice I like the Christmas or holiday markets. I like the warm food and warm drinks in cold weather. I like the spicy—maybe even spiked?—holiday beverages. —Morgan, Hamilton Heights (pictured below)
  
  
• Summertime sadness I’m sad to see the summer go. I hate the winter. I liked the street fairs in the summer, mostly for the food. But there’s also music and dancing at some street fairs. It was a fun vibe. The holiday markets are all about spending money on presents and shelling out 50 bucks on an artisanal chopping board. —Jodi, Upper West Side
• Comfy and cozy I like the holiday markets! You can get warm drinks and feel super cozy. The holiday vibes are nice. And the weather is so much more comfortable. You don’t have to walk around in the heat and humidity. —Mel, Bronx (pictured below)
  
  
• No Humbug I’m from Germany, so a Christmas market is very familiar to me. I would say that in New York, you still need to sell the mullled wine with real wine, to make it authentic. But still it’s a very nice atmosphere to be buying little presents. or some food in a winter market. And New York artists have very nice things to sell, you can really find something unique, if you like. It’s expensive, but it’s a nice holiday thing to do. —Jonas, Fort Greene
• Summer savvy I sell stuff at summer markets all over the city, so I’ll miss those. The winter markets are not nearly as lucrative. You pay a lot of money for your booth and you have to be there everyday, in stead of just the weekends. —Manuela, Jackson Heights
• Winters and waffles Last year, I remember the weather was bad and I didn’t feel like going to the holiday market. But I like those better than the summer ones. Both are crowded and loud, but in the winter—especially when it snows—it can be quite lovely to be walking around the holiday market with a warm drink and a hot waffle! —Nina, Upper West Side

Verdict: New Yorkers like walking in a winter wonderland!

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