NY Diary #8 - What's your park?

Try to close your eyes and imagine the map of Manhattan.

You probably have the elongated island shape in your mind, with more or less detail according to your familiarity with the place, but, for sure, you will visualize a clear rectangle in the center: Central Park.

And the park doesn't reside only in the heart of New York but in the New Yorkers hearts too.

During the weekend, when the weather allows it, Central park is the place to escape to and relax or do some sport after the working week.

During summer afternoons the Great Lawn (in the center of the park) looks like an immense green beach, bathed only by the sky, heaving with people who are relaxing and sunbathing.

Lying on the grass, looking up at the sky, you discover that New York most beautiful views can be enjoyed not only from above and, are amazed by the harmonious combination of skyscrapers, trees and blue sky that lies above.

But Central Park is first only in size. The city is full of parks, all of which can be enjoyed equally well for their different characteristics.

The High Line Park is the most recently created.

The High Line was initially an elevated railway built in the 1930s in the West Side of Manhattan and used for freight trains. The railway route was closed in 1980, when road transport prevailed. Since then, the rails were overgrown with shrubs and, like ugly scars, disfigured the fashionable Meat Packing and Chelsea districts. Recently the High Line has been cleaned up and converted into one of the most beautiful elevated-gardens in the world, where the old railway atmosphere is perfectly integrated with modern, refined design.

Alternatively, if you want to chill out on a bench, watching the performance of the most disparate and creative street artists, Washington Square Park is the place to be. Every weekend, in a magic circus atmosphere from other times, the park becomes crowded with musicians, jugglers, ventriloquists, a cappella singers and of any sort of cool creative people.

The Hudson River Park has a narrow, elongated shape, most suited to sports like running, biking and skating. You can run alongside the Hudson River for kilometres from Battery Place to 59th Street, getting sidetracked by the New Jersey skyline to the West and the City's skyscrapers to the East.

You breathe a completely different vibe in the Brooklyn parks. Unlike the City's park, in those of Brooklyn, barbecues are allowed and, in the summertime, wandering through Prospect Park, you can smell delicious aromas of grilled meats, while in the distance you hear the sounds of the rhythmic bongos that accompany these open air meals.

Enjoy discovering New York's parks, you are sure to find the one that fits your personality and will find a place in your heart like a loyal friend, to relax with during your free time.

 

Nick Landucci