Jun 18 2008
Two NYC parks
New Yorkers just love their parks. It doesn’t matter if the park is grand like Central Park or Prospect Park in Brooklyn or just one of those little neighborhood patches of green where you can take the kids for a couple of hours, we just love to be able to chill out. This year it seems that New Yorkers have been using these parks in record numbers. Maybe it’s because the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation under the direction of its commissioner, Adrian Benepe, has been doing an outstanding job in keeping the parks not only clean safe and usable but also beautiful. Whoever is responsible for some of the flowers and plants, even in the small parks, really knows their stuff. I’ve never seen such a variety of unusual plants and flowers as I have seen this year. This spring the city was awash in yellow daffodils and every variety of tulip not to mention those terrific African Violet floral arrangements in those planters around town. Even the parks that have traditionally been known as virtual supermarkets for drug sales, prostitution and other abhorrent behavior, such as Tompkins Square Park, are now not only free of dealers and hookers but have seen the return of moms and kids and even some tourists.
Yesterday, having really no theme walk in mind, I decided to see what was doing in two of New York’s urban parks.Union square Park on 14th Street and Madison Square Park on 23rd Street. These parks are only about ten blocks apart but are worlds apart as to who patronizes them.
Union Square park is a place where people go to see and be seen. It’s a place where people go to sell stuff (legally) and to look for deals on arts and crafts. It’s a place where you go to rest your tootsies after a hard day of bargain hunting at one of Union Square’s mega stores or to grab a snack at the very trendy Snack Shack.
The park at Madison Square (23rd Street) is for people who need a place to take their kids, walk their dogs, eat their lunch or just sit on the grass and listen to a concert. It’s also a place ,that for some reason, manufacturers like to hand out free samples of whatever they are trying to promote. Something to watch out for. In the past few weeks I have obtained samples of Snapple, a low cal chocolate something and an over the counter pain reliever. It’s a bonanza!
Union Square is a great place to start a walking tour of midtown.
get off the subway at the Union Square station and head south to
Greenwich Village and lower Manhattan.
With all the restaurants in the neighborhood you would think
that the Snack Shack in Madison Sq. park would not be this
busy. The line actually was a block long.
If you’ve got the time they’ve got the game. These guys in
Madison Square park are enjoying a beverage and some chess.
I was waiting for one of these kids to fall in to the pond at the
north end of Madison Square but it didn’t happen. Mom was just
a foot away.
Getting in some practice time. Who needs a rehearsal studio
when you’ve got a whole park to play in.
The Italians may have bought the Flatiron building but it’s
still part of the view in Madison Square.
I don’t know what this guy was doing but his coach was
giving him very specific directions on how to do it. Maybe he was trying
out for a part as a hood ornament.
I continued my walk uptown and got as far as 47th Street before the old legs gave out. I guess 35 blocks ain’t bad for an old dude.
I think I’ll take it easy today. Maybe I’ll visit the PS1 museum in Long Island city. It’s close and cheap.
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