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| From Spring 2009 |
Built in 1971 by the Greenacre Foundation and designed by Hideo Sasaki and Harmon Goldstone, Greenacre Park was meant to provide a sense of serenity within the city. When I visited yesterday, waiting for a friend who was checking into The Pod Hotel across the street, I spent a few welcome minutes in the park, mostly just sitting and looking at the falling water. About twenty-five to thirty people were there, some sitting alone and others in groups, and while a few were speaking, the sound of the sizable waterfall, the focal point for the park, blanketed the space in an all-embracing hush. The flowers - hydrangeas, azaleas, and peace lilies, among others, provided soothing colors for the eyes. There's not any sort of illusion that one has left the city - the backdrop for the park consists of the nearby Midtown buildings, many of them tall, but the park provides enough of its own interest, largely through additional water features and the cascading ivy, to feel like a momentary escape. I'll be eager to explore more of this area of Midtown and Turtle Bay, because now I know a great place to sit down.
Image by Walking Off the Big Apple. May 12, 2009.
See also the related post, Shhh, Don't Tell: Quiet Modernist Escapes in Midtown Manhattan.
2 comments:
I love that New Yorkers, most of whom have little to no private outdoor space, make use of every square inch provided publicly. Like this serene little park. I also love that the city gets the need for such spaces and carves them out of every little nook and cranny. One such example is on the Upper West Side along Broadway. The street is a boulevard there, and little plazas with benches have been placed at the cross streets. They are often in use, by people having a coffee or a snack--or just watching the passing parade.
I love this place. A total oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of NY. Last time in NY I was staying across the road at the Pod Hotel. I used to come over to the park for breakfast and some chill time to start the day.
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