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Greenwich Village in the Shade: Washington Square Park and the West Village at the Start of Summer

Those left behind in Greenwich Village during the past weekend's long Memorial Day holiday did well to retreat to the shade. Muggy and warm days sent people to the leafy canopies of Washington Square Park and to the shady streets of the West Village. In addition to sitting, reflecting, and reading on benches, park visitors could pick among several entertainments. Children splashed in the fountain, those funny acrobat guys did multiple performances of their gymnastic routines, the piano guy played many tunes, and so did the jazz cats. A flurry of excitement hit the park late Monday, just around the time the sun was setting, when Boo and Scout, the park's adolescent red-tailed hawks, took off from their ledge on NYU's Bobst Library for their first flight.

Cherry Lane Theatre, Commerce Street, West Village
American flag, Cherry Lane Theatre, Commerce Street

ivy-covered house, Bedford Street, West Village
Ivy-covered house on Bedford St. at Grove Street.

Commerce and Barrow Streets, West Village, NYC
Barrow and Commerce Street


garden, The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, Hudson Street, Greenwich Village
Looking through the fence at the garden of The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, Hudson Street

Today, the start of the abbreviated work week, Washington Square Park is slowly filling up with its normal summertime contingent of neighbors and tourists. While less muggy, it's even hotter today. The pace stays slow. Greenwich Village is not bad under the shade.

Washington Square Park, green lawns
Washington Square Park, morning

Silver Building, NYU, Washington Square, 2 Hawks
On the window ledge of NYU's Silver Building - one of the fledgling hawks and a hawk parent, from this morning.

Washington Square in the shade
Noon, Washington Square Park, May 29, 2012.
Here's a general map of the park and streets mentioned in the post -


View Meandering in the Village in a larger map

Images by Walking Off the Big Apple from May 28 and 29, 2012.
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Comments

  1. Anonymous6:03 AM

    Heading to NYC this July - your photos are making me long for June to sprint by! Great posts as always!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anton Deque4:54 AM

    What tranquility these photographs convey. It reminds me of those parts of great cities, where by making a turn to the right ot left, the busiest throughfares give accesss to streets standing silent in the shade of old trees and nothing stirs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pascale2:37 AM

    lovely :) will be in town next month (at last !) hoping to spend as much time as possible on those Village streets...

    ReplyDelete

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