Parks in New York

It is true NY is famous for its skyscrapers and you don’t imagine there is a lot of green except for the Central Park right in middle of the city which makes life in New York bearable. To me, Central Park is a huge park compared to the ones in Tokyo; one almost forgets that you are in middle of one of the biggest cities in the world that one could almost get lost in it.

There is another beautiful spot with lot of greens in New York which is the Riverside Park all along the Riverside highway. Riverside Park extends along the Hudson River from 72nd street to 158th Street. Here’s a view from where Art Miya is in NY:

The trees alongside the Riverside Park have grown so tall that it gives nice shades in summer any time of the day. Also the trees emit refreshing scent as though you are in the country which makes you want to take a deep breath. Humming of the birds is another attraction of the Park and to me it is like finding oasis in a hard concrete city known for its bustling sounds.

So I wanted to know more about the park and here is what I found on the internet.

Stretching four miles from 72nd to 158th streets along the Hudson River, Riverside Park is widely regarded as Manhattan’s most spectacular waterfront park. As one of only eight officially designated scenic landmarks in the City of New York, it has a long and storied history.

Since 1875, the landscapes of Frederick Law Olmsted have offered escape from the city and opportunities for people of all incomes to relax, play, and socialize in tranquil settings. These landscapes contain rocky precipices, sylvan lawns, and groves of mature elm trees. From Riverside Drive, the land terraces down steeply in three levels to a manmade shoreline and promenade, constructed between 1937 and 1941 under the administration of Robert Moses. The designers, Gilmore D. Clarke and Clinton Lloyd, added 134 acres to the park and twenty-two modern recreational facilities. They wove through this extraordinary collection of active recreation and scenic areas a vital north-south automobile artery and a railroad running in a tunnel under the entire park.

Recreational facilities include a range of sports courts and fields, a skate park, a large portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (for bicycles), and the 110-slip public marina at 79th street, an important part of New York State’s Water Trail.

I also found number of children’s play grounds along the park which are filled with kids during the week days. But to my surprise hardly anyone, adults nor children were there on a holiday,  4th of July. So where have all the New Yorkers gone?

The parks in New York provide an ambiance that is so similar to being in the country where I admire the people who had the foresight 150 years ago to give New Yorkers a soothing environment in the fast-growing commercial city packed with skyscrapers.