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Tag: parks

  • Free Admission to New York Botanical Garden

    Full-Price New York Botanical Garden All-Garden Pass

    The All-Garden Pass provides admission to the gardens, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, special exhibits, Rock Garden, the Children’s Adventure Garden, and the Tram Tour.

    Check current ticket prices

    Free Grounds Access on Wednesdays

    Grounds-only admission is free for everyone from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and to NYC residents all day on Wednesday.

    Grounds-only admission does not include admission to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Special Exhibitions, or Tram Tour.

    Grounds-Only Admission for NYC Residents

    New York City residents can purchase a grounds-only pass at the gardens, for $15 for adults, $7 for senior (65+), $7 for students (with ID), $4 for Children ages 2 – 12. These tickets are only available for purchase on-site.

    Grounds-only admission does not include admission to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Special Exhibitions, or Tram Tour.

    Attraction Passes That Include New York Botanical Garden Admission

    Admission to the New York Botanical Garden is included with the following attraction passes:

    The New York Sightseeing Pass – There are two options available for this pass. The regular Sightseeing Pass is purchased based on the number of days you want to use it. This option allows you to visit as many of the included attractions as you can manage to get to during those days. The FLEX Pass is purchased based on the number of attractions you want to visit – you don’t have to select them ahead of time, but you’ll be limited to the total number you purchased for. Admission to the New York Botanical Garden is available with both pass options.

    The New York Pass – You can buy a 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10-day New York Pass. The pass provides admission to over 100 New York attractions. You can visit as many as you can get to while your pass is valid. The New York Botanical Garden is an included attraction.

    Location

    The New York Botanical Gardens is located at 2900 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx. See directions on how to get there by train, subway, car, or bike.

  • Paley Park

    Paley Park

    Paley Park is a small “pocket park” located on 1/10th of an acre on East 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan.

    The park is often pointed out as an excellent example of park design and has been described as an urban oasis. Park visitors describe the space as serene, peaceful, and relaxing, which is quite an accomplishment for a tiny spot in the middle of Manhattan.

    The focal point of the park is a 20 foot waterfall that cascades over the back wall. The side walls are covered with ivy, wrapping the park in green and helping to create a cool, quiet atmosphere.

    The park, designed by the landscape architecture firm of Zion Breen Richardson Associates, opened in May of 1967.

    Paley Park was featured in William H. Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Places, with a discussion of how well the park functions as a social space.

    Why Paley Park works so well as a public space:

    • Its location, directly on the street, is inviting and entices people to enter
    • The large waterfall provides a dramatic focal point and creates white noise that masks the sounds of the surrounding city
    • Movable chairs allow people to create their own seating arrangements
    • A food kiosk provides good, reasonably priced food
    • The honey locust trees selected for the park provide shade, yet have a thin enough canopy that they allow dappled light to enter the park.

    Read comments from Paley Park visitors.

     

    Location

    Paley Park is located at 3 East 53rd Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues.

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  • Free Guided Walking Tours of The High Line

    Free Guided Tours of The High Line

    Take a free guided walking tour of The High Line, NYC’s public park constructed atop an abandoned elevated train platform.

    The tours are led by High Line docents and feature a variety of themes and special topics.

    The basic High Line tour is given twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Other specialty tours are scheduled once a month. Online RSPV is required for the specialty tours.

    Tours are available May through October.

    Note: Dates and times are accurate to the best of our knowledge at time of publication. Please confirm tour details at the High Line website.

     

    The Tours

    High Line Tour: From Freight to Flowers – Tuesdays 6:30 – 7:13 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 – 11:15 p.m. (May – October). Learn the story behind the High Line.

    Art Tour – Second Monday of the month, May – September, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m.. An insider’s view of the High Line’s public art.

    Garden Tour – Second Thursday of the month, May – September, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. Learn about the design and maintenance of the High Line’s gardens.

    Design Tour – Third Wednesday of the month, May – September, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m.. An insider’s look at the unique design elements of the High Line as well as notable architecture in the neighborhood.

    Wildlife Tour – Third Saturday of the month, May – September. 8:00 – 9:15 a.m.. Tour focuses on how pollinators, migratory birds, and other wildlife use the habitat and forage provided by the High Line.

     

    About The High Line

    The High Line is a public park constructed on an abandoned train platform elevated above the streets of Manhattan. The elevated and linear nature of the park provides a unique experience.

    The elevated platform provides interesting views of the surrounding city streets and architecture, and in some spots, views of the Hudson River.

    The park features gardens, natural plantings, art, and plenty of benches for sitting and enjoying the views.

     

    Location

    The High Line is located on the West Side of Manhattan. It starts at Gansevoort Street & Washington Street and continue north to West 34th Street (between 10th and 12th Avenues).

    Because the park is elevated, access is restricted to entrances where stairs or elevators are provided.

    High Line Access points are located at Gansevoort & Washington Street, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 26th, 28th, and 30th Streets, 30th St & 11th Avenue, and 34th St. & 12th Avenue. See full access information, including where elevators are available, at the High Line website.

     

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  • Central Park Conservatory Garden

    Central Park’s Formal Garden

    The Untermyer Fountain at Central Park’s Conservatory Garden. Copyright: kirkikis / 123RF Stock Photo

    The Conservatory Garden in the northern portion of Central Park is the park’s most formal garden space. The Conservatory Garden is six acres of formal gardens planted in three styles – Italian, French, and English. Each style is represented in a different section of the garden.

    The space is filled with beautiful garden beds, water features, and statuary. Benches provide places to relax and enjoy the views.

    The Conservatory Garden is designated as a “Quiet Zone” and is a perfect place to escape the bustle of New York City streets.

    Public restrooms are available near the Conservatory Garden Center Fountain.

    The gardens are at their most colorful in the spring, when the crabapple trees are blooming and the beds are full of tulips.

     

    Location

    The Conservatory Garden is located on the eastern side of Central Park, between 104th and 106th Streets. The closest park entrances are the Fifth Avenue entrances at 105th Street and 106th Street.

    Nearby attractions include the Museum of the City of New York City and El Museo Del Barrio, both located on Fifth Avenue between 103rd and 105th Streets.

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  • Birding Tours of Bryant Park

    American Redstart

    Bryant Park, in cooperation with the New York Audubon Society, offers spring and fall birding tours of Bryant Park. The tour dates are scheduled to coincide with the spring and fall bird migrations, when you’re most likely to see unusual birds who might stop in the city during their trips north of south.

    Bryant Park’s spring tours are in April and May and fall tours take place in September and October. See the Bird Tours section of the Bryant park website for a Birding Tours Schedule.

    The birding tours are free and open to the public.

    Bryant Park might not be the first of New York City’s parks you would think of for bird watching. Central Park is the better known spot for New York City birding. Central Park’s enormous size and variety of landscape does provide some of the best habitat for birds in the city. All that space can be a little intimidating, though. It’s hard to know where to start to look. Although Bryant Park isn’t likely to attract the variety of birds found at the larger park, the compact size makes spotting what is there more manageable.

    Even with its smaller size, Bryant Park does get a nice variety of birds during the migration seasons. According to NYC Audubon’s web page about Bryant Park, 121 different species of birds have been spotted in the Bryant Park, including 32 species of warblers (tiny and often colorful woodland birds most frequently seen during migrations). That’s pretty impressive for such a small patch of land in the middle of the city.

    For more information about bird watching in Bryant Park, see NYC Audubon’s Bryant Park web page.

    Also, the Bryant Park blog also frequently lists bird sightings in the park and provides photos.

     

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  • Birding Tours of Bryant Park – Free


    Take one of these tours presented in partnership with New York City Audubon and learn about the birds that live in Bryant Park and look for fall migrants passing through. The green areas provided by New York City’s parks provide welcome stop-overs for migrating songbirds.

    The 2014 fall birding tours are scheduled for September 15 and October 2, 9, 16 & 23. 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Meet at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue.

    Visit the Bryant Park website for details.

    Bryant Park is located in midtown Manhattan, behind the New York Public Library.  See location on Google Maps.

  • New Music in Bryant Park – Fridays July 11 – August 8


    Hear new music commissioned by Chamber Music America performed by award-winning classical and jazz ensembles. July 11, 18 & 25 and August 1 & 8.

    The concerts are 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the Upper Terrace Steps in Bryant Park. Each concert includes performances by two groups. See the full schedule.

    Bryant Park is located in midtown Manhattan, behind the New York Public Library (between 40th and 42nd Streets & 5th and 6th Avenues).

  • Piano in Bryant Park – Free Summertime Music


    If you find yourself near Bryant Park (between 40th and 42nd Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues) on a weekday afternoon, stop by the Upper Terrace to here some live (and free) piano music.

    The music happens week days from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

    The Upper Terrace is on the NY Public Library end of the park.

    Visit the Bryant Park website to see who’s playing when.

  • Find Some of New York City's Quiet Spots

    All the hustle and bustle of New York City is great. But if it gets to be a little too much, where do you go to get away from it all?

    Gabrien Symons at Business Insider put together a “Top 10” nice piece that identifies some nice places to enjoy a little quiet time (or quieter time, this is NYC after all.)  The waterfall sites look particularly inviting.

    Check out the article, and next time you’re in the city, check out a few of these spots for yourself.

     

  • Free Holiday Movies at Bryant Park Winter Village


    Enjoy free holiday movies as you gather with friends around the fire pit at Byrant Park’s Southwest Porch.  Movies start at 7:00pm.  Come early for a chance to win Holiday Shops gift certificates. And enjoy dinner while you’re there with a ‘wichcraft entree and beer or wine for $15.61 on movie nights.

    December 16th – Miracle on 34th Street. 7:00pm

    December 19th – Home Alone. 7:00pm

    The Southwest Porch is located near the southern side of the Fountain Terrace.