Schmap New York Downtown Parks

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New York - Downtown Parks
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Accessible by the L Train at 14th Street and 1st Avenue, Tompkins Square Park begins where St. Marks Place ends. Here is a vital place that is bound by 10th Street to the north, 7th Street to the south, Avenue B to the east and Avenue A to the west.

This urbane park embodies its East Village neighborhood, a vigorous mix of people within the larger melting pot of New York City. In August 1988, the Tompkins Square Riot was a result of the City's repeated attempts to clear the park of homeless people and empty nearby buildings of squatters. Shades of its tense past remain, but it is now predominantly a place where the neighborhood's tenants relax. There are playgrounds, a dog run and even grass to hang out on.

- Head westward on 8th Street, taking in the numerous shops and tiny restaurants at your leisure. Walk all the way to Fifth Avenue, turn southward and there's the Washington Square arch designed by Stanford White.

To the north, Washington Square is bound by Waverly Place, southward by West 4th Street, eastward by University Place and westward by MacDougal Street. It is accessible by the A, B, C, D, E, F and Q trains at the West 4th Street and Sixth Avenue station; by the N and the R trains at the 8th Street and Broadway station and by the 4, 5 and 6 trains at the Astor Place station. Surrounded by New York University buildings, it is heavily populated with students.

The land for Washington Square Park was purchased by New York City in 1827 and the neighborhood rapidly grew. A row of historic houses survives on the park's north side. During summer, everybody hangs out on the inner steps of the park's fountain. Numerous street performers also use the park as their headquarters.

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East Village

New York
United States

Long a poor, multiethnic neighborhood, for the last 20 years artists, students, and yuppies have gone a long way toward gentrifying the neighborhood. Today, the artistic and bohemian spirit that initially brought about change remains evident. Urban gardens and art exhibits sit beside cafes, craft shops and vegetarian restaurants. Situated just to the east of Greenwich Village, East Village is home to a wide array of music and art as a unique culture distinguishes the neighborhood. One of the major meeting places is the Astor Place "CUBE," so-named for the cube sculpture in the middle of the square.

Review © 2007, Wcities

East Village photo by The Back Alley Tabernacle

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New York University

Preparing for a career 70 Washington Square South, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10012
United States
+1 212 998 2356
http://www.nyu.edu/ When New York University was founded in 1831, most higher education in the United States focused on such classical studies as Latin and Greek. NYU was determined to concentrate on more practical studies, and today over 30,000 students from all over the world get degrees in medicine, dentistry, business, law, education, social work and many other areas. This is much more than just an urban commuter college, and cultural events and lectures are readily available and usually open to the public.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tompkins Square Park

East Village Park 7th to 10th Streets
Avenue A to Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
United States
This 16-acre park served as a military parade ground at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, it is an integral part of the East Village's daily life. In 1988, riots occurred in the park as a result of attempts to clear it of homeless people and empty nearby buildings of squatters. Shades of its past remain, but it is now predominantly a peaceful place, where people come to play basketball, rollerblade, sit on the grass, or just take a walk.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Washington Square

Greenwich Village Green West 4th Street
(at MacDougal Street)
New York, NY 10003
United States
This Greenwich Village park is popular with students and residents. It is one of the few green spots in the area. At the northern end of the park is a triumphal arch, built in 1789 to honor George Washington, the late President of the United States. The area was home to artists and writers, including Henry James, Edith Wharton and Edward Hopper; many lived in the still intact row houses across from the northern end of the park. Other parts of the park are surrounded by the campus of New York University.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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