Bryant Park in New York City

On July 5, 2022July 5, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New York3 Comments

Although everyone knows about Central Park in Manhattan, another park worth visiting is Bryant Park. It is located between 5th and 6th avenues and 40th and 42nd streets. The park offers a variety of events throughout the year, as well as a stage where performances occur on a regular basis. It is another of the many areas within New York City where people can enjoy some green scenery and relax in the otherwise hectic city. It is quite popular for a variety of reasons, so expect there to be large crowds gathering in the park, even on weekdays.

In the park, there is a large fountain located by the stage that offers a definite sense of cooling on the hot and humid day that we visited. A favorite of families is the “Le Carrousel”, which is obviously a carrousel with whimsical animals bobbing up and down as they rotate around in a circle. For those wishing a refreshing drink or some food while sitting outside and enjoying the views of the park, there is the Bryant Park Cafe. If you are looking for more formal inside dining, there is also the Bryant Park Grill with a full-service menu.

Flowered Wall Outside of the Bryant Park Grill

People Relaxing and Eating at the Bryant Park Cafe

In addition to those items, there is an area to play ping pong, as well as other areas to play chess and checkers. The park is also adjacent to the New York Public Library. The statue of William Cullen Bryant, for whom the park is named, certainly has a prime location and cannot be missed when walking through the park. There is also a statue of Gertrude Stein in Bryant Park as well. With colorful flower beds, large shade trees, and an abundance of park benches, it is a great place to sit and relax for a while. Bryant Park might not be as famous or as large as Central Park, it is still a worthwhile place to visit when spending time in Manhattan.

New York City Library and Skyscrapers Behind the Park

Exploring More of Central Park in New York City

On June 27, 2022June 27, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New YorkLeave a comment

We have walked through Central Park during our previous trip to New York, but if you’ve been to Central Park before, you’ll know that it is huge. There is so much to see throughout the park and we saw very little of it on our first trip. We still only made it about halfway through the park this time, but we did take time to explore more and see so many interesting features, including Belvedere Castle. It was hot and sunny as we walked through the park, so the shade of the trees was very welcome and we once again went to Loeb Boathouse for a glass of wine before heading back to our hotel.

Chess Board at the Chess and Checkers House

There are many fascinating statues within Central Park including the Mall and Literary Walk and the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument. We turned towards Belvedere Castle after passing by the King Jagiello Monument. Central Park truly is an oasis in the middle of such a large and vibrant city. Although our recent visit to New York was more about going to unique and different locations than the typical tourist spots, we couldn’t help but go back to the park and wonder along the many different paths.

With so many different trails and the sheer size of Central Park, it could be easy to get lost as you wonder around. With that said, what better way to spend an afternoon than losing oneself in this beautiful park. We spent our first afternoon after taking the train from Baltimore to New York strolling through the park and admiring all of the nature and statues.

The Beautiful Greenery of the Elevated Acre in Lower Manhattan

On June 16, 2022June 16, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New York5 Comments

We spent the past weekend exploring some different parts of Manhattan in New York City. We have visited New York previously and did most of the traditional tourist items like going Rockefeller Plaza, the Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, and seeing a play on Broadway, so this trip we wanted to do some different things. It was quite hot over the weekend, so one thing that we certainly appreciated along with the people who live in New York is taking advantage of whatever green spaces there are in the city. One of the places we went to see was the Elevated Acre, which is located at 55 Water Street.

The Elevated Acre is an outdoor park with flowers, benches, and views of the river, making it a great spot to relax on a summer afternoon. There is also an area of artificial grass where people can rest or play. Part of the appeal is the fact that it is somewhat elevated, which provides for a slight breeze as well as the interesting views. There were several tourists boats out on the river as well as a helicopter pad nearby where we saw a few different helicopters landing and taking off.

We went to a few different parks during our weekend trip, including returning to Central Park for further exploring, but we certainly enjoyed going to the Elevated Acre. We could certainly see it being a place where local businesspeople could go for a relaxing lunch break and almost forget about the fact that they were in the midst of the big city. There was a groundskeeper in the plaza while we were there and clearly, they take good care of the plants and green spaces.