The Delancey Underground—the proposed "LowLine" park in the abandoned LES trolley terminal by the Williamsburg Bridge—is still a long way from becoming reality. But that distance just got a little bit shorter. The guys behind the idea recently turned to KickStarter for cash to build a "mini LowLine" proof of concept and got far more than they asked for.
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Results tagged “park”
Proposed LES "LowLine" Park Not Having Money Problems Yet
Pocket-Sized High Line Planned For Chinatown, Right By Manhattan Bridge
You gotta have park, even tiny ones. And the next one to hit Chinatown, right next to the bike path for the Manhattan Bridge, looks like it could end up being a good one. We don't know if Chinese artist Xu Bing's design is quite "Chinatown's Mini-Highline," but it should be a nice addition to a grimy corner.
Bed-Stuy Man Ticketed For Reading Bible In Playground After Dark
The playgrounds in this city are not intended for public use—don't you remember what happened to the doughnut girls? Patrick Beberfield apparently did not when he stepped outside for a breath of fresh air in the park near his Bed-Stuy home, all because of the smell of a dead chicken. But try telling that to the cops.
The Indoor Park Is Back In Nolita For The Winter
Just in time for the winter chill, the Park Here park is back, Openhouse Gallery’s three-month pop-up park in Nolita. This year features a concert series with Rolling Stone mag, ten local food vendors, wine tastings, BBQ, movies and more. Plus, it's warm, free, has WiFi, and... it's a freaking indoor park, people, it's just awesome. Where else are you going to swing on a hammock or have a picnic with friends in the city right now? At press time, the Parks Department isn't providing warmth domes, nor do warmth domes exist, so this is it.
Photos: Former Guggenheim Lab Lot Transforms Into East Village Arts Park
The vacant lot near Houston and 2nd Avenue that was transformed into the BMW Guggenheim Lab over the summer has is about to find a new purpose as a community park, thanks to the efforts of neighborhood volunteer group First Street Green. No more ugly asphalt, you guys! Though too bad they chopped down that tree.
Planters Peanuts Plants Public Peanut Park In The PJ's!
Today in Odd Partnerships: Planters Peanuts has developed and paid for a new park that just opened in a public housing unit on Avenue D, called Planters Grove, that is shaped, appropriately, like a peanut.
Boy Found Wandering In Downtown Park Alone ID'd
Yesterday morning, after a 3-year-old boy was found wandering by himself in Battery Park City's Teardrop Park, the police scrambled to find a relative, distributing his photograph to the media, because the boy couldn't tell the police his name or any identifying information. Now, the boy's been identified... and his mother is in a hospital.
Brooklyn's "Prostitution Park" Finally Getting A Makeover
Crispus Attucks Park in Clinton Hill, the park not-so-affectionately known by locals as "Prostitution Park," is finally getting some funding to clean its act up.
Park Slopers: A Pigeon Killer Is Amongst You
A self-confessed pigeon murderer has taken to the Brooklynian message board to chastise the "sinners" who feed the pigeons in JJ Byrne Park. Oh and also, he's slowly murdering the pigeons, claiming it is "for the greater good." FIPS aptly describes this man as the Dexter of the avian world. Here's his proclamation:
No Crime On The High Line, NYC's Utopia In The Sky
There's stepping, junk-grabbing, and surreal little inflatables on the High Line, but the idyllic stretch of grass in the sky lacks an essential New York City element: crime. According to the Times, there has not been a single report of a serious crime on the High Line since its opening. The Parks Enforcement Patrol have written 362 summonses for "quality-of-life infractions" such as having dogs or bicycles, and the most common is for drinking. Since it's almost impossible to get a smoking ticket on the High Line, can we replace smoking infractions with tickets for excessive PDA?
High Line Phase II: Check Out This Horticulture
Those of you who didn't rush out of work immediately on learning that the High Line Phase II opened this morning (one day early!) have already seen our extensive gallery of the new section of the park. But this isn't just a park—it's also a garden. Let's take a closer look at some of the new plantings and flowers up on the trackbed. If you know the names of these plants, ring in down in the comments and we'll add them!
Finally: You'll Be Able To Visit High Line Phase II Next Week
You won't have to rely on our illicit photographs of the High Line's much-anticipated Phase II for too much longer: The Friends of the High Line just announced it'll be open on June 8. [via Curbed]
Exclusive: Illicit Photos of High Line Phase II
Exclusive pictures of the second section of the High Line, running from 20th Street up to 30th.
New York City Created "Hookers," Of Course
Ever wonder where the term "hooker" comes from? Of course you have, and you probably figured it had to have roots in New York City, too. According to Ephemeral NY, it all has to do with Corlears Hook, which was named in the 17th century for the Van Corlears family. By the 1830s it became the city’s most notorious red-light district, and the women of Corlears Hook were "the lowest and most debased of their class. They were flashy, untidy, and covered with tinsel and brass jewelry. Their dresses are short, arms and necks bare, and their appearance is as disgusting as can be conceived.” (Guessing this didn't make it into the Gentleman's Directory of 19th Century Brothels.)
NYPD Blames Crime Spike in Parks on Inattentive Frolickers
According to the NYPD, crime in city parks jumped 25% last year. And yes, there were a few rapes, but police say most of the crime happens because happy-go-lucky parkgoers forget that they need to watch their stuff. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told the Post, "The single largest crime category typically involved larcenies in which often-unattended property is stolen, such as when someone playing softball leaves property on a nearby blanket and it's lifted while he or she is engaged in the game...If there's a credit card with the unattended property, it's automatically recorded as a grand larceny." [Updated with more info from the NYPD]
Governors Island One Step Closer To Hammock Heaven
Governors Island had a simple dream: to create its own hammock paradise from the ashes of its worn down, unused fields. All that was standing in its way was a couple hundred million dollars needed in order to execute the ambitious project. But today, DNAInfo reports that Mayor Bloomberg has approved $150 million for the city-administered island...which means we are that much closer to a grove of cloud-kissed hammocks.
Before The Ice, There Was Snowboarding (In Brooklyn!)
The ice has surely put an end to this for now, but a Brooklyn reader sent in these photos taken over the past week of snowboarders dominating the North Side of Fort Greene Park. He tells us, "The series of three steep sets of steps covered with 19 inches of snow has morphed into a rather decent downhill. Snowboarders have been enjoying them... the only problem is there's no tow line to get you back up to the top." (And yes, it's totally legal to snowboard there.)
BQE Trench Renderings Turn Moses Eyesore Into Eye Candy
There's been chatter about a park above part of the BQE for a little while, and now some renderings have been released which show a section of South Williamsburg's green transformation. The new park space and possible community center atop the BQE has been championed by Councilwoman Diana Reyna since 2005; she hopes to bring a healthier environment to those living near the six-lane highway.
Park Moves Indoors For The Winter
With another possible blizzard situation on our hands, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to enjoy the parks New York City has to offer. Enter the OpenHouse Gallery (located at 201 Mulberry Street)—over the weekend the gallery transformed three and a half of their rooms into an indoor park, for an installation called Park Here. According to NYC the Blog, the indoor space has a see-saw, fake rocks, trees, grass, a "pond," benches, and bird-chirping sounds.
Video: The "Amazing Strangers" of Union Square
Last week, graphic artist and Union Square anthropologist Normal Bob was put under the NY Times microscope for a closer look at the weird and woozy world of Union Square Park which he lovingly covers on his website. Now, you can see some of those strange characters without any of the hassle of actually hanging out in the park—Bob put up a video with footage of those "Amazing Strangers," set to the song "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," by LCD Soundsystem. Among other things, the video includes lots of people nodding off, a man sucking on a woman's toes, odd dancing, and fights galore.
Dead Woman In Marcus Garvey Park Ruled A Murder
On Wednesday, police found the body of a nude woman in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. Although initial reports suggested the woman may have been emotionally disturbed, last night police announced that they were treating Nina Rivera's death as a homicide.
Graphic Artist Documents Union Square Weirdos
If you haven't spent much time in Union Square, then you might think that it's just filled with Greenmarkets, Holiday chachka vendors, and skateboarding hooligans. But you'd be missing out on the truly colorful, weird world of the square, which has whole subsections of strange inhabitants and regulars. All those various types of vagrants are memorialized on Normal Bob Smith's website, the anthropologist of Union Square.
Letters To St. Nicholas (Park)
The Executive Director of The West Harlem Art Fund, Savona Bailey-McClain, sent along this photo of one of their installations in St. Nicholas Park in West Harlem this summer. The box has a sign asking that you share your own stories of the park, helping to build its already rich history (during the Revolutionary War, the park’s southern edge was a military campground for the Battle of Harlem Heights). There's also a website where you can share your own stories about the area.
Highbridge Park Still Neglected
Speaking of parks, locals are speaking out about the poor condition of Harlem's Highbridge Park. According to the Daily News, the space has more hypodermic needles than flowers. One area resident told them, "It's really sad. I don't go there," and NYC Park Advocates' Geoffrey Croft even found a partially filled needle when he was visiting!
Where Do You Park?
The NY Times reignites a bit of Manhattan-Brooklyn rivalry today as they argue whether Central Park or Prospect Park is a better hang out. Manhattan champion "Vaux Populi" (author Jim Rasenberger) admits, "I have nothing against Prospect Park...I am sure that if I found myself near it again and had nothing better to do, I would be happy to watch the grass grow, or whatever it is people do there," but is all-caps serious about Central Park being "THE GREATEST URBAN PARK ON EARTH."
High Line Expands, Gets Close To Home
Are you so over the High Line? Well get ready for Phase Two to finally take shape—this will extend the park to a full mile in length, and is expected to open next spring. Work has already begun, and according to the NY Post "the most over-the-top feature begins at 25th Street... on a Woodland Flyover that will lift park-goers 15 feet above the old rail trestle through a stand of magnolia trees." Yes, you will be able to walk through a canopy of trees. Gamechanger!
Building A Park Above The BQE
Where's the perfect spot to bring some green space to the Southside of Williamsburg? Sigh, above the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, apparently. According to the Brooklyn Paper there's one group angling to build a park on a platform above the Robert Moses "masterpiece." Sounds peaceful, no?
Advocates Criticize Union Square Park (Some More)
Following yesterday's mention of the burning metal mountain in Union Square Park's new playground, Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates sent us the above photos showing what he believes to be other dangerous additions to the play area. He told us, "We've been monitoring this brand new playground for some time and have gotten numerous complaints. This playground is one of the most expensive in the city and the design and choices of equipment are part of the issue."
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