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."
On the flip side, "A Little Bit Country" (writer Elizabeth Giddens) argues that both the parks' architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux far preferred Prospect Park. They also complain that the Manhattan oasis is "entirely overrun by tourists," while Prospect's Long Meadow is the "pastoral ideal at its finest." So, are you a Bethesda Fountain or a Long Meadow? Or are you too busy hanging out in Astoria Park, Wolfe's Pond Park or Van Cortlandt Park to even pay much attention?
