Bryant Park, New York City

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Bryant park is what a park should be like. Great for people watching with an air of calm.
Ok so it probably wasn't as calm as it is in Summer months but with the christmas markets and the ice skating rink it had an air of magic about it.

There is also a cool bar which I think they erect every year around holiday times called Celcius which was great for a drink and a spot of people watching.

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One of New York's newest skyscrapers, the Bank of America Tower was only completed in 2009. With its 366 metre height (including the antenna), it earned the title of the second highest building in New York City after the Empire State Building. The sleek glass design is also considered "green" and environmentally friendly. It was the work of the New York-based firm Cook+Fox Architects. The BoA Tower is located at One Bryant Park.

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I LOVE this quote from their website! Sums up the local feeling totally.

“This is a garden, and it is ours.” Anne Raver, NY Times, March 15, 1992

This park has quite a history, in that it was the site where New York's first 'World Fair' was held. President Franklin Pierce spoke at the opening of this prestigious and historical event. Back then it was called Reservoir Square, and in 1884 became Bryant Park, named after local poet, newspaper editor, and civic reformer, William Cullen Bryant.

We came upon this gorgeous park whilst walking, and absolutely loved it!

It is overlooked on all sides by these very tall buildings, and one caught my eye particularly, it was gold and black. Not sure what it is, but we took some shots of it. The sunlight was hitting some of the gold bits and it looked surreal.

It being the second week after Christmas, the stalls were still up, although empty. There was a huge Christmas tree up still, with shiny stars hanging from the trees, and little glittering wintery lights everywhere.

Magical.

In the centre of the park was a temporary ice skating rink with quite a few people ice skating. We stopped to watch them and have a hot drink. Then continued on our way.

I loved the sculpture at the one end of the park where we exited.

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After Times Square and before heading to Empire State Building I walked to Bryant Park. This public park used to be the Reservoir square in 1847 and renamed Bryant Park in 1884 to honor the New York Evening Post editor W.C. Bryant. In 1899 the construction of the Library began.

The park had a bad reputation in the 70s with many drug dealers and homeless people going there in the night. In our days I found out the it was a nice park to relax, read a book and drink an orange juice in the middle of July. There are a lot of chairs and tables around for sitting and I noticed many people having their lunch there. There is free wifi access so if you have a laptop take it with you. There are also free concerts and film screening some days but I didn’t see any.

We spent some time there on the green lawn watching the Empire State Building and other impressive skyscraper views. Just in front on the park you will see the impressive Bryant Park Hotel (the former American Radiator building). It was built in 1824. It has 23 floors but it looks more tall to me. I liked a lot its black and gold color.

The New York Public Library is next to the park. You will notice the two stone lions at the entrance of it known as patience and endurance. It has one of the largest research library systems in the world but I had no time to check it out. The 100 people that work here will help you among the 7.000.000 books and more than 10.000 magazines!

The only negative thing about NYC is that it is difficult to find a restroom/bathroom to use:) I was roaming the streets one hot day, and I was ready to wash up and have some lunch....so I strolled into this little Italian restaurant....I was heading for the restrooms, and a little Italian lady jumped out in front of me and demanded to know just where did I think I was going??? I was a little dumbfounded, and simply said "the bathroom?" She then quite rudely states that the bathroom is 'only for customers' and I said that after I used the restroom that I intended to sit and have lunch there....and then she says, 'well, ok, but you'll have to use the mens, since the ladies is out of order'....I said never mind, I will take my business somewhere else, since there are so many choices in NYC.....so I went next door to the Burger King....and used the bathroom without incidence....lol.....BUT, I did by a diet coke on my way out and eventually stopped in a sandwich shop for lunch.

Overall, there are FEW choices of using the bathroom in NYC, but I found that Bryant Park has a public restroom that is always available, clean, and even has an automatic paper changer on the toilet seat!!! so, BP is always my 'homebase' whenever in NYC.

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"Word for Word" Free Author Events

The website link for the entire series including poetry, kids and writers is here:
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/wordforword.php

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Liz Tuccillo, How to Be Single
With special guests: Amy B Harris, Elisa Zuritsky and Julie Rottenberg (all Sex and the City Writers)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Word for Word Poetry: Distinguished Poet Series
Gerald Stern, Save the Last Dance: Poems
Jean Valentine, Little Boat

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Candy Everybody Wants
Hosted by: Scott Nevins, Award Winning Host, TV/Radio Personality, Comedian, and Celebrity Interviewer

Thursday, June 26, 2008
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Word for Word Writers: The Secrets of Book Publishing.
Moderated by Media Bistro writing instructor Susan Shapiro, Only as Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons from My Favorite Literary Gurus

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Special Author Edition of the Liar Show
Hosted by: Andy Christie

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Debut Author Panel Discussion
Hosted by: David Ebershoff, Editor-at-Large at Random House and author of Pasadena: A Novel
With debut novelists

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Michael Ian Black, My Custom Van (And 46 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face)
Hosted by: Amelie Gillette, Staff Writer at The Onion

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Joyce Carol Oates, My Sister, My Love: The Intimate Story of Skyler Rampike
Hosted by: Otto Penzler, publisher and editor of mystery fiction and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Jonathan Miles, Dear American Airlines: A Novel
Hosted by: Andy Battaglia, The Onion A.V. Club New York City Editor

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
“Go Green” Panel
Moderated by: Andrew H. Darrell, Environmental Defense Fund Vice President of Living Cities Program

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Tommy Chong, Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography
Hosted by: Josh Gilbert, Director of the Documentary, AKA Tommy Chong

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Samantha Hunt, The Invention of Everything Else

The Bryant Park Holiday Market is a great opportunity to do some shopping for exclusive gifts made by artisans that are much more unique than the things you get from the stores. Nestled around the skating rink, behind the Public Library, Bryant Park in winter is a wonderful place to people watch. During the Thanksgiving weekend and through December, the Holiday Market is home to many outdoor shops that sell holiday ornaments, cold weather gear, handmade glass decorations and many, many gift ideas. Enjoy free skating (skate rental costs a few dollars) and hot chocolate and snacks are available from various vendors. The tree at the end of the rink is lit by a local television station the weekend after thanksgiving.

This park is known for hosting Fashion Week, but during the winter they had an ice skating rink. At night there is also a great view of the Empire State Building. It looked like they were also in the process of setting up little retail booths all around the ice skating rink. Not quite like Rockefellers ice skating rink, but very charming nonetheless.