Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOHO
DUANE PARK
Subway #1, #2, #3 to Chambers St.
MAP
Duane Park
, at the confluence of Duane, Hudson and Greenwich streets, was the first open
space acquired by the city specifically to be a public park. Once part of a 62-acre farm, the
city bought the park in 1797 for $5, scaled it down and watched it go through various stages
of beauty and neglect. From the 1940s, trees and flowers were replaced with patches of con-
crete, until the park became a scar of what it once was. The most recent restoration was
completed in 1999, harking back to its genteel days of 1887 and the design of Samuel Par-
sons, Jr. and Calvert Vaux, famous for their work on Central Park. Wrought-iron fences are
back, as are the World's Fair-style benches, historic-looking streetlights and cobblestones.
ROCKEFELLER PARK AND HUDSON RIVER PARK
Subway #1, #2, #3 to Chambers St.
MAP
At the far western end of Chambers Street is
Rockefeller Park
, a charming parcel of lawn
and gardens jutting into the Hudson River with fabulous views of New Jersey. In the sum-
mer, expect to see the wide lawn filled with sunbathers and the large playground jumping
with children. From here you can stroll along
Hudson River Park
, a landscaped promenade
that stretches north towards Chelsea and Midtown, or wander south to the tip of the island
along the shady Battery Park City Esplanade.
