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    Bowling Green

    4.1 (75 reviews)

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    Alexis B.

    Bowling Green is NYC's oldest public park, and it's actually much older than the city - it once served as the council ground for Native American tribes (the National Museum of the American Indian is just across the street). It might be small, but it's a great place to take a breather from the crazy of the surrounding area (you don't feel like you're just paces from the lines of people waiting to get a photo with the charging bull statue!). There are a bunch of benches, a fountain, and some beautiful flowers. I stopped by last weekend for a few minutes of calm with my coffee and book. It was a treat.

    Fountain at Bowling Green Park
    Travis T.

    During my first visit to New York City years ago, I didn't think much of this little park when I first walked by it. But as I read up on it and realized how historical it is, I now have a greater appreciation for it. It is the oldest public park in New York City going back to 1733. In fact, the surrounding fence is the oldest fence in New York City. It was erected in 1773 to protect an old statue of King George III. The statue was pulled down after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Bowling Green Park has served many purposes over the past couple centuries. It was renovated in the 70's after years of neglect. Today it has a large fountain in the center and park benches around it to sit on. Bowling Green is a part of the Wall Street Historic District and is surrounded by buildings and skyscrapers. Nearby is the Charging Bull statue and Battery Park.

    Park Entrance.
    Theodosios C.

    PUBLIC PARK: The oldest Park in NEW YORK CITY with many National Historic Places and Landmarks located within walking distance. In 1626 the DUTCH purchased MANHATTAN at this site from the LENAPE Indians for the cost $24 worth of goods. WORTH VISITING.

    Rezwana N.

    One of my fav spot , such cute little spot to just chill out ! You can also visit the Museum near by & its free also . The bull is right beside the park , so if you are traveling don't miss that . I got lucky with the red Tulips lol, Was out trying to celebrate Bengali New Year & on my way I ran into this beautiful Red Tulips ! You know I gotta take pictures...!

    Bowling Green, New York
    Bruce K.

    Before you deal with the crowds and nonsense over there at the Charging Bull https://www.yelp.com/biz/charging-bull-new-york-3?hrid=hvFS2oYpPNqhYij7bAx7cw, take a moment to gather your thoughts in this park. It is the oldest public park in all of Manhattan and the fence around it is the original from the 18th century. Prior to being a park, it was a cattle market in the 17th century and the location of the city's first public well. Yeah, the history of this area goes back. And yes, before the Colonies were here, this is rumored to have been the spot where Dutch Governor Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan for $24 worth of merchandise in 1626. You can definitely spend more than that for merchandise now! Lots of benches and it is quite well shaded. [Review 18351 overall - 349 in New York - 1873 of 2022.]

    Nighttime
    Ruwan J.

    small park, close to the Wall Street Bill statue. relatively well-maintained, a fair amount of seating, with a large fountain in the middle. a good place to catch a breath, sip on some coffee, eat lunch outdoors, or catch up on reading. once just here, having lunch and taking a moment to relax. worth a stop by if you need a short break from the traffic of the city or life

    Denise W.

    Bowling Green is location right in front of the National Museum of the American Indian and right behind of the famous Wall Street Charging Bull. The park is centrally located in the Financial District. Many tourists are in the area on a daily basis. Surrounding bowling Green are many street vendors and it is close to a subway station. Super easy and accessible park. I came here in April 2022, so the flowers were not fully bloomed yet and the trees were looking a bit bare. I bet you in the summer time the park is beautiful. This is a nice small public park for people in the area to enjoy. I love how NYC has all these small parks everywhere.

    Entrance
    Steve A.

    A lot of history is in and around this grassy area. Bowling Green is the oldest park in NYC. It's about as old as the city. Food carts and musicians are often around it. There's also many nearby attractions to check out. Bowling Green was literally the first park in the city. It looks like it's been here a long time. There's a few details on the city's website. It was a site that Native Americans used for their council grounds. The Dutch came in and took the land over. In 1626 it was the site where Manhattan was sold to Peter Minuit. The land was mostly vacant. In 1686 it was designated a public area. This casually researched information is your history lesson. I enjoy these older parks like Bowling Green. It's not big but there's still lots of activities going on around it. There's always a crowd taking pictures with the Charging Bull statue, which is on the north side of this.

    The Charging Bull Posted with Review 02/21/20
    Marianne W.

    Bowling Green is a small public park. It is the oldest public park in New York City and is surrounded by its original 18th-century fence. It is located in the Financial District of Manhattan. The Charging Bull sculpture is located on its northern end, while Battery Park is located to the southwest. The park is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places under the name Bowling Green Fence and Park. I've got lots of photos in this neighborhood. I'm posting my two favorite tourist spots. Family and friends enjoy the Museum after we visit the Charging Bull. Within the Financial District there's many sites to see. There's food for every budget. When you plan your visit to the park I suggest you research historic landmarks nearby. There's so much within an easy walk. This is the tip of Manhattan where a short walk covers many historic sites.

    It's not all that green and they don't do that much bowling here
    Fox E.

    Not to be confused with BOLO Green (which is where the cops hang out) and YOLO Green (which you can only visit one time ever in your life). Cute little park which is so tiny that you might miss it if you take more than three steps across it. It's right in the middle of the financial downtown which is an area that doesn't have a lot of parking, and you have to go quite a long way to get to a really serious park as you know. There's little green space here, and it's a shame that it can't be a bit bigger. It's kept up quite immaculately but don't try to make a scene in this park because the cops around here are not messing around.

    Charging bull
    Michelle M.

    PHOTO LINE?: My second time coming here. Chaotic this time everyone crowding around in no organized fashion. Last time I came there was a line and people took turns taking pictures for each other so things moved fast and you got an unobstructed photo. They need to bring back this structure! I decided not to fight through the crowd and didn't take another photo figuring the one I got last time was sufficient enough. You can take a pic in front of the bull by the face or by the butt with its balls. OTHER: Police car with two cops nearby, but they weren't monitoring anything. There was a guy climbing on top of the bull, and they just stood there behind the crowd chatting without saying anything. Guess if he falls he can't sue? Not sure. OVERALL: used to be higher stars for me, but now just A OK 3 stars due to the chaotic photo op compared to the organized line they had the first time I came.

    Everybody's trying to get a shot w/ the bull.
    Alyssa R.

    During any given week you can find the following things at Bowling Green: A lovely little landscaped park with benches lining the perimeter. Dozens and dozens of people trying to get a photo with the bull. A green market with yummy baked goods like chocolate chip scones. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/merediths-bread-kingston-2?hrid=63wOkFDKUmPoF3QnQXvrGQ) The GoGo Grill {Food Truck} (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-gogo-grill-new-york?hrid=hqmNsJdOP35F0DZA1OUMug) 4/5 Subway lines (N/R is a block away). Buses. Whether its the MTA buses or tour buses - there are so many buses making loops around Bowling Green. And then there's the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park and The National Museum of the American Indian all within spitting distance. Despite the crowds is a nice little area in downtown Manhattan.

    Tourists taking bull by the balls
    Misty S.

    CHARGING BULL That's my favorite part of the park. It's an iconic statue of Wall Street. If you want a solo picture with the bull, you should be there before 9am on the weekdays. Otherwise, he's a very busy bull and draws thousands of tourists a day. Things tourists do to the bull: -Climb on top and straddle the neck. I'm not sure how they do this because the bull is pretty slick and does not have a lot of good foot holds. -Grab his balls (yes, he has big ones) -Take pictures with his rear The rest of the park is also nice and a good place to eat your lunch when it's nice outside. There are tons of benches and places to sit and people watch.

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    15 years ago

    iconic place to take pictures. But be prepare to fight the tourists to take a picture with the bull.

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    Always a influx of tourists and children itching to climb on top of the bull for photos and grabbing the horn.

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    Madison Square Park - Park vibes

    Madison Square Park

    4.4(414 reviews)
    2.9 miFlatiron

    Bryant what? Central who? Washington Square, why when you can go to Madison Square Park. I keed…read moreabout the other parks. I actually love all of them for different reasons. But Madison Square will always be my favorite. It's kept fairly clean and is a nice size. Mostly for the working professionals and students in the area, it's an awesome spot to eat lunch, with a great food selection in Flat Iron. It's home to the OG Shake Shack, which stands there til this day. There is also an awesome dog park there. This park is great at all times of the year, so don't hesitate to go now.

    The most notable thing about Madison Square Park (at least for me) is that it's the location of the…read moreoriginal Shake Shack. Besides that, I never paid much mind to the park, especially in light of the fact that it's not in my stomping grounds. Nevertheless, I had just finished brunching nearby and since it was such a gorgeous day out, I decided to take a walk through the park and check it out. MSP is not large - the center of it is a large green space with paths on the perimeter that contain walking paths and benches. In addition to the Shake Shack, there's also a small seating area nearby where you can sit and eat, or just hang out. The park is ideal of people watching, eating your lunch, or just walking around a space that contrasts the hustle and bustle of the surrounding areas. Because of the weather, it was a little crowded but still pleasant. Overall, MSP is fine - it's not worth coming to unless you're in the area IMO, but a pleasant spot nonetheless.

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    Madison Square Park - Sunny June day

    Sunny June day

    Madison Square Park - Shake Shack seating

    Shake Shack seating

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    Sunny Fall 2024 day

    St. Vartan Park - Stunning high rise right across the park.

    St. Vartan Park

    4.1(22 reviews)
    3.5 miMurray Hill, Midtown East

    Nice big park great for different age groups! Entrance on 1st ave for big playground and bathroom…read more Plenty of benches and equipment to play on. There is also a basketball quart and small field. Pretty clean and safe.

    Slowly trying to hoop at all the basketball courts in the city, so I came here after work before a…read morelong weekend. We were on our 4th game of 5 on 5 on this slanted, slippery court with double rims as the Midtown skyline looked over us. We had gone 3-0 and already on wobbly legs but wanted one more to really push ourselves to exhaustion and be WHOOPED. A group of 5 17 year olds showed up and I was lowkey like damn I don't wanna play these little kids for our last game but whatever, they got next. We were going back and forth, and to be fair they were actually pretty good but just too frail to give us any problems. At 5'10 174 lbs, I'm a BIG guard. I'm left handed, but shot a right handed floater fading to my right as I'm trying to get better. If you can hit a weak hand floater on the run you will be tough to stop. I bricked it and this little 17 year old kid goes "that's a TERRIBLE shot" looking at me dead in the eyes. Like bro y'all are losing and you suck why you talking? He woke me up and I started actually trying really hard and lowkey busting their ass... but tbh normally I'm not even that good. It was just one of those days where everything was falling. I hit a 3 and yelled out "THAT'S A LAYUP." I drove hard left, euro stepped and hit a tough finish through 2 and yelled "I"M TOO BIG," while flexing. I switched onto little homie and he took a terrible stepback shot after I turned him 3 times and bricked it. I just whispered to him "I don't even gotta say nothing after that one it speaks for itself" which really pissed him off. Then I hit the game winning 3 and did the Dame wave to him as he walked off the court PISSED as hell. I sat down and then he got the courage to say "STOP TALKING SO MUCH" while he put his hand together to mimic me YAPPING. I almost stood up and said "HOW BOUT U GET WIN?" But then I realized I'm a grown ass man and there is absolutely no reason to be jawing at this little kid on a beautiful Friday in New York City. I just kind of laughed at myself and asked what is wrong with me lol. All in all, these runs were kind of weak and this court is in horrendous condition. The court on the westside highway is still my favorite in the city. IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov_reviews

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    St. Vartan Park
    St. Vartan Park - Park entrance

    Park entrance

    St. Vartan Park - Summer colors in 2025

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    Herald Square - Da bar

    Herald Square

    3.4(93 reviews)
    3.4 miMidtown West

    Ian's Cookie Jar (Located in Herald Square Holiday Market)…read moreW. 35th. St. & Broadway New York, NY 10001 The Bucket Located in the Herald Square Holiday Market adjacent to Macy's is a chocolate chip cookie kiosk. This secret recipe was handcrafted by food influencer Ian Martin and Hungry Gnome bakery owner Danielle Sepsy. All cookies are freshly baked on the spot in these cookie ovens. An entire batch is immediately scooped up with a french fry scooper and handed off for your enjoyment. The Bucket: The primary ingredients in these cookies are all butter, brown sugar, and premium Callebaut chocolate. As soon as you try your first one, you will be far from done. They are warm and crispy on the outside while gooey on the inside. As a bonus, the holiday themed visual design on the bucket was hand drawn by Ian's sister. There is a decent amount of seating at the holiday market for you to enjoy your dessert. Be sure to arrive early because Ian's cookies are immensely popular and they will sell out. Stop by Ian's Cookie Jar kiosk at the Herald Square holiday market and indulge in this warm, gooey treat during the most wonderful time of the year. #ianscookiejar #chefdaniellesepsy #IanMartin #thehungrygnome #TheBucket #chocolatechipcookies #HeraldSquare #heraldsquareholidaymarket #nycholidaymarket #imma_eat_this #callebautchocolate #40cookies

    I really enjoy coming to this area of the city. So much to do and see, lots of shopping and food…read moreoptions. Madison square garden is also nearby. The historical Macy's Herald sq is here. It's beautiful in this area esp during the holidays. However, expect heavy crowds on weekends or after events like concerts

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    Herald Square - Christmas day at Macy's

    Christmas day at Macy's

    Herald Square - 05/02/25

    05/02/25

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    Bowling Green - parks - Updated May 2026

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