This is a park that was built as a memorial to the thousands of people who died from the AIDS virus, and is directly across from where the Saint Vincents Hospital stood. The 7th floor of Saint Vincents was the AIDS floor, and at the beginning of the crisis, was the only hospital in NYC who would take AIDS patients.
The problem with this park is that it has become a dog park. There is a lovely lawn there, and it's clearly marked with 12 different signs stating No Dogs Allowed. However, every dog owner within 10 blocks of here brings their dog to this lawn to do their business. Signs be damned. Worse, there are people who don't know this and either lay on the lawn or bring their children to run barefoot/roll on the grass. The dog owners don't seem to care and the NYC Parks Department does absolutely nothing about it. I believe the fine for No Dogs Allowed is $250. If that's the case, the Parks Department could make thousands of dollars in a single afternoon. The NYC Parks Department needs to either enforce the No Dogs Allowed issue, or take down the signs. The healthiest option would to be remove the lawn completely as they have done at Jackson Square, just a few blocks away.
Please don't bring your children here to play on the lawn and if you do, make sure they have a good bath when they get home. read more