I'm a fan mostly because this was my first half marathon and the course is very flat. I can't…read morerecall a single hill. Other reasons I'm a fan: - Parking was no problem. The organizers cap the race at 1500 runners, but only about 225 people ran it. Most of us parked in the park's parking lot. Wow. That's a lot of parks in one sentence. - There's plenty of hydration stations. The race advertised that there would be 5, but there were more than that. - There was plenty of food after the race and they didn't run out. Some negatives: - The $70 entry fee is kind of steep, but you get a long sleeve technical tee and the rest I'm sure goes to a good cause. - It's an open course so you have to stay to the right and run with traffic, which is the exact opposite of what most runners are trained to do. Either way, there were plenty of staff and police controlling traffic at the intersections so I felt safe most of the time. Will I run it again? Probably. Just because it's so flat.

Pretty nice shared public and school athletic field area. Green astroturf multi-use soccer field,…read morebasketball courts, baseball backstop, water fountain. On the outside I walked around and viewed multiple plaques on the surrounding sidewalks depicting famous Peters from Peter Pan to Peter Rabbit to Peter Parker/Spider Man.

What's a better way to enjoy springtime than to visit a beautiful park full of cherry blossom…read moretrees where admission is free of charge. We drove all the way to Branch Brook on its last day of the annual cherry blossom festival. I could not agree more why people love visiting this park. It has the most number of cherry blossoms trees in comparison to popular NY botanical gardens. The entire park has blossom trees spread out and near its welcome center ( both ends), trees are lined up in multitudes. We made a wrong move of parking right away on the area that we saw multiple trees where in there's a good chance of getting parking spot near the Welcome center , here there are more trees to see. This park is huge. It has sport fields, man made lake, walking and running trails, picnic grounds and great views of historic landmarks. If I'll be given another chance to be in this area on next spring season , I would definitely come back.

I've been familiar with this park ever since I was a kid, and its beauty never fades. Not until…read moreadulthood did I realize how humongous it is; the way it extends beyond what the eye can initially see. The park itself is as gigantic as its massive trees. And you can't forget the hype that abounds during the brief Cherry Blossoms season; the crowds come from near and far, just to witness its beauty. I remember when the skating rink was a coming attraction and newly built, I was a teenager. Branch Brook Park never loses its charm, no matter the season. It's a good open space for relaxing, people watching, exercising, or just simply being.

New Paltz, NY - this is a gorgeous and well-kept trail in "the Gunks" that connects the village of…read moreNew Paltz to the trails around the Mohonk Preserve, Minnewaska State Park Reserve, Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, and the Empire State Trail. The River-to-Ridge trail itself is only about 6 miles if you do the in-and-out loop as shown in the trail map, but connects to all these expansive trail networks if you wish to extend your journey or explore further outward. It is suitable for walking/running, hiking, cycling, and even horse-riding. The paths are well-paved (mostly carriage roads), with some gentle slopes of modest incline so the trail is quite beginner/kid-friendly. We were on our bikes and took a little detour on the return to the Wallkill View Farm Market for a snack break of apple cider donuts, strudel, yogurt drinks, and did a corn maze. Then we biked over the little bridge (across Wallkill River) into New Paltz to walk around town and have dinner. Such a fun day and outing! The trailhead and parking area is located at 41 Springtown Road, New Paltz, NY 12561. It's a spacious parking lot though does get filled up. You can download a trail map from the Open Space Institute (OSI) website.

My goodness, the trails I explored in the New Paltz area recently were absolutely stunning. And,…read morethe Ridge-to-River Trail is no exception. I was coworking while enjoying a muffin and coffee at a nearby coffee shop when I spied a section of the Ridge-to-River Trail from the patio of the coffee shop where I was lingering. I immediately knew I needed to check it out as a sort of early afternoon/lunchtime break. I'm so glad I did. The trail is beautiful and well maintained. I was able to get in a mile or two before heading back to work. It's well traveled by both cyclists, walkers, and runners so I never felt alone on the trail. The views on the section I was on were wide open puffy white cloud bedecked blue skies and lush green. It truly made my day. Get to it!

Spacious park with cool views of the elevated F train and the cemetery. Ball fields and a park for…read morethe kiddos. Unfortunately, the dedicated, fenced dog park is no more and that was the point of our visit. That said, there is plenty of space to run around if you have good recall.

Tiny patch of green in the middle of concrete... not really a "park", but better than nothing.read more

Most definitely not a "park" in the traditional sense, but nice enough to walk through as a…read moregreenish gray refuge during your uptown travels. Here's to putting Montefiore on the map.

Although needs upgrade but is maintained. Has a basketball court, tennis court, football field,…read moreplayground and an old skating rink which is now closed. See images and video for reference.

Small calm space inside Tribeca Park via 8 Beach Street in Tribeca (close to Soho). Separated into…read morethree different sections next to each other. Many wooden benches are clean and found outside and inside of Tribeca Park. Funded by a city-owned company called Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC). Opened to the public from 6am-1am. Right across the street from this blue-scheme coffee shop called Grandaisy Bakery. Additionally, it's easily accessible by public transit. You can find the A/C/E trains on the other side of the resting area. Not much to look at in the park, but can't deny that it's a decent area to eat a quick lunch. I like that a lot of shady spots are under the tall huge trees throughout the triangular strip. There may be some people smoking weed or something but thank goodness the smell isn't all over the three separate stripped areas. On a sunny day like today, you can enjoy eating quietly during lunch break under the shady trees. Haven't seen too many squirrels or roaches coming out to look for bites. So, you can sit down in peace.

When the weather is nice, this park is a great place to sit and eat a slice of pizza from the…read morenearby Grandaisy Bakery. Even yesterday, which was quite chilly, I found it a wonderful oasis to slow down time and relax for a little while. Also, I was the only one out there yesterday; when the weather gets warmer, this park gets more popular.