Hello everyone!
Summer is finally here! The days are longer, it’s warmer and everyone spends time in parks and terraces. Summer in New York means outdoor plans, sitting in a park, listening to a jazz concert, going out to the river, watching summer movies and a thousand other things. Stay and you will discover how to enjoy all of these plans that the city has to offer totally for free.
First of all, we have one of my «must-see» parks in Manhattan, Bryant Park. In summer they transform the ice skating rink into a green lawn and picnic chairs and tables (which you can take to sit and move inside the square). This plaza is located in Midtown, where it is surrounded by skyscrapers, right next to the library. You can find all kinds of activities throughout the year, some of them are chess, board games or pingpong. During the summer they install a big stage and the square is filled with lights and people enjoying theater, jazz, summer cinema, dance classes, sports and much more. You can find the activity guide on their website: https://bryantpark.org/activities
Secondly, Central Park has surely crossed your mind. As you can imagine there are also many events and activities held in this great park. There are free concerts of all kinds, from the New York Philharmonic to jazz, rock or pop music concerts. In addition, at the end of the summer there is the Global citizen festival which I was lucky enough to attend where many artists such as Metallica, Mariah Carey, Maneskin or Rosalia performed. And of course, in Central Park you have the famous skating rink at the southern edge of Manhattan. Every summer they change the theme, last year it had a big disco ball full of colors and music.
Third, another of my favorite parks in New York is Washington Square Park. This place is completely transformed during the summer as the skate park turns into a beautiful ‘Friends’ style fountain in the center. This park is located at the beginning of Fifth Avenue and is considered a social hub as it is the starting point for many of the demonstrations that take place along this street. Therefore, it is a park with a very special energy, there are always many people totally different from each other, markets, music and many other activities.
In addition, you can find many other activities in other areas of the city such as:
- Lincoln Center with outdoor theater, poetry and music.
- Hudson Yards where they set up a big screen with hammocks to watch sports.
- Hudson River where there are summer movies, flea markets, volleyball courts and dance sessions such as salsa and bachata.
For more information you can visit the page: www.nycgovparks.org and check your nearest park, there is sure to be an event going on right now.
Finally, there are many docks that offer a free kayak service throughout the city. Usually you will be able to kayak for 15-30 minutes and it will be in a specific area but it is a really fun activity that you can enjoy with great views of Manhattan.
I hope all of this information and tips are useful, see you in the next post!
