Stuyvesant Square

This week I decided to take advantage of Saturday's perfect weather and dedicate all the posts to a few choice Manhattan parks. Enjoy!

When the main feature of something is that it's bisected by 2nd Avenue, you know you're in for something incredibly dull. Unlike other parks in the area, which seem to dictate the flow of traffic to their liking, Stuyvesant Square may as well be two separate, yet identical parks. Offering little in the way of amenities, the park is mostly defined by its center fountains and ample seating. The admittedly-nice iron fence that surrounds both plots is claimed to be the second-oldest in the city. Each side offers some open space, which the eastern side opts to use as a dog run.

Trees and shade are not hard to find in Stuy Square. Thanks to a thick canopy of leaves, the sun only briefly breaks through near the twin flagpoles and fountains. While I'm a big fan of trees and shade, it feels really overdone here. The ground level feels dark, dreary and dead. While much of the park is landscaped with beautiful flowers and shrubs, the park would benefit from a little bit of grass. As it is, I can't remember anything other than dirt of paving stones.

The surrounding neighborhood is quaint and inviting, with Beth Israel Medical Center looming on the east and St. George's Church on the west. If you need to escape nature, the crowds and noise from 14th street echo just a block away. Maybe it's just me, but compared to many other Manhattan parks which have seen a revival in the past few years, Stuyvesant Square seems a bit unloved by the Parks Department.

3rd Ave Between 11th St and 9th St

While not much has happened on these particular blocks, recent years have seen seismic changes in the surrounding area. With towering, overwhelming examples of starchitecture shooting up in all directions, the smaller, more humble buildings begin to feel a bit anemic and out-of-place.

One of more noticeable examples is the new Cooper Union building about two blocks south of here. I happen to be a fan of its sheer insanity, though there are many who probably think I'm crazy. Aesthetics aside, as a designer I like it whenever a bold step like this is given a chance (in any medium). With so many different people having a hand in a massive project like this, it's a miracle the building didn't get dumbed down the the "safe" point - the point at which nearly everyone would find it inoffensive. How boring that would be.

33rd St Between 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave

Steps away from the I.M. Pei-designed Kips Bay Plaza, is this street of humble apartments. A strange and eclectic assortment of buildings, the block sits comfortably between several busy thoroughfares.

While not exactly teeming with life, there are a few businesses scattered throughout the street, as well as a school on the south side of the street. By the time you reach third avenue, the low-rise apartments have given way to newer high-rise units.