Disembark at the 15th St–Prospect Park F or G stop for easy access to the public barbecues nearby; or just pack your blanket and some ready-to-eat snacks and make for the gently sloping pasture. Read more.
Prime sunbathing time is between 10:30am and 3pm; we suggest you claim your spot early on this 15-acre expanse, one of the most popular ray-catching spots in NYC. Read more.
The Monday night HBO summer film festival at Bryant Park boasts stellar sound, a massive 40-by-20-foot screen and a relaxed viewing environment—despite being surrounded by the madness of midtown. Read more.
At nearly 2800 acres, it’s the largest park in all five boroughs. Spend a whole day here: savor the sand, sun & surf along sparkling Orchard Beach, or launch a kayak into Long Island Sound. Read more.
For a law-abiding buzz, we suggest day drinking at Terroir at the Porch, which features a casual vibe & lovely views of the Hudson. Nab a picnic table & down drafts from NY breweries or sample wines. Read more.
This spot is the quirky crown jewel of the Queens waterfront. Here, you can browse works by artists who labor for months to create larger-than-life pieces that invite you to interact and explore. Read more.
Cycling up this Hudson-adjacent path, which runs five miles along the western edge of Manhattan, makes a lovely escape from the bustle of the city. Read more.
This 25-acre space is like Manhattan’s delicate fingernail, neatly plotted with monuments, memorials, gardens, sculptures and a farm-to-table café, plus killer waterfront views from the promenade. Read more.
Waterfront views and an expansive swath of sky make this green space an ideal location for catching the wind any day of the week. But be sure to drop by on August 17 for the FlyNY Kite Festival. Read more.
This sloping two-acre park is one of the largest canine play spaces in the city. The fenced-in area is off-leash at all times and coated with a bed of soft wood chips that’s easy on the paws. Read more.
The three-year-old spot’s 15,000-square-foot digs include a ten-foot-deep bowl, a long flow section, and enough wedges, rails and ledges to keep you busy all afternoon. Read more.
Celebrate Brooklyn! at Prospect Park Bandshell gets our vote for best park-based music series by rocking not only a virtuosic and varied lineup of acts, but also mouth-watering local Brooklyn food. Read more.
Visit The Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sundays to stuff your face at Smorgasburg where 75 innovative food vendors sling eats within the aged brick walls of Dumbo’s open-air Tobacco Warehouse. Read more.
Those looking for fresh scenery and more of a challenge can find it on Van Cortlandt’s many paths; don’t miss the famed cross-country trail, which winds and twists along three-and-five-mile loops. Read more.
The swimming area was constructed atop a retired barge that bobs in the East River; the seven-lane, 20,000-square-foot pool is so popular that swimmers line up at the gate to be admitted in shifts. Read more.
This small Red Hook peninsula, which overlooks the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island, has one very big element working in its favor: It’s among the best spots in the city to see the sun go down. Read more.
This sprawling greenway is home to the 93-acre Meadow Lake, New York City’s largest lake and the perfect place to glide across the pond in a rowboat, paddleboat or hydrobike. Read more.
Sandwiched between two Upper West Side brownstones, this micropark was built in the 1960s as part of Mayor John Lindsay’s “vest-pocket park” initiative - transforming derelict lots into green spaces. Read more.
It's an urbanite’s playground planted with flowers and grasses, offering walkers a panorama of the bustle below that makes the park simultaneously removed from the city and an inextricable part of it. Read more.
This park is popular for its team sports leagues but the park also includes a skate park, a track, a handful of bocce and tennis courts, and New York’s oldest public swimming pool. Read more.
Pass through the intricate Vanderbilt Gate on Fifth Avenue to find a sprawling garden. Six acres of flora are worked into three styles, with an Italian-inspired green at its center. Read more.
One of the most vibrant avian sanctuaries in the United States, this 9,155-acre refuge features five miles of trails and is home to more than 300 species of migratory birds. Read more.
Head uptown to hit the only outdoor public roller rink in New York City (at least until Prospect Park’s Lakeside rink opens for grapevining in spring 2014). Read more.
Look west to see the august face of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, or stop at the northern end of the island to gaze at lower Manhattan and the recently topped-off One World Trade Center. Read more.
