With the arctic blast that ripped across the country the past week, I thought I’d take a walk through the parks to see how things are looking. Walk with me and see a frozen NYC!

Madison Square Park

The Flatiron Building at 175 Fifth Avenue is still under wraps. It’s being converted to 60 residential apartments. Can you imagine living there? I can! They expect to have it “completed and operational by 2026.”

A cold and empty Madison Square Park.

No bees in the park today! Bees nest in the early spring…we still two months or so go.

The openness of Madison Square Park allows for great building-watching. Below are some of the beauties on Fifth Avenue: 206 5th Ave (1856), 208 Fifth Ave (1915) and 210 Fifth Ave (1903).

Gramercy Park

Welcome to the only private park in Manhattan. Actually, not welcome, unless you have one of the 383 keys that open the monitored gates to the park. All keys are numbered and coded, and the keys and locks are changed every year.

The grounds of the park have a European look, and are very linear. I prefer a more natural park. I’d like to walk through it, sure, but its best feature is its exclusivity. Park rules prohibit cycling, smoking, drinking, photography or dog walking. Sheesh.

Gramercy is an archaic English word meaning ‘many thanks’. Originally this was a swamp, but in 1831 the land owner filled it with dirt, divided the land, and created the park. It was actually opened up during the civil war and used as an encampment.

The statue in Gramercy Park is of Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth – brother to John Wilkes Booth. Edwin founded the nearby Player’s Club and built the marble Booth’s Theatre on West 23rd Street.

I saw peanuts scattered around the perimeter of the 2-acre park. This looks like a wonderful place to hibernate.

Union Square

It takes extreme weather to keep people from Union Square, one of the busiest parks in NYC. This morning it was in the 20’s, and the benches were empty.

Weather like this gives the pigeons a sharp eye for the slightest crumb.

It was as cold as it looked. There were some vendors braving the chill, though, at the Union Square Market.

No matter the weather, Ghandi is still smiling. This statute always makes me happy, I’m so glad he’s here.

Stuyvesant Square

A much more welcoming gate awaits you at Stuyvesant Square. This quiet park does not attract many tourists, which is why I love it.

The park is named for Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (1778-1847) who was the co-founder of the New-York Historical Society and one of the richest men in America at that time. He sold the 5 acres of the park to the City for five dollars.

I was thrilled to see snowdrops popping up through the snow!

Every time I’m here I see black squirrels. It’s the only place in NYC where I’ve seen them. They’re a real treat!

In the 1660’s this land was part of Peter Stuyvesant’s Great Bouwerie (farm). Stuyvesant was the 7th Director-General of New Netherland. Saint George’s Episcopal Church (1846) on Rutherford Place is a majestic backdrop to his statue.

Thank you for walking with me through the tundra that was New York City today! I hope you’ll come back soon for more real NYC photos.

Sources
The Architect’s Newspaper
City Realty – The Keys to Gramercy Park
Daytonian in Manhattan – The Edwin Booth Statue
NYC Parks – Stuyvesant Square

Photos property of debbieinthecity.com. May not be duplicated without written permission. Any links or mention of products or services are for information purposes only and not an endorsement.