CityRealty Insider > Vestpocket Parks: Tiny Green Getaways

Vestpocket Parks: Tiny Green Getaways

OCTOBER 21, 2010

Even in a city full of surprises, tiny parks and green spaces add life to apartments in the sky.

This NY Times article was a recent reminder of the city’s diminutive green spaces that provide an instant shot of shelter from the concrete jungle. Like Abingdon Square in the West Village, where a tiny sliver of mini-forest breaks up the convergence of sidewalk and brick, these landscaped hideaways—sometimes known as “vestpocket parks”—add a peaceful dimension to the view from your window, so much so that they can be a selling point.

Another rare city oasis is Greenacre Park on 51st Street between Second and Third Avenues. Maintained privately by the Greenacre Foundation, the slice of nature features a 25-foot-high waterfall, an unexpected calming sound amid the towers of Midtown east. Paley Park is another privately-funded pocket park with a waterfall, and another great lunch-and-clear-your-head spot. Straus Park at Broadway and 106th Street in Manhattan weighs in at only .07 acres. Jackson Square is another tiny indulgence of trees and flowers. Nearby residents have long treasured the chill-out space, and since the addition of a new condo at 122 Greenwich Avenue, they get to enjoy free wifi as well. Residents of One Jackson Square consider the little park a big perk—some have even paid extra for apartments that face it.

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