Bryant Park

I fell in love with Bryant Park

A gem, full of hidden surprises....

It is situated behind the library to the west between 40th and 42th streets.

It is one of the city's resounding success stories. A seedy eyesore until 1992, it is now a beautiful, grassy block, filled with trees flower beds and chairs.

It is surrounded with tall buildings/skyscrapers on three sides

which includes Bryant Park Hotel on one side

these beauties on the other side, which include

the Bank of America Tower, one of my favourites

and the Art Deco, 500 5th Avenue, building on the third side.

There is so much you can do in Bryant Park. You can sit around, or if you get peckish

you can go to Zeytinz which is next to Bryant Park Plaza Hotel

and get yourself something to eat

and even if you are not hungry, it will be difficult to resist,

you can play table tennis

you can play boules

you can play chess

or, if you want somewhere quiet to read you can go to the Reading Room to read your book - if you don't have your book with you, there are lots to choose from.

How civilised is that?

As everywhere else in New York there are rules about using the Reading Room - all very sensible

There is lots for children to do

including their own reading room

with lots of books to choose from

If you need to use the toilet, fear not -  you will not be disappointed. These are the cleanest public toilets I have ever used, there are fresh flowers everywhere - they even play classical music!

There are lots of places where you can buy yourself a drink or food,

and if you get a bit chilly, you can sit by the open fire.

But this is not all. There are free dance and yoga classes, as well as various performances during the week, free wi-fi and free outdoor movies on Monday evenings. Games, lectures and rallies also take place in the park, and you can even rent a portion of it for your own event.

We visited Bryant Park three times, and frankly, it was not enough.

Every town and city needs its Bryant Park.

Town planners take note!