Here is a partial listing of Manhattan parks you may enjoy:

 • Central Park is situated between Central Park West and Fifth Avenue, stretching from 59th Street to 110th Street. Brilliantly designed in the 19th century by Vaux and Olmstead, who also designed Prospect Park in Brooklyn and parks in various other American cities, Central Park, by far the largest in Manhattan, is also known as the "lungs of New York." Visit the park on a sunny day and join the many New Yorkers and other visitors relaxing on the park benches, biking, looking at the ducks on the pond, boating on the lake, visiting the small Central Park Zoo, sunbathing on the Sheep Meadow, ice-skating at the Wollman Rink, or seeing a concert or play. Guided tours are also available. For something different, consider one of the foraging tours led by "Wildman" Steve Brill (see for more information).

 • Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan contains the highest point and some of the best views on the island. Also in the park are the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum that features Medieval art, including the famous Unicorn Tapestries.

 • Riverside Park is a long stretch of parkland running along the Hudson River from 68th Street all the way to 155th Street. Riverside Park makes for a lovely stroll or picnic overlooking the waters of the Hudson River and New Jersey on the opposite bank, and also has many bike paths and playgrounds.

 • Washington Square Park is a good place to hang out and feel the pulse of Greenwich Village and New York University. Easily accessed from the southern terminus of 5th Avenue, Washington Square Park is a shining example of a cosmopolitan space. People from every walk of life congregate in this park, making it one of the most dynamic people-watching locations in all of New York.

 • Bryant Park is behind the New York Public Library, 40-42nd Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues. One of the great success stories of urban parkland, Bryant Park is a small but completely charming park that springs up out of nowhere just a block away from Times Square. Those of you who visited some years ago may remember this park as a no-man's land of drug addicts, drunks, and the deinstitutionalized mentally ill; the fact that the park is a relaxing place to eat your lunch or just relax is due to a hard-won renovation. Free movies on summer nights are incredibly popular.

 • Battery Park, located at the extreme end of Lower Manhattan, is famous for its great views of the New York Harbor, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. The ferries to the Statue and Staten Island depart from here.

 • City Hall Park Broadway and Park Row. This small but delightful square (most of the grass is fenced off for security) makes an excellent spot to rest after walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. Sit near the fountain and gaze up at the Woolworth Building, a classic turn-of-the-20th-century skyscraper and once the tallest in the world.

 • Columbus Park, between Bayard and Worth, and Mulberry and Baxter Streets, was part of the heart of Five Corners, the worst slum in mid-19th-century New York. Now it is a tranquil space, filled with people performing Tai Chi in the mornings and children playing in the afternoons. The northern end of the park is currently undergoing renovation.

 • Hudson River Park Western edge of Manhattan, from Battery Park to 59th Street. Pieces of this park are still in progress, as New York moves to create an 'emerald necklace' of parkland running the entire length of Manhattan's waterfront. More of a promenade than a park, this is a great spot for a waterside stroll. Free movies play on the piers on summer nights.

 • Tompkins Square Park Avenue A and St. Mark's Place. A center for the street drug trade and homelessness into the early 1990s, Tompkins Square has undergone dramatic gentrification. Its heterogeneous crowds and large dog run make it popular with gawkers.

 • Union Square Broadway and 14th Street. Long the center for political protests, Union Square is also the home of a popular greenmarket and resting visitors and locals alike. Trying to find a seat in the park during lunch hour is a test of one's patience.

 • Gramercy Park Irving Place and 20th Street. New York's only remaining private park, Gramercy is a lovely London-style square. If you know someone who has a key, consider yourself among the blessed.

 • Madison Square Park Broadway and 23rd Street. Madison Square Park is a lovely oasis in a bustling area, complete with views of the Flatiron, Metropolitan Life, and Empire State buildings. The Shake Shack take-out stand is enormously popular.

 • Carl Schurz Park East End Avenue and 86th Street. Home of Gracie Mansion, Carl Schurz Park also boasts wonderful views of Hell Gate and the East River. Compared to other New York parks, Carl Schurz is extremely quiet, given that the surrounding area is almost exclusively residential.