Bryant Park - Great Summer Spot for a Break in New York Shopping & Tourism

Bryant Park isn't a huge park full of trails, rather, it's a small oasis on the edge of the hustle and bustle of New York's Midtown Manhattan, just off Times Square between 41st and 42nd Streets, and Fifth and Sixth Aves. Playing tourist is all well and good, and tourism is what makes this area fabulous... but sometimes you need a break from all that shopping and ogling.

Bryant Park is a very serene spot to sit and enjoy the quiet and admire the lush flower beds... 100 species of woody shrubs and herbaceous perennials and 20,000 bulbs. It's circled by a wrought iron fence with big urns full of gorgeous flowers greeting you at each entrance. There are numerous benches throughout the park, and tables for outside dining at any of the nice restaurants lining the back edge. While you eat, feel free to open up that laptop because this park has free wireless access. Too cool, that!

Occasionally, they hold special events at Bryant Park. When we visited, they had tents up and a huge screen for a fashion show that was going on sponsored by Mercedes Benz, if I recall correctly. This is where you go to attend the JVC Jazz Festival, and they have movies every Monday night in the summer. Bryant Park is available for rental for events... This would be a beautiful spot for a wedding!

For more info on weddings contact:
Daniel Biederman, Executive Director
Bryant Park Restoration Corporation
(212) 768-4242

As far as food, there is no dearth of it here. Let's see.. there's the Bryant Park Grill which is very inviting with it's forest green awnings and ivy traipsing up the walls. They serve such dishes as Caesar salad, soft-shell crabs, potato gnocchi, scrambled eggs with crabmeat and spinach, Bryant Park chicken roll, Atlantic halibut, rock shrimp and seafood and will run you between $12-$20 per person for entrees alone... I gotta tell ya, the food was OK, but not worth the money. A bit uninspired actually.

The Bryant Park Cafe is a bit more informal version of of the Bryant Park Grill, and less expensive. But it's only open from Mid-April to November, depending on the weather.

There are also six little food kiosks which include Foccacia Fiorentina (pasta and sandwiches), Simon Sips (coffee), Ben & Jerry's (ice cream), and Cafe Creme (crepes, sandwiches and beverages.)

After you eat, do take a gander at the wonderful monuments here. Among them are "Patience" and "Fortitude" by the Piccirilli brothers. These are enormous lions carved from pink Tennessee marble. "Truth" and "Beauty" are the fountains created by sculptor Frederick William MacMonnies.

Of course you cannot miss the monument the Park was named for, the William Cullen Bryant Memorial. Bryant (1794-1878) was a newspaper editor, one of America's most popular poets, and a civic improver who led the campaign to create Central Park. Herbert Adams, one of the best New York sculptors of his period, created the bronze figure of Bryant. The memorial was dedicated in 1911, at the completion of the library. (bryantpark.org)

There are plenty more monuments here, and a wonderful carousel... but I'll leave those for you to discover on your own visit.

All in all, Bryant Park is a great place to break up all that frantic New York tourist trap hopping & shopping, and to grab a nice relaxing bite to eat. Do stop here and take the time to admire the scenery.

http://www.bryantpark.org