fbpx

Article
New York: Top 10 parks seen in your favorite movies and series

Movie TV show
Going green in New York? It's far from a crazy idea. With its 1,700 parks and playgrounds, the Big Apple invites you to take a stroll... or just relax and unwind.
Reality/Fiction Parks

Going green in New York City’s parks

Do you miss the vegetation in this world of concrete and steel? Don’t panic, New York is full of parks, enough to go green to read the New York guide of the 1000 cult places of movies, series, music, comics and novels and choose your next destination.

1. Central Park, the largest of the parks

Central Park - Avengers Infinity War
Central Park – Avengers Infinity War

In Avengers: Infinity War, Tony and Pepper run through this park, Tony talks to Pepper about his desire to have children with her. Dr. Strange then appears along with Bruce Banner to warn him of the imminent threat in the person of Thanos.

And to think they were just swamps… If the Green Attitude characterizes New Yorkers today, the city’s interest in the environment goes back much further, as Central Park testifies.

The idea of creating a green space for the well-being of the population appeared as early as the first half of the 19th century. Soon, the choice was made for the wasteland north of the 42nd St. and work began in 1857. The construction site is titanic. It will last 12 years. In order to create this huge artificial park, the 1,500 workers have to dry out the grounds. 300,000 m3 of rocks are blasted to pieces, 3 million m3 of earth are brought in, 500,000 trees are planted.

The result is up to scratch. The first of the public parks to be developed in an American city is a masterpiece. The place is plebiscited by the inhabitants, its zoo, founded in 1864, was then a pioneer in the USA. to the east, the Met settles in as early as 1880. But the decline of the place coincided with the end of the century and accelerated after the stock market crash of 1929. Almost abandoned, the park was brought out of its torpor by Robert Moses. Tired. at the end of his term as commissioner, in 1960, everything deteriorated again.

2. Bryant Park

In Glee, Blaine (Darren Criss) surprises Kurt in Episode 10 of Season 4 by joining him at the Bryant Park rink to sing a duet, as they do every Christmas. The title is “White Christmas”, a classic American holiday classic. The skating rink is generally open from September to March and access is free.

Backed by the New York Public Library, Bryant Park is nicknamed Le Petit Luxembourg, because of its furniture and its carousel. In the summer, this rectangular garden is a delight for lovers of chess, table tennis and tennis…. petanque. The park has a multitude of kiosks, cafés and terraces and hosts many events, such as the Bryant Park Film Festival or, at the end of the year, an ice rink and a beautiful Christmas market.

3. Washington Square Park, the most concrete of the parks

10 New York parks in the movies: Washington Square Arch. New York
Washington Square Arch New York. (Photo credit: Fantrippers)

In I am Legend, the park with its famous triumphal arch is right in front of Robert’s place of residence and takes on a terrifying look at night in the film. An amusing wink, it was erected in 1826 on a former cemetery.

Once synonymous with eternal rest, this park now invites you to relax for a few hours. Built in 1826 on a former cemetery, Washington Square Park has long been a favourite meeting place for intellectuals, artists and protesters of all stripes – its proximity to New York University is no stranger to this. NYU students parade under the arch dedicated to George Washington at the graduation ceremony.

4. Battery Park

Battery Park - Inside Man
Battery Park – Inside Man

In Inside Man, Arthur Case, the founder of the bank in which the hostage-taking takes place, hires Madeleine White to negotiate with the hostage-takers behind the police’s back. Their meeting takes place here, on the shores, in front of the Statue of Liberty.

The Financial District employees come here during the week to recharge their… batteries. At the southern tip of Manhattan, Battery Park, named after the guns and artillery pieces that were installed there in the 17th century, is a green setting appreciated by New Yorkers and tourists alike, and a place steeped in history with its many memorials. This is also where the ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island depart from.

5. Flushing Meadows Corona Park

In Men in Black, designed by architects Philip Johnson and Lev Zetlin for the 1964 World’s Fair, the towers of the New York State Pavilion have a shape that may resemble flying saucers. That was all it took for the MIB writers to make the leap, turning the park into a landing site for the aliens. One of the ships even crashes into the Unisphere, the gigantic 42-metre-high sculpture of the globe. In very bad condition, the towers cannot be visited and were almost destroyed a few years ago. A citizen movement managed to save them. They are now being restored.

Flushing Meadows covers more than 5 km2, which puts it on the podium of New York’s largest public parks, and has hosted the US Open tennis tournament every year since 1978. Its many lawns and water features make it a great place for a picnic or, why not, a swim.

6. Madison Square Park

10 New York parks in the movies: Madison Square Park - Photo credit: Fantrippers
Madison Square Park – Photo credit: Fantrippers

In The Adjustment Bureau, it is in this park, located at the foot of his building (the Metropolitan Life Tower with its clock-top tower at the corner of Madison and 23rd Street), that David has to spill his coffee and miss the bus in which Elise is. But nothing’s going as planned.

An island of greenery in the middle of the buildings, including the famous Flatiron, one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York. Madison Square Park has plenty of lawns to relax on on sunny days, a children’s playground, and a dog area, so there’s no shortage of attractions. In the summer, people also flock there to enjoy the Shake Shack’s hamburgers and shakes.

7. Carl Schurz Park

In The 25th Hour, the park where Monty asks one of his best friends, Frank Slattery (Barry Pepper), to hit him in order to get him in jail in bad shape, is located on the banks of the East River north of Manhattan. It houses the Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of New York City.

One of New York’s best-kept secrets. With its beautiful stone bridges, winding paths and flower beds, the picturesque Carl Schurz Park provides an unexpected breath of fresh air along the FDR Drive and a splendid panoramic view of the East River, Roosevelt Island Lighthouse and the Triborough and Queensboro Bridges. Also plan a visit to Grace Mansion, the mayor’s official residence.

8. Union Square

Union Square - Jessica Jones
Union Square – Jessica Jones

In Jessica Jones, realizing that Malcolm was sending pictures of her to Killgrave every day, Jessica follows him into this beautiful park dating from 1883. The café where the kidnapping of his enemy will take place is just across the street (The Coffe Shop, 29 Union Square W).

It is the place of great men, with its statues of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, the Marquis de Lafayette and Gandhi. It is also a place of protest and protest, an agora where chess players rub shoulders with the Hare Krishna community. Since 1976, Union Square has hosted a local farmers’ market four days a week. There’s even rooftop honey!

9. Tompkins Square Park

In Die Hard with a Vengeance, one of the bombs that John and Zeus must defuse is in this park, hidden in a fountain with an elephant. This one only exists in the film. On the other hand, the fountain next to which the main characters run past is still in place since 1891. It’s the work of Henry Cogswell.

Surrounded by Avenues A and B, the green lung of Alphabet City was a hotbed of protest against the Vietnam War in the sixties, before becoming synonymous with drug trafficking and insecurity in the eighties. This 4ha park has now become a very pleasant place again, cherished by the colourful population of the East Village.

10. Green-Wood Cemetery, the most “relaxing” of the parks

10 New York parks in the movies: Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery – Photo credit: Fantrippers

In Iron Fist, Danny comes to this beautiful cemetery to pay his respects at his family’s memorial. He is surprised that this one is always maintained. The scene was shot right next to Crescent Water.

Put a cross in your diary. With its 600,000 tombs, including that of Jean-Michel Basquiat, its impressive Gothic portal and its numerous ponds and forests spread over 202 ha, the Green-Wood Cemetery is worth a visit. The view from Battle Hill, Brooklyn’s highest point, 66 meters above sea level, is stunning.

The Fantrippers Buying Board

New York's guide to the 100 cult places for 2019 films, series, music, comics and novels

Guide New York to 1000 cult movies, series, music, comics and novels locations (French Edition)

Guide New York to 1000 cult movies, series, music, comics and novels locations NEW EDITION Discover New York differently with our best seller in a new edition enriched with many new places of worship, thirty courses, new photos and anecdotes in 640 exciting pages. The barracks of Ghostbusters,the famous bridgeOnce upon a time in America,the Katz Delicatessen of When Harry met Sally…,the building of Friends, Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in Sex and the City, Superman’s Daily Planet, Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel, the subway station of the legendary music video Bad by Michael Jackson, the places evoked in the novels of Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Paul Auster, Marc Levy, Guillaume Musso… DISCOVER NEW YORK IN A NEW AND ORIGINAL CONCEPT

Fantrippers' opinion
Content quality

Interest for fans

Value for money

Facebook Twitter Instagram

By Damien Duarte

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !

Let's discuss this article

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Commentaires
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments