MUPNY OF THE YEAR

The Gusberto Gilgulim Award

for Most Unique Park in NY goes to...
COLUMBUS PARK

...in Chinatown (but only when it's filled to the brim with people and all their oddities). It sits on the same spot as the legendary 1800's immigrant slum (Five Points), bordered by Worth, Baxter, Mulberry, and Bayard Streets. On most days, you can find hundreds of people milling about in this tiny green space for a spectrum of purpose.... Tai Chi, table games (like Chess), live traditional Chinese music, relaxing on enormous rocks or with caged birds, sports, festivals, outdoor events, public assemblies, etc. It's a cacophany of human spirit, secretly tucked away behind the neighborhood, but every so often a tourist or two will stumble in and sit down in awe.

IMAGE CREDITS & INFO:

THAT WAS THEN (painting by George Catlin)
THIS IS NOW [picture by Gastrodamus (flickr)]