New York City has a series of parkland near the northern tip.
I'm lucky to live near 3 areas:
Ft Washington Park which is part of the path system around the island. It's just down by the river, under the George Washington Bridge and the Little Red Lighthouse. The Bridge itself is a massive piece of sculpture, and once you are underneath it, the river reveals stunning views to the south (the City) and the North (The Palisades).
Inwood Hill Park: a huge track of land, which includes the site of Peter Minuit's trade of $30 in shells to the Native Americans for the island of Manahatta. Vast stretches of its paths have become slightly overgrown, or at least returned to an 'unpaved" state. It's the closest you can easily get to what the island looked like before humans drastically changed the scenery.
Ft Tryon: A former Rockefeller estate, it became a public park in 1935 and still has gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. In 1985, after years of deterioration, they were restored to the original plans and contain a marvelously & lovingly sculpted area: The Heather Garden.
You can find out what's in bloom every month, they post it online. Heather was chosen as the primary planting to save the views of the river.
Today I went on a guided tour with Leslie Day, who is the author of several books including Field Guide to the Natural World of New York. Amazing how much is there, in terms of variety, history and stories of use of each of the plants.
New York is paved with cement, but glory is to be found in the many natural spots remaining.
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