I hate to admit it, but I've been frequenting this park for decades. Eons ago, working in NYC not long after graduating from college, during many lunch hours, I retreated to the peace and solitude of Paley Park on East 53rd St. between 5th & Madison Avenues. The 20-foot waterfall on the back wall of park obliterates the sounds of the city; the walls of ivy and the lacy canopy of the honey locust trees turn it into a warm and inviting dining space; and the moveable chairs and tables accommodate groups of almost any size. I was there again last weekend, taking a lunch break again after a morning visit to MOMA (just a block down the street on the other side of 5th), and it's just as inviting as ever. It's stood up perfectly over the long test of time, as it will celebrate its 40th birthday next year in 2007.
(click on image for larger view)
Paley Park was the brainchild of the late CBS Chairman William Paley, who hired Zion & Breen Associates Inc (landscape architects) of New Jersey to design it. It's very small for an urban park -- just 100 x 42 feet -- but the open design makes it feel much larger. A low seat wall on either side just underneath the ivy walls also allows more space for noon-time visitors, and the park is always spotlessly clean. If you haven't ever experienced Paley Park, make sure to put it on the list of places you absolutely must see the next time you're in New York.
While you're at it, mosey down the street to MOMA and be sure to take a look at the re-furbished Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Sculpture Garden, which was torn out and then re-built during the recent expansion of the museum. This space has gone through several changes over the years, and yes, it is different once again. To me, it now feels a bit unsettling, despite the fact that it retains much of the old Philip Johnson design from 1953. You can now view the garden from the upper floors of the museum. But if you sit in the garden itself, it feels smaller and more enclosed. Still, the familiar sculptures are still in place, including Picasso's She-Goat and Gaston Lachaise's Standing Woman; the pools are a calming influence; and it's a pleasant place to sit as a rest-stop between museum exhibits or after a full day's tour.
Comments