Spring Events Preview: Bryant Park Ping Pong

Some have been playing all winter, but if you prefer your outdoor ping pong accompanied by warm weather and sun, you’ll be able to play at Bryant Park all summer long.

Staffed hours will resume at the Bryant Park Ping Pong Area on April 12. Our attendant will monitor a sign up sheet for games at our two state of the art outdoor tables, and provide paddles and balls free of charge to anyone who wishes to play. If you show up solo, there’s no need to worry. The attendant can set you up with a partner for a little friendly competition.

Start practicing soon because we have a number of public tournaments and fun events in the works for this season. As always, you are welcome to play at the tables during un-staffed hours with your own ping pong paddles and balls.

Bryant Park Ping Pong
Weekdays, 11:00am – 7:00pm
April 12 – October
Ping Pong Area at 42nd Street near 6th Avenue
Staffed hours are weather permitting

Tea Time Specials All Week at 'wichcraft!

Photo via Midtown Lunch on Flickr

To celebrate the arrival of Mighty Leaf Tea at their NYC locations, including the kiosks at Bryant Park, our friends at ‘wichcraft are offering a “tea time” special all week.

When you visit ‘wichcraft from 3pm to 6pm every day through Sunday, April 4, you’ll pay half price for any tea AND receive a complimentary cream’wich cookie!

How about a Marrakesh Mint Melange tea to warm you up on this rainy day? Paired with a (free) oatmeal cream’wich with caramel cream cheese filling? Yes please!

Celebrate at Le Carrousel in Bryant Park

Did you know that Le Carrousel, one of Bryant Park’s most celebrated amenities, is available for parties? With 14 colorful animals rotating to peppy French cabaret music, Le Carrousel is a beautiful centerpiece for any special occasion.
We all know party planning can be stressful, so why not let us do the work for you? Three different party packages are available to choose from, the Fete Picnic, Fete Pastoral, or Fete Galante. Read about each package on our website or download the printable Party Planning Guide, and take your pick!
All packages include a reserved area for you and your guests next to the carousel as well as use of the park’s cafe style chairs, tables, and umbrellas. We even have pint sized chairs and tables for your little ones.
Here’s the part your kids and friends will love most: all party packages include unlimited rides on Le Carrousel for a full hour!
To have your next celebration at Le Carrousel, email parties@urbanmgt.com, call (212) 768-4242 x129, or reserve online.

The Award Winning Southwest Porch at Bryant Park

This week we were thrilled to learn that the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park won not one, but two Reggie awards.

Distributed by the Promotion Marketing Association, Reggie awards are the highest honor in integrated marketing and celebrate innovation in the field. Award judges include senior industry leaders in sports, entertainment, academic, dining, and retail marketing.

The Southwest Porch won first place in the categories of Experiential Marketing and Local, Regional Marketing. The award judges aren’t the only ones who think the Porch is top notch - check out the overwhelmingly positive user reviews on yelp.com.

Congratulations to all our partners involved in the creation and operation of this wonderful park amenity: Civic Entertainment Group, ‘wichcraft, Nancy Thiel Architecture + Design, and of course, Southwest Airlines.

Visit the Porch on a sunny day this spring and toast to our win!

Bryant Park on the Web

Our announcement of Bryant Park Fencing picked up some great press this week!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/C7Ls3uT2sF0]
Free Fencing Lessons at Bryant Park in April from DNA Info

Fencing Is Coming to NYC’s Famous and Trendy Bryant Park! from Olympic Fencer Tim Morehouse’s blog
Ready to take a stab at fencing? Queue up outside the New York Public Library from the Daily News



On our radar


Bryant Park Hotel Twitter Contest from UpTake Lodging
Our neighbors at the Bryant Park hotel are offering excellent rates for followers on Twitter

How to Get More Bicyclists on the Road from Scientific American
In order to determine the ‘bikeabilty’ of cities, transportation researchers are measuring the number of female cyclists on roads. We use a similar tactic to measure the success of Bryant Park


Scenes from Bryant Park


Bryant Park on St Patrick’s Day by Rus1ana from the Bryant Park Flickr Pool

Spring Events Preview: Bryant Park Pétanque

Perhaps you’ve passed by the 6th Avenue side of Bryant Park and noticed small groups of people tossing metal balls toward each other in one of our gravel areas? Well, those balls are known as ‘boules’ and the game is called pétanque.

Usually grouped together in teams, each pétanque player strives to throw his or her boules as close as possible to a smaller wooden ball, the ‘cochonnet’. Similar to the game of bocce, pétanque is a popular European pastime that calls for precision, patience, and camaraderie. 

Our two Pétanque Courts start seeing action as soon as the temperature rises above 50 degrees, but official lessons will begin on April 12. As always, equipment and instruction will be provided free of charge.

Members of La Boule New Yorkaise, NYC’s championship winning pétanque club, will return to the courts and provide free instruction to anyone who wants to learn. Instructors wear Bryant Park staff tags around their necks. Just tell them you’d like to play and you’ll be set up right away with boules, teammates, and expert tips on technique.


Bryant Park Pétanque
Monday – Friday, 11:30am – 6:00pm
April 12 – October 29
Pétanque Courts at 6th Avenue & 42nd Street

The Bryant Park Pétanque Courts are also available for parties. Contact us if you’re interested in making pétanque a part of your next office party or team building activity.

Bryant Park Shoeshiners Relocate

After an incident that occurred yesterday morning, the Bryant Park Shoeshine Stand on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue is temporarily out of service.

Over the years, the wonderful managers of the Bryant Park stand have gained an impressive following of midtown businessmen and women seeking a sleek and shiny finish to their shoes.

Beginning tomorrow, our operators will temporarily relocate their business to the shoeshine stand at Greeley Square Park. The stand is located on the 6th Avenue side of the park, close to the 32nd Street PATH Train entrance.

Spring Events Preview: Bryant Park Fencing

At Bryant Park Corporation, we’re constantly at work to make the park a place where you can not only come to kick back and relax, but also see a classic movie, hear your favorite poet or author speak, or take a class to learn a new skill, completely free of charge.

On that note, we’ve added a brand new program to our roster of classes this spring. In partnership with the Manhattan Fencing Center, we are offering fencing lessons on the front terrace of the New York Public Library, beginning April 9.

Expert instructors will teach the basic moves and technique of fencing at a beginners pace. All equipment and costuming will be provided at no cost, all you need is a free hour and a desire to learn the elegant sport of fencing.

Bryant Park Fencing
Fridays, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
April 9 – June 25
Library Terrace at 5th Avenue & 41st Street

Bryant Park on the Web

4 Places to Write in Peace in NYC from Cuaderno Inedito
Blogger ranks Bryant Park among her favorite locations to write in NYC due to our convenient and comfortable amenities


On our radar

Thin ice! Park skater out for two years as rink rehab begins from The Brooklyn Paper
To the dismay of skaters, Wollman Rink at Prospect Park closes for two years in order for two new rinks to be built in its place

Above the Past from The New York Times
NYCityMap, an interactive site created by NYC’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, allows users a comprehensive view of the city as it looked in 1924


Scenes from Bryant Park

Bryant Park by victormui from the Bryant Park Flickr Pool

Spring Events Preview: Birding Tours of Bryant Park

A new and exciting program that debuted in 2009, Birding Tours of Bryant Park will begin on April 12 this year, with sessions held twice a week.

Midtown may seem like an unusual spot for bird watching, but last year’s participants were able to identify 11 different migratory species hanging out in Bryant Park…and that excludes the park’s resident pigeons and three kinds of sparrows!

Like all Bryant Park programs, our Birding Tours are free and open to everyone. We provide the beautiful setting and an expert guide, all you need to do is show up!

Tours will begin at Heiskell Plaza, the park entrance at 6th Avenue and 42nd Street (by the ‘wichcraft kiosks), and will once again be led by Gabriel Willow. An expert birder and Senior Naturalist at the New York City Audubon Society, Willow’s knowledge spans the worlds of birding, ecology, history, and horticulture.

Birding Tours are conducted at a beginners pace and will touch on all aspects of bird behavior from nesting and mating, to migration and identification of specific species and genders.


Birding Tours of Bryant Park
Mondays, 8:00am – 9:00am
Fridays, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
April 12 – May 20
Meet at 42nd Street & 6th Avenue

Bryant Park Benchmarks: Yoko Ono

Beneath Patience and Fortitude, the regal lions of the New York Public Library, are two marble benches that frame the iconic building (which is currently undergoing a cleaning and renovation of its facade).

The benches, popular rest spots for passengers awaiting the buses that travel down Fifth Avenue, were claimed by Yoko Ono during the Bryant Park Benchmarks Fundraising Campaign in 1995. Well known for her marriage to legendary musician John Lennon, Ono is a prominent artist, musician, filmmaker, peace activist, and philanthropist.

Her Benchmarks story is a short one. After Ono made donations for the twin benches, one in her name and one in the name of her son, Sean Ono Lennon, we lost contact with her. Many requests were made by the Benchmarks Campaign organizer for the text Ono wished to have engraved on her plaques, but a response was never received.

Subsequently, the benches were left bare, but Ono’s generous donations gave her the rights to have personalized plaques at both those locations. Should she ever call, we will happily engrave two plaques to adorn her benches.

Click here to read more Bryant Park Benchmarks stories

Summer Events Preview: HBO Bryant Park Film Festival

Grey, dreary days like this one make us yearn for summer. People flood the park searching for a seat in the sun and fun events to enjoy with friends. Luckily the park has more than enough of both to go around!

The following video from our YouTube channel (youtube.com/bryantparknyc) captures the atmosphere of one such event, the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival.

This camera-savvy moviegoer took footage of the opening night of the Film Festival on June 18, 2007, and cut it together to show the jovial social scene that occurs once people have laid down their blankets and opened up the picnic baskets before the movies start. The film that evening was Woody Allen’s 1977 hit, Annie Hall.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/5NRWX7StoSQ]

The Film Festival returns to Bryant Park this summer with 10 classic movies screened on Mondays, June through August, after dark. The film schedule will be released in early May.

Bryant Park on the Web

Filling in City Holes with Legos from Gothamist
Artist Jan Vormann patches up the city, including a crack in the side of Bryant Park’s restroom, with colorful blocks

Bryant Park in Motion from the MTA
The subway station at 42nd St and 6th Ave hosts viewer-activated digital art during the month of March, inspired by the park and its amenities


On our radar

Surface Improvements from the Wall Street Journal
The city launches a design competition to beautify the permanent Times Square pedestrian plazas on Broadway


Scenes from Bryant Park

Purple pansies line the 40th Street Allee, awaiting transfer to larger planters throughout the park

Shop Bryant Park: Liberty of London for Target Pop-Up

Shop Bryant Park guest posts are written by Fashion Herald, resident retail blogger for Bryant Park Corporation’s sister company, the 34th Street Partnership.

What’s every girl’s ideal harbinger of spring? A pop-up store awash in color and flowery print dresses, of course. But don’t wait for the tulips to bloom to enjoy this Liberty of London pop-up store for Target, because here’s how the store looked last night right before closing time:

I asked about restocking, and the clerks told me all the merchandise was out on the floor last night. But this morning all the shelves were full again: relief. I saw lots of sundresses, some of the longer dresses, lots of kids, tons of rainboots, and a couple boxes of men’s boxers. No shirtdresses, and, as far as I could tell, no shirts. You can still pick up some of the housewares, including the white piggy bank and some plates.

And perhaps you’d like to make a grand exit from this fun pop-up store on one of these ($199.99 for adult bike, $169.99 for kid’s):

Update: Pop-up has closed up shop early! Sign on the door says “sold out.” Plan on stalking the collection online very early Sunday morning.

Liberty of London for Target Pop-Up, 1095 Sixth Avenue at 42nd St, NW corner of Bryant Park

Open 9am-8pm through March 13th

Launching in three days online

Bryant Park Benchmarks: Nick Ashford

On a bench nestled in Bryant Park’s gardens bordering the south side of the lawn, is a plaque reading “Nick Ashford Slept Here”. Purchased by his wife in 1996, the plaque symbolizes Nick Ashford’s incredible rags to riches story.

Before becoming one half of Ashford & Simpson, a dynamic songwriting, producing, and performing duo, Ashford was just another New York City transplant with his sights set on the music business. He struggled to make it without income or a place to live. In the early 1960’s Ashford began spending his nights in Bryant Park, a well known haven for drug dealers and derelicts at the time.

Hoping to find a free meal at White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, Ashford met Valerie Simpson who was singing with the church’s choir. The pair began writing songs and singing together, and in 1974 they were married.

The couple’s collaborative career spans the genres of Motown, R&B, and Pop-Soul. In addition to recording multiple gold records of their own, Ashford & Simpson penned hit songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “You’re All I Need To Get By”, and “I’m Every Woman” for legends like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight. A radio show, television appearances, and memorable live performances at venues across the globe are also on the duo’s long list of achievements.

Simpson bought the plaque as a gift for Ashford on his 53rd birthday, as a reminder of their remarkable journey together and a donation to help beautify the park he had once called home.


Read the story behind the Bryant Park Benchmarks Campaign here

Coming Soon to Bryant Park: Earth From Above

Here’s a sneak peak at Earth From Above, the exciting outdoor photography exhibit coming to Bryant Park in just four weeks.

115 large scale aerial images by renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand will be on display in Bryant Park, accompanied by educational information on important environmental and social issues we face today.

Earth From Above has already visited 120 cities worldwide including London, Tokyo, Beirut, and Sydney. Don’t miss the Bryant Park exhibit, which is the kick off of Earth From Above’s first United States tour.

Earth From Above
A public art exhibit
April 2, May 28, 2010
Bryant Park

Photos from pictureearth.org

Updated 4.14.10: Earth from Above at Bryant Park has been postponed. Visit pictureearth.org for more information.

Bryant Park on the Web

Good Taste That Outlives the Tents from The New York Times
Reviews of food (including Irish chocolate!) and fashion found on West 40th Street, adjacent to Bryant Park


On our radar

Got a Ride? Share It from the WNYC News Blog
An experimental taxi ride share program from the Taxi and Limousine Commission began this week in Manhattan

Clash Over Plans for a Brooklyn Park from The New York Times
Area residents disagree with Brooklyn borough president over future plans for the renovation and usage of Asser Levy park


Scenes from Bryant Park

Gertrude Stein by JinalNYC from the Bryant Park Flickr Pool

Signs of Spring at Bryant Park

Look out for these signs of spring over the next few weeks in Bryant Park:

Daffodils poking their yellow heads through the gardens…

…people lingering in the park a little longer during lunch breaks…

…and a green lawn establishing roots at the center of the park.

We are currently leveling the soil in the lawn area to prepare for sod installation. In approximately two weeks over 5,000 sod rolls will arrive from Long Island, ready to take center stage as the Bryant Park lawn!

Bryant Park Benchmarks

In 1995 (the days when Bryant Park Corporation was the “Bryant Park Restoration Corporation”), we launched a creative program to help raise funds for continued improvements on the park. If you’ve ever noticed the engraved bronze plaques adorning our wood and cement benches throughout the park, then you’ve seen the products of the Benchmarks Campaign.

The program allowed patrons to leave a permanent mark on their favorite midtown spot, in exchange for a contribution to the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation. Along with an engraved plaque, Benchmarks Campaign members received an artistic print of “their” bench and a card granting them access to the park after closing hours to enjoy sole custody of the bench.

The following excerpt from the campaign brochure explains the motivating factors for becoming a Benchmarks member.

“By joining the Benchmarks Campaign, your donation triples in value: it pays tribute to the person or group whose name is engraved, it contributes to the vitality of Bryant Park, and it gives you the satisfaction of knowing you have played an important role in the most dramatic urban renaissance project of the greatest city on earth.”

So why did we discontinue the Benchmarks Campaign? The simple answer is, we ran out of benches! A total of 37 plaques were purchased by figures in the New York City business world, celebrities of music and television, and people who just plain love the park.

There are interesting people and stories behind many of the bench plaques (a Beatle’s wife, a mystery writer and his readers, and a New York City survival story, to name a few). Stay tuned to the blog for more.