Citi Pond at Bryant Park Opens Today!

Three New York City landmarks: The Empire State Building, Bryant Park Hotel (aka the American Radiator Building), and       Citi Pond at Bryant Park

Citi Pond^SM at Bryant Park opens tonight for a sixth season of free admission ice skating in midtown's backyard. Join us for the Grand Opening Celebration at 6pm, featuring:

• Free skate rentals for the first 100 visitors (starting at 5:30pm)

• Musical performances from Broadway’s:
• Promises, Promises
• The Phantom of the Opera
• Million Dollar Quartet

• Ice skating performances from:
• Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes
• U.S. National synchronized skating champions the Haydenettes
• Ice Theatre of New York

• Live music from acclaimed swing band Double Down

Public skating will begin at 7pm.

For more details about Pond hours, skate rentals, and events, visit www.CitiPondatBryantPark.com. And keep up with the Pond all season on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CitiPond or on Twitter @Citi_Pond.

Free Rides on Le Carrousel This Halloween

Trick or treat?

You don't have to choose at Bryant Park.

Bring the kids to Le Carrousel this Saturday, October 30, for tricks by magician Ben Nemzer, and treats like spooky stories, pumpkin painting, and FREE rides on the carousel.

The Bryant Park Witch has 25 free ride tickets to give away to the first 25 people who tell her the secret password. Follow these two simple steps to win:

1. Find the Bryant Park Witch at the carousel party [hint: she'll be wearing an orange scarf].

2. Tell her the secret password [pumpkin] and win your free spin!



Without the password, single ride tickets are $2. A 10 ride card is also available for $15.

Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Saturday, October 30

After the festivities at Le Carrousel, stop by Citi Pond^SM for more Halloween activities for the whole family. Visit www.CitiPondatBryantPark.com for all the details.

Behind the Scenes with Tiffany & Co. in Bryant Park

Bryant Park's Le Carrousel and Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain star alongside supermodel Carolyn Murphy in the latest promotional video on Tiffany & Co's website.

Do you think the park out-sparkles the diamonds?

The BPC staff member who managed the shoot in May got these behind-the-scenes shots of the production. They began at Le Carrousel, then set up shop at the fountain.

 

It's hard to tell from the video, but the majority of the shoot took place with Carolyn posing inside the fountain (with BPC approval, of course).

Models are tough! Although it was a sun-filled day, there was still a spring chill in the air and the fountain water was downright cold. Carolyn handled the shoot like the pro supermodel she is, and the artificial wind and water combo helped the director get the shots he wanted.

That's a wrap!

Bryant Park Shops: The HBO Shop

The Shop is always good for an entertaining window display.

Scary!

Did all you Bryant Park fans know that the HBO Shop sits right across the park on the northeast corner of 42nd and Sixth? A store full of  True Blood, Sopranos, and Sex and the City gear is waiting for you just steps away from your favorite midtown oasis. Drop by before Halloween, pick up a couple bottles of the authentic True Blood beverage, and freak out your trick-or-treaters as you chug away. If you're hosting a scary party, get a six-pack and click here (go to the "drink information" tab) for HBO's "Plasmapolitan" and "Dead on the Beach" recipes.

"All Flavor, No Bite!"

Mugs are $12.99 - $17.99.

And it wouldn't be an HBO store without a lot of Sex and the City. There's the "I'm a Carrie" T-shirt line, foldable after-party shoes in the style of each of the girls, and plenty of DVDs.

The Sopranos, Flight of the Conchords, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and other shows are also well-represented in the store. Currently shoppers can take an extra 30% off already reduced items, a nice bonus incentive for you dedicated fans. So next time you're in Bryant Park be sure to stop by the HBO Shop and pick up gear from your favorite shows.


Bryant Park Shops is written by Fashion Herald, our retail blogger.

The HBO Shop, 1100 Avenue of the Americas (42nd and 6th Avenue)

212-512-SHOP

Bryant Park Honored as APA Great Public Space

 

The awards wall at Bryant Park headquarters is already packed with honors and plaques but we don't have a problem making room for one more!

Last week, the American Planning Association named Bryant Park a 2010 Great Public Space, under the organization's Great Places program. Nine additional public spaces were honored, including San Francisco's Ferry Building, Boston's Emerald Necklace, and Campus Martius Park in Detroit.

On its website, the APA writes that the Great Places program "celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning." Great Places have "a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow" and "offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work every day."

Bryant Park fits the bill perfectly. The APA recognized us for our commitment to the public, our world-class amenities, and the calming atmosphere the park brings to midtown Manhattan.

Bryant Park awards wall

It might be a squeeze, but we'll make room for our APA Award. If you want to know what some of the other frames and plaques are for, take a look at the Awards & Recognition page on our website.

Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel

Halloween comes early to Bryant Park at our annual spooky celebration for kids, Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel.

Wear your scariest costume on Saturday, October 30 and visit Le Carrousel at Bryant Park from noon to 2pm for marvelous tricks by magician Ben Nemzer and spine-chilling stories with the carousel's mascot, Flaubert Frog.

Kids can also make Halloween crafts, paint pumpkins, and take a spin on the carousel.



Tricks and Treats is free of charge, single rides on the carousel are $2, a 10 ride card is $15, or you could be one of 25 people to win a free ride on Le Carrousel at the Halloween party.

It's a special trick you'll only hear about online: find the Bryant Park witch at the party (she'll be wearing an orange scarf) and tell her the secret codeword, "Pumpkin". The first 25 people to use the codeword will win a free ride on Le Carrousel!

How's that for a treat?

The party is open to kids of all ages, but is geared towards children ages 3 to 8. For more information about Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel visit our website.

From the Archives: Parade of Horses

In this post, BPC’s archivist Anne Kumer, shares the history of Bryant Park's Le Carrousel.

Before the Bryant Park Carousel was installed in June 2002, the 40^th street allée next to the Goethe statue was peaceful, but obviously missing something. Seeking to enhance the French classical design of the park grounds, create a family friendly atmosphere, and complement the neighboring Beaux Arts façade of the New York Public Library, the Bryant Park Corporation added Le Carrousel to the barren space.

Before Le Carrousel was installed in the park, along the 40th Street allee

Le Carrousel was designed and manufactured by Marvin Sylvor‘s Fabricon Carousel Company in Brooklyn, and installed in the park in early June 2002. Mr. Sylvor was internationally recognized, and had built carousels all over the world. He passed away in 2008.

Carousel installation, late May 2002



The menagerie in Fabricon's studio awaiting transport to the park

In addition to its colorful menagerie of animals, which include a deer, a rabbit, a cat, and ten horses, Le Carrousel also features a fully restored ticket booth, originally built in 1928 for a carousel in Hull Massachusetts.

The Bryant Park carousel ticket booth, mid-restoration in Fabricon's studio

A parade of horses on the south side of the park



Bryant Park hospitality staff lead the animals to their new home

The Bryant Park carousel measures 22 feet wide, weighs 12,000 pounds, and spins to the sounds of French Cabaret music. Just a month after the carousel opened, on July 31, 2002, a naming ceremony was held for the lead horse “Granny’s Folly.” The horse was named after a mounted police steed that had served the NYPD since 1984. He was struck by a livery cab on Pelham Parkway in 1992.



Le Carrousel's lead horse Granny's Folly



Named after one of his riders, Sergeant Grannville Waterman, the horse was famed for stepping on a mugger's foot, preventing his escape outside of Madison Square Garden during a Michael Jackson concert.

 

Just last summer, seven years after the carousel opened, it underwent a full restoration by artist Andrew Tedesco.  The carousel is open daily, weather permitting, and is available for parties.

Mp3 Mission to Bryant Park

It was an admirable mission, taken on by over 3,000 headphone-wearing civilians:

Celebrate Steve's birthday in Bryant Park.

We had an idea of what we were getting into when we agreed to host notorious Improv Everywhere's seventh annual Mp3 Experiment, but I'm not sure we anticipated the end result would look like this...

As in previous Mp3 Experiments, participants downloaded an audio file, synchronized their watches, headed to a designated start location, and simultaneously pressed play. The official Improv Everywhere video below shows you the quirky journey that culminated in a toilet paper party on our Lawn.

Visit Improv Everywhere's website for the full behind the scenes story of the Mp3 Experiment Seven.

Photograph and video courtesy of Improv Everywhere

What's in a Name?

The Bryant Park name once conjured up images of drug dealers and a public space in disrepair. Gradually, the image changed to one of a park that underwent a renaissance and became a lively green oasis in the heart of midtown.

These days, the words Bryant Park may make you think of our iconic chairs, a floral scented perfume, a set of dishes, a pair of shoes, or even a chocolate cupcake. The park's transformation by the Bryant Park Corporation has not only influenced urban planners around the world, but has gained recognition by countless retailers.

And in the retail world, the Bryant Park name gets around. Here are a few of the products we've come across that pay tribute to the park.

 

The Bryant Park Hanging Hammered Copper Birdhouse from Signature Hardware.

 Dashing Diva's shimmery copper Bryant Park Nail Polish.

 Bryant Park Perfume by Bond No. 9 featuring hints of Lily of the Valley, rhubarb, pink pepper, 

rose, patchouli, raspberry, and amber.

The Bryant Park Collection by Renovations by Thomasville. A full set includes the dresser 

above and ten other pieces of furniture.


And the most delicious of the park's namesakes...

 

the Bryant Park Cupcake from Crumbs Bake Shop on 42nd Street.

Of Birds and Bloggers

Blackpoll Warbler

Corey Finger, an avid birder who chronicles his sightings on the blog 10,000 Birds, recently posted fabulous photographs of warblers he spotted in Bryant Park.

According to Corey, the park hosted a "warbler bonanza" in the last days of September. While migrating south for the winter, the birds stop in our midtown oasis to refuel for their long journey...not unlike the midtown workers who refuel with lunch in the park before heading in for the long afternoon stretch in the office!

Magnolia Warbler

Corey is one of three main contributors to 10,000 Birds and frequently posts photographs from his birding trips in and outside of New York City. Check out more of his images from Bryant Park here.

For the chance to train your birding eye and spot these species yourself, join us on Wednesday mornings through October 27 for the fall extension of free Birding Tours of Bryant Park. Tours meet at 8am on the corner of 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue just inside the park, and are presented in partnership with the New York City Audubon Society.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

American Redstart

American Redstart 

Birding Tours of Bryant Park
Wednesdays, 8:00am – 9:00am
September 29 – October 27
Meet at 42nd Street & 6th Avenue

Photographs by Corey Finger from his blog, 10,000 Birds

Fall Festival in Photographs

 

Click through for more images from the third annual Bryant Park Fall Festival, then share your own photos of the event with us on the Fall Festival Facebook page.