NYC’s best neighborhood parks and green spaces

Brooklyn, Dumbo
It wasn't long ago that this 1.3-mile waterfront, between Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, was an industrial wasteland of warehouses. But today it grows like an affront to FiDi’s skyscrapers, hugging the East River and spreading across 85 acres like a playground of landscapes. Sloping lawns, sunny playing fields, and wild gardens blanket the waterfront all the way out to its reclaimed piers and coastline—yes, there are even miniature beaches to round out the views of Brooklyn Bridge.

Manhattan, West Village
Historically an LGBTQ+ stretch for sunbathing and cruising, Christopher Street Pier, a.k.a. Pier 45, remains a safe space for the shirtless—not to mention fitness fanatics and picnic enthusiasts alike. The 900-foot-long pier is more or less a lawn stilted over the Hudson River with a clutch of trees, but a popular and fiercely protected haven of the queer community nonetheless.

Brooklyn, Fort Greene
As Brooklyn’s first designated park, it maintains most of its 1867 design by none other than Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Lined by dreamboat brownstones and surrounded by charmed cafés and restaurants—plus a stocked Greenmarket every Saturday—the park’s rolling hills, wide open fields, and shaded paths meander throughout the 30-acre park just a stone’s throw from downtown Brooklyn.

And for tennis fans, it’s home to perhaps NYC’s most beautifully maintained public tennis courts, so coveted they tend to book up before most of us have had our first cup of coffee. Get ready for even more first-class amenities as the park undergoes an upcoming major renovation.

Manhattan, Alphabet City
The 10.5-acre park, square in the middle of the East Village’s Alphabet City, is home to Manhattan’s very first dog run—need we say more? With a sizable lawn for lazing, plus winding and bench-lined paths for strolling, it’s a leafy urban oasis home to a year-round Greenmarket and worthy restaurants lining the entire perimeter.

Brooklyn, Greenpoint
You might call this Greenpoint’s dirty little secret. Overlooking a wastewater treatment plant and scrapyard, the 24,000-square-foot rooftop green space was funded by a settlement with ExxonMobil after the “Greenpoint Oil Spill,” the largest terrestrial oil spill in the country. Downright defiant, the garden grows exclusively native New York flora and fauna, an attempt to reclaim a natural habitat for local creatures like birds and bats and bugs. Be sure to check its schedule for public hours or special events, as it’s only open for visits during designated times.

Manhattan’s West Side
An instant hit when it first opened in 2009, the elevated park made good use of disused rail lines that cut through the West Side of Manhattan 30 feet in the air. Winding between glossy buildings that hug its every turn, the 1.45 mile park gives a whole new perspective; stroll along visible tracks now overflowing with wispy grasses and plants, stumble onto art installations and live performances (there’s almost always one or the other), sample foods from a batch of vendors, and soak in the sun at each intersection as they reveal views of the Hudson River.

Brooklyn, Williamsburg
For something new and something old, the five-acre park reimagined the ruins of the Domino Sugar Refinery, which long sat for decades on the Williamsburg waterfront awaiting a second life. You’ll find plenty of new activities along the water—volleyball, bocce, playgrounds, and even a taco stand—but the ultimate treat is how salvaged artifacts blend into the renewed landscape. From large syrup tanks to 80-foot cranes and an elevated catwalk, its industrial past isn’t lost in its new look.

Queens, Long Island City
A welcome addition, the 11-acre park works overtime as both a buffer for storm surges and a boon for the growing community in Long Island City. You’ll find the usual park features—basketball courts, a promenade, playgrounds, and an open lawn—but with an unmistakable natural landscape. Its most impressive feature, a nautically inspired and cantilevered overlook, perches over wetlands and captures one of the best views of the Manhattan skyline.

The Bronx
As NYC’s third-largest park, it’s no hidden gem, but that doesn’t mean this beloved Bronx beauty won’t surprise you. Over a thousand acres feature hiking trails through oak forests, community BBQ areas, outdoor pools and courts for almost every sport you can imagine. Trails weave past the first public golf course in the country to the largest freshwater lake in the borough and even its oldest house. If you plan your route wisely, you’ll end up across the street from Lloyd’s, an iconic spot for carrot cake.

Manhattan, Hudson Heights & Inwood
Think of this like a proper getaway in NYC. It’s a bit of a hike for anyone not living in Hudson Heights or Inwood, but that’s exactly the point: a gift to the city in 1931 by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the park feels far from any city with inspiring views of the Hudson River and the steep Palisades along eight miles of pathways for runners and strollers alike. For an even more transportive experience, it’s also home to the Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which showcases thousands of medieval works and actual cloisters—four of them—that were brought to NYC via France.