During the four years I had spent in Stuyvesant High School, Rockefeller Park, west of River Terrace and a part of Battery Park City, would be my solace in terms of distressing and relaxing: away from the academic environment. I would unwind surrounded by blossoming greenery, the picturesque landscape, and the beautiful view of the sunset glowing golden in the afternoon, glinting off glassy steel buildings. The breezy air spray with salty mist from the Hudson River, the sweeping fields of grass, the blossoming trees, and the manicured pots of flowers circling stone tables, benches, and copper statues contributed to the serene and light-hearted atmosphere, juxtaposing the tension-filled, pressure cooker institution I had recently graduated from.
On winter days, the frigid air, biting wind, overcast sky, and flocks of geese pausing from their flight south to rest on the brown, dry, grass would deter pedestrians from wandering into the park. On summery spring days, however, droves of students would be seen flocking into and out of the park: some gathering in clumps to chat over coffees, smoothies, deli sandwiches, and fries, others fanning out across the freshly mowed grass to play endless rounds of barefoot Frisbee or flag football. During the lingering summer days, families could be seen having picnics on the lawn or hosting barbeque parties by the grill next to large wooden picnic tables. Children would run to and fro from a massive jungle gym that was equipped with the normal slides and ladders as well as a sandbox, monkey bars, swings, and even a bicycle carousel. Children and their parents could also rent out rackets, chess games, Frisbees, hoppy balls, foam seesaws, pool sticks, and balls for various functions and sizes to play with in the plethora of sport courts or game tables.
The park’s location at the heart of Tribeca, with Wholefoods, Shake Shack, countless delis, fast food chains, and takeout restaurants bordering the area, has also been ideal for hungry teenagers exhausted from a long day of classes, gearing up for the long train ride home, or preparing for the long night of studying ahead. For entertainment, students, families, and employees working within Tribeca could always travel two to ten minutes from the park and experience new memories at the Regal movie theater, the Poet House, the local dog park, the ferries docked along the waterfront, the newly renovated Irish Hunger Memorial, the glass encased, palm tree’d mall court at the World Trade Center Financial Building, and the stylishly designed New York Public Library. Teardrop Park, a neighboring public space and a part of Battery Park City, is a hidden oasis containing an abundance of tall trees, shrubberies, a rock wall formation, a waterfall, a ravine, and a sand and water basin: providing a quiet, peaceful space and temporary relief from the blazing heat and sun on summer days. The area surrounding Rockefeller Park is not only ideal in aesthetics, but is convenient for students, employees, tourists, and residential families alike, catering to different needs and interests and creating a space of fun and relaxation.
