COLUMBUS PARK (Baxter, Mulberry, Worth and Bayard Streets)

Columbus Park, June 2011

(You may want to lower your volume. There is a lot going on in this video.)

This is one of the coolest parks I’ve come across so far. Columbus Park is located down in Chinatown and is full of activity. From the Asian Karaoke, complete with the pick-up orchestra and singers whograb the sheet music and jump in, to the people practicing martial arts in the recreational center, to the skateboarders working on their jumps by Baxter St., this park is full of activity. The day I was there, they even had one of those community pianos set up around the city being played by various passersby.

Originally built in 1897 by one of the original co-designers of Central Park, Calvert Vaux, Columbus Park began life as Mulberry Bend Park. In 1911, the Park was named Columbus Park after Christopher Columbus, obviously. Bordered by Baxter, Mulberry, Worth and Bayard Streets, today’s Columbus Park is a neighborhood hangout and, in my opinion, one of the quintessential New York City pocket parks.

If you go:

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, 65 Bayard St. It's very small, and the line may stretch out the door, but it's worth it. Where else can you get green tea ice cream or my new favorite, toasted almond?

Jing Fong Restaurant, 20 Elizabeth St. I am told this is very authentic as dim sum restaurants go. When your number is called, you go up a long escalator to find yourself in dim sum Heaven. Ladies with steam trollies go by and you choose your dumplings. Very affordable lunch.

SOURCES:

New Yorkled http://www.newyorkled.com/columbuspk.htm

NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M015/