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Marcus Garvey Park
Neighborhood: East Harlem
Madison Ave
New York, NY 10035
Madison Ave
New York, NY 10035
- Nearest Transit:
-
125th St (4, 5, 6)
125th St (2, 3)
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Marcus Garvey Park
This has been my neighborhood park for over a decade. I come here just to chill and relax. I can remember when the park was a no no and there was a womens prison on Mt. Morris between 120 & 121 street.
Now we have:
Three new play grounds
A dog run
New sidewalks
A new baseball field
A garden club
A home for hundreds of community events.
A pool and beach volley ball court
There is a community center and an amphitheater. The
In summer the African drummers draw hundreds to their performance throughout the day.
The park is really warm and inviting at all times of the year. Marcus Garvey park is a place where residents can enjoy a park which is largely undisturbed. Where kids can play without the "overwhelming" or "corporate sponsorship" feel of sister park, central park.
On a clear day, from the top of the acropolis, you can see the majority of the city.
Its extra beautiful in fall when the trees are changing color.
I have about 100 pictures of the park, but couldn't post them all so visit my blog for more info.
five most common things you'll see me doing at marcus garvey park:
1. listening to the musicians who busk for cash, sometimes smokes. they play jazz, classical, and other good shit. today one played "lowdown" by boz scaggs. i love that song.
2. climb the spiral steps of the fire watch tower and enjoy the views. it's 360 degrees of panoramic scenery that i can see for miles, if i have my contacts in.
3. i like to shoot around. i tend to cheat quite a bit when i am playing basketball, but i am very good at lay ups and shooting baskets and i marvel at myself with how good i am. freakin' brothers every way like MJ, yo.
4. watch the performances in the amphitheatre. the plays at dusk are so fun to watch, and sometimes they show movies here too. i saw american graffitti once, on the same night i ate the best pad thai of my life. oh, memories.
5. sit on the swing set near the basketball courts and watch the boys play ball. this is usually done with my homegirls, while snacking on a plate of shrimp & fries with tarter, cocktail sauce and ketchup salted and peppered, and drinking a beer. we applaud the boys we think are good looking or dope players and cat call and cheer and pick out our boyfriends if we had to choose on the spot.
all fun, all the time, each earning their own star.
4.5 stars
This is my favorite park in all of Manhattan. I consider myself an urban park aficionado (former suburbanite who grew up with a forest a block away from her house - I need nature close by!), and Marcus Garvey Park is the most beautiful I have seen in all of the city.
Formely known as Mount Morris Park, this twenty-acre expanse starts south between Fifth Ave and Madison at 120th street and stretches up to 124th street. There are three large playgrounds, a dog run, basketball courts, a baseball field, public pool and not to mention a variety of wildflowers and trees. I love the fact that, unlike most New York City parks, the vegetation and elevation are completely organic.
My two favorite places within the park are the watchtower and amphitheater. Follow the broad steps up and around the center of the park, and you'll find the watchtower seated upon "the Acropolis" where you'll find breathtaking views of the park from all sides. On early summer mornings, I'd take my dog for a quick run to the top of the stairs where we'd find ourselves panting, but in awe - are we really in East Harlem?
The amphitheater is located closer to the west side of the park. It hosts a number of events, usually during the summer, including notable music acts and community theater groups. Last summer, I took my mother to the amphitheater to watch a hiphop version of Romeo & Juliet. Accompanied by a bottle of wine and sandwiches, we had a beautiful evening of mother-daughter bonding.
I am so happy to live close to such a beautiful park, however, I have to take half a star off because it is, unfortunately, still a little seedy. I wouldn't visit at night (well, it is New York, so duh), and the park was in the news this past summer for a couple of fatal shootings. Once, when running up the stairs towards the Acropolis with my dog, I saw two used condoms which was not cool, for me or my dog. However, with gentrification (for better or worse) will come a wave of renovation - I think there are plans to revamp the amphitheater.
