Prospect Park
Prospect Park Alliance
Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718) 965-8951
- Nearest Transit:
7th Ave (F)
- Good for Kids: Yes
90 Reviews for Prospect Park
Five stars for a park that's almost always both lively and relaxing in equal measures. One star lost for inexplicably not being closed to car traffic: when I go biking, I would love to occassionally be the biggest and most dangerous thing on the road.
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Tempering the wild reviews, let's talk about the Bandshell shows in the summer. Free shows are what bring me out of hiding from July/August heat to trek down to Brooklyn. The chairs are so unnecessary though, as well as the unfortunate pushy vibe constantly trying to bring you down or interrupt your restricted mini-rock out.
They compensate for the "free" label by checking bags and way overcharging for food and cups of beer that people actually waste their money on. The lights are kept pretty low for a cooler feel, the ground is nothing but dirt, and you have little hope of seeing the performers unless you show up maddeningly early to score a chair.
All in all, you might be better off sitting on a few blades of grass outside the bandshell across the street.
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The grounds are uneven when laying down. There are branch roots embeded in the ground which makes it uncomfortable to lay down for having picnics. Plenty of space for baseball, football, freebies, or picnic on the grounds. There are not sufficient tables or grills to use.
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This park totally rules. And there's a gazillion reviews to back it up so I will enlighten with a few tidbits:
1. The streets are blocked for traffic on Saturday and Sunday, so if you are a bike whore like me you can cruise for miles without the worry of being flattened by gas guzzlers!
2. The duckweed pond! Follow the webbed foot prints to a pond that looks like my grandmother's lime green shag carpet from the 1970's! If the boatman is in, you can also take a little cruise around the pond, but watch out walking over, there is duck doody everywhere! EW!
3. I am super bad with directions, so go to yer local bike shop and pick up a NYC Cycling Map, that way you can actually see how to bike here and find the duckweed!
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Great, shady running trail around the perimeter of the park and a bonus for closing off the streets on the weekend.
No brainer. Can't tell you how excited I get during the warm weather months to live 2 blocks from this large slice of heaven. Great free concerts, paddle boats, a zoo. Maybe best of all is the quaint piece of mind it lends while simply reading a book under a large shade tree. Many thumbs up.
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Went to see a salsa band play here last night. An oasis filled with a complete diversity of people - old, young, every ethnic and socioeconomic background - together in harmony. Kind of like Glide Memorial Church in a park. Been to NY about a bajillion times, but never saw this. You don't feel like you are in or near NY, which is brilliant.
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I would give this park 6 stars if I could. Or maybe I should've just given Central Park 4. But that's not fair to the big CP...damn!!!
It's worth noting that the designer of Central Park considered THIS his masterpiece, and with good reason. Long Meadow is the largest contiguous meadow in any park in America , and it's 90 acres of lying, frisbeeing and picnicking heaven. The surrounding environs are distinctly less hectic and riddled with tourists than Central Park, and many places towards the center of the park achieve what I thought was impossible, namely a complete absence of city noise or smells which I've found pivotal to retaining my (relative) sanity in this hustle and bustle city of ours.
Prospect Park, I wanna have yo baby...
I'm reviewing Prospect Park from an "outside" perspective, in the hopes that those who do not live in NYC may go off the beaten path and see what else the city has to offer besides the tourist traps.
Keep in mind I am a bit biased. I grew up, and once again live, in one of the most dry places in the country. There are only 2 or 3 species of trees in my entire city that existed before settlers arrived in the late 19th century. We do not lack in park space, but compared to the east coast the city landscape is extremely sparse.
So during my somewhat brief, but exhilarating time in Brooklyn, this park was a sense of wonder for me. The fact you could get lost in a park, truly block out the world in the middle of the city was amazing. Unlike Central Park, where tourists abound, Prospect Park is a local paradise as far as parks go. I cannot comment on some of the aspects other reviewers have...the bandstand or picnic accommodations, but for those who want a quiet* place to people watch, bike, or just stroll until you forget the city for awhile, I can't think of a better place in NY.
*"Quiet" may include the occasional fly over plane landing approach to LaGuardia
This place has been my backyard for the last 8 years...I have had some good times and some BAD times...
the good:
Seeing belle and sebastian and a bunch of other good music at the band shell
walking my dog
riding bikes with friends
reading in the grass in the summer
The Bad
Getting in a fight with kids who tried to steal my bike
My dog getting a fatal disease from killing a Rat here (DOG OWNERS BEWARE THERE IS A LEPTOSPIROSIS EPIDEMIC HERE).
All the creepy weirdos, used condoms, and lurking freaks in some parts of the park.
So I have quite mixed opinions...it is a refuge or a battle zone, depending on when/where you are.
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What's not to love about prospect park? I must agree I love this place more than Central Park. Maybe it's because I'm a native Brooklynite and I'm a little biased. But it's less overcrowded with tourists, and there are ton more places to picnic. And when I walk though this park it's a lot easier to forget that I'm in the city for an hour or two. And there's lots of great restaurants, shops and other things to explore in nearby Park Slope and Prospect Heights.
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Too bad none of us could enjoy Feist's Prospect Park show. Surprised by not being allowed umbrellas into a public park, in the torrential rain, we were all forced to leave them in a heap of thousands outside the venue, and endure 4 hours of downpour, no cover provided and no money back. Who's going to pay the medical bill for the cold I caught? My attitude toward the Celebrate Brooklyn series has definitely taken a turn for the worse. At $35 a ticket, I don't appreciate arbitrary, and potentially health threatening rules (enforced by threats of violence!!) ruining my evening. Next time, Prospect Park, if you have to hire outside promoters, perhaps don't pick such a bunch of Neanderthals.
I absolutely love this park! I am not a native Brooklyn person but moved here from Rockaway beach 3 years ago and never knew much about Prospect Park. One Saturday my wife and I decide to take a drive over to Park Slope. We fell in love with the area with all the amazing brownstones and beautiful shops and restaurants. Anyways we walked a few blocks and came across Grand Army Plaza and the Saturday farmer's market. Well now three years later its a place we now visit at least once a month and weekly in the spring and summer. From the aforementioned farmer's market to the huge lawn of Brooklyn with bbq pits, volleyball, softball and just miles of places on the lawn to lay down and enjoy some people watching, Prospect Park is a hidden gem to people that know about it and a pleasure for new people to come across.
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Okay, you Manhattanites, you can have your Central Park, okay? We Brooklyners will gladly take Prospect Park every day of the week and twice on Sunday. What, I'm not from Brooklyn? Well for the purpose of this write-up I am.
So I've been here a few times now, and I love it more every time. My first time was seeing Kasey Chambers at the Bandshell for one of the Celebrate Brooklyn free concerts. Another time was last year for the TV on the Radio show, again at the bandshell. And I came for a picnic here a few weeks ago.
What I love about this park is that it is quite similar to Central Park, in that there are expansive areas of pure green grass and lots of people, and then a few hundred yards away you'll think you're in some wooded area in Maine. That the park was designed by Olmstead and Vaux, who also did Central Park, is no mere coincidence.
Tell you how big this park is: I was driving and it took about 10 minutes, with no traffic lights in the middle of the night, doing about 50 mph, to drive by the park. It's that huge. Not saying that you should do the same thing, I'm just sayin'.
So look for me at the Feist show in July!
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makes me feel like i'm not in ny like i traveled in a time warp and ended up in the open air parks in san francisco and started hanging out with a bunch of families that like to fly kites, bbq, and enjoy the park for what it has to offer - a place to run free.
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This park is embedded into my childhood and adolescence. I've been here during all four seasons and at a variety of hours during the day into night. It seems as if with each visit, you leave with something different.
I've gotten poison ivy three times here. Countless dates with the characteristic making out on benches and in the middle of the fields at night. Getting lost is preferable here because you either rely on childhood memories to find your way back, or you stumble onto a trail of used condoms. A breast cancer walk where we took at detour at McDonald's. Barbecues, Frisbees, class trips, gazebos, and mosquito bites.
Central Park's got nothing on Prospect Park.
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It was sunny, warm, and breezy so i took my sisters dog for a walk here--it was my first time to the park as I just moved to Brooklyn in the Winter--and got lost. For two hours we roamed the giant park and I loved it!
I've been starving for that walk all winter and can't wait to get there again as soon as possible.
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i'm sorry, but this park kicks central parks ass. why? because it's in brooklyn.
hot guys playing frisbee along a sprawling set of rolling green hills with bike paths and places to hike, have a picnic, get eaten by mosquitos, get mugged after hours, or just lie on the grass and try to forget that you're in a crazy city.
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Five star rating is for DAYTIME use of the park. This park is good in the daylight hours. Early morning, early afternoon, etc. Do not travel in the park by foot --if you are alone.
Weekends, Sat and Sunday mornings, the pack is PACKED with walkers, joggers, bikers,and even some entertainers. The park is filled to capacity --which is so cool in those early hours.
1. The scenery is totally awesome! The walk around the entire park is very long.
2. There are plenty of benches to sit on along the way.
3. In one section of the park there are bbq s already set up (who knew?), so that's a great place to picnic ---arrive very early on weekends if you plan to do that.
4. Wildlife is abundant, if you just look , stop, listen and pause. You'll see plenty of birds in warm weather, also squirrels, and lots of people walk their pets there. (Watch out for those unleashed dogs; even though that's not legal, people still walk their dogs without leashes in the park.
5. Most important, especially if you are a tourist, (or not), do not walk the park alone in the dark. And do not walk the park alone when it is near darkness. (The park is LONG and wide, so you might begin walking when it is near dark and find yourself in the middle of the park, lone , after dark). So walk with friends or walk only in the daytime hours. The time the park is good after dark is when they have performances, concerts, Shakespeare, etc. Go with the crowds and get out of the park as soon as the event is over. Do not linger on the hidden paths.
IF possible, bring a cellular into the park. Always be alert to what or whom is around you. If you feel that something is wrong --listen to your own gut instinct.
The park is a GREAT place to be, so enjoy it. Just take the precautions that you need to take, and then just enjoy.
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The best, absolutely. It was Olmstead's favorite, too.
Take that, Central.
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Writing a review for Prospect Park seems as silly as writing one for the Empire State Building. Yeah. It's a big building, go check it out. Yeah. From the makers that brought you Central Park... Prospect Park! Check it out. It's huge, it's beautiful, it's... surprisingly clean. You can lose yourself in the trees, sun yourself on the lawn or catch toddlers playing a hilariously adorable game of softball on a Sunday afternoon. What else can I say?
It's a (not so) little bit of paradise.
This is my favorite place in the entire north east.
I named my band after it.
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I used to come here with my grandfather when I was younger and go fishing in the pond. This place holds lots of memories for me. Many, many family picnics, 4th of July BBQs, social gatherings, dog walks, jogs, etc.
During the summer I like to walk from my apt. to Prospect Park with my dog. We then both grab hot dogs, find an empty bench and enjoy nature. It's also a great place to grab a blanket, find a shady spot and read a good book.
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Prospect Park doesn't need another 5-star review, but I'm going to throw my $0.02 in anyway. One major reason I don't belong to a gym is because I live a couple of blocks away from this park. That 3.25 mile track has not only helped me lose weight and get into good shape, but taught this city girl how nice it is to spend time outdoors, in areas with lots of trees and grass. Every time I take a walk, I see something different: horses, swans, a billion different kinds of dogs, weddings, barbecues, kids flying kites.
Any day where I have spent even a little bit of time in Prospect Park never feels like a day wasted.
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Prospect Park,
I'm a repeat offender.
you made me fall in love with Brooklyn.
& knocked the wind out of me up on THE hill,
(more often than I wish to recall.)
You make me believe
the city has air
and I crave to inhale you
every time I pass by.
thanks.
....I'll see you Saturday, or Wednesday.
breathless, up on THE hill
I hope.
I crashed on my best friends' couch in Prospect Heights, two blocks away from the Brooklyn Museum, over the summer of 2006. I was scheduled to work at a reading center in the Village while I was there, but before I left my previous location, Montreal, I called the center director, feigned illness and a return flight home, and arrived in New York with a completely free schedule.
That led me to a summer of taking walks in Park Slope, reading in bookstores all day, eating 3-hour lunches by myself as my friends were at work, and spending lazy, hot afternoons laying on the grassy hills of Prospect Park.
My friend from New Jersey once came to visit, and she gave me a joint for my 27th birthday, not knowing that I ceased smoking years ago. Not wanting it to go to waste, I took quick puffs from it each afternoon before heading to the park with my iPod and book-of-the-day, and took lovely cat naps under the sun.
The joint lasted for weeks, until one night I got paranoid and tossed it out the window. Still, with or without that haze, Prospect Park was the highlight of my summer.
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This is an AMAZING place in the world.
More than worth the train ride from wherever you are in Manhattan for a little Brooklyn love.
Gorgeous fields and trees abound, paths for dog walkers, joggers, bicyclists and hardcore runners alike.
I love the architecture of the clubhouse(?) in the middle of the park, it is very cool. Prospect Park also has the only forest in Brooklyn (according to the sign, and some official forest-counter) and the botanical garden is really beautiful. A great place for pictures, some quiet reflection or a romantic stroll.
Everyone loves this park: kids, adults, soccer stars, softball seniors, runners, horses, birds, and yes naturally, photographers.
This park moved me to tears.
I am deeply in love with this park, and if I were to move to New York City, this is where it'd be.
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Look at all of these 5 star reviews! What else can I say? Prospect Park is a feel good place that does what it's supposed to do, take you out of the city! A lot of people pick their favorite spot and come back to it often. I like the southeast corner of the lake. Bring your bike, Frisbee, egg saladee, and wine (but keep it a secret.)
Start a kite fight! Just ram your kite into someone else's and instantly make friends. (warning: sometimes this makes enemies.)
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Prospect Park is the one and only, is the best!
Brooklyn Rocks!
Actually, talking about the park.......are they any serious runners around here?, like, training for a race or marathon?. I run by myself but it gets boring (: I need some company and a challenge (:
Let me know!
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isaac hayes comin' our way in june-black moses in the bandshell!
see you there...
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I would give Prospect Park 100 stars if I could. I love it. My hubster loves it, My daughter loves it. Rolling green grass, tons of trees, bike/walk paths, tennis courts, ball fields, boat rides, horseback riding, playgrounds, ice skating and of course the zoo, the carousel and the Prospect Lefferts House. And lets not forget the concerts at the bandshell? We have been to all types of concerts from classical to hip hop.
Prospect Park is more than just a park. You can spend an entire day here on the weekend and have a million different experiences. A lot of peeps forget that the park goes beyond Park Slope/Prospect Height and into Flatbush. That's where the real fun begins.
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Eighty-seven billion stars! Prospect Park kicks Central Park's ass, yo. Seriously, I'm inching in on my fifth year anniversary living in Prospect Heights, and the park has been everything to me. When I moved to the city all shiny-eyed and frightened beyond belief, I spent all of my time at the park...because I was adventurous and moved to the city with about $375 in the bank (oh foolish youth...)
So, with no drankin' money, my friends and I would go to the park at night, spread out a sheet, and stare at the sky " Hey, I think I see ONE star! Right there...er. never mind, it's an airplane." The park encompasses so many awesome memories I get a touch misty-eyed just thinking about it. I love the fountain, checking out underage hotties at little league games (a joke!...or IS it?) picnics in the big field, Celebrate Brooklyn (oh...my...god!) the paddle boats my uncoordinated ass is too terrified to try, and...everything! It feels like a real park, and not so commercial, unlike previously mentioned park that does not rule. Anyway, I can barely walk without tripping, but I'm going ice skating before the seasons up, so pray for me.
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What an amazing place to see a great band!
Usually parks after dark freak me out, growing up near woods with crazy ass stories of horrible things happening, you tend to run the other way at the sight of multiple trees at night. But walking about a mile in Prospect (parking sucks) was a great little experience. The path we choose was close enough to the main street (so we didn't feel like we going to be abducted), but far enough away to still get the whole "woodsy" feel.
Once we got to the stage area there was a huge hill over looking the stage that you could hang out on since seats were limited. Very relaxed, clean and welcoming in there. The Stills put on a great show and it was a perfect way to spend a perfect summer night.
The ice cream man at the exit of the park was an extra plus too. Yummmyy!
Definitely need to come back here during the day, to really explore this place to the fullest.
Sky*
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OK, so sometimes I complain about NYC and all of the noise, grime, grittiness, brusqueness and otherwise general insanity that IS this city...but luckily for me, there is Prospect Park. Yes, sometimes I get bored from going to the same park, day in, day out, but overall, it's a pretty great park. It's less crowded than Central Park (though not to say it isn't SUPER crowded in the warmer months), and the trails are my favorite part. Sometimes it's not hard to imagine that I'm not even in the city, but in the woods somewhere far, far away. The other day I swear I saw a falcon! Super cool! I just returned from there on this snowy February day, and I feel completely renewed and rejuvenated. I am lucky enough to live about a block away, and it is one of my saving graces.
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My dad calls me a nomad, my parents call me a gypsy and my sister says I run like Forrest. Basically, what they're trying to say is that I tend to wander off not necessarily with a destination in mind but just to keep moving and explore new places. Today was my day in Prospect Park and I was ready to see all the sights.
Wrong! I only saw a few sights because Prospect is huge. It's definitely not as big as Central Park. It's probably a dot in relation to Central but it's pretty vast and for a brief while all I saw was grassy knolls, green forever, and lots and lots of trees. It's amazing Prospect Park is in Brooklyn. I felt like I was not in NYC but almost in the country. Maybe somewhere else in New England but definitely not NYC. There were lots of people solo sitting and in meditation state, runners, cyclists, families playing football, and people walking their dogs. I will definitely return in the summer time to catch some rays and definitely in autumn. Prospect Park must be beautiful during "autumn in New York." It's very picturesque and on this day I saw about seven chinese bridal parties taking their wedding photos in the park.
Fireworks are going to be going off for New Years and in the summer Prospect Park is home to the Philharmonic. I am so excited for that next year. There is much to see, do and experience in Prospect Park. I barely got through half of it but my walk around the park definitely cleared my arteries and trimmed my thighs for the day. I could also feel the air pump through my lungs. It felt good.
I told my uncle that I went to Prospect Park today and he said that it was a bad neighborhood and there are lots of muggers there. I felt really safe there and like I told him, "There's no money in my purse!" Muggers stay away from me. I don't have money and that is why I spend my days at free places like the park.
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Prospect Park is fantastic. I feel like i'm not even in a city anymore when I'm there. There's lots of open room for playing catch, frisbee, or whatever you may feel, and plenty of trails and paths for biking/walking. I miss jogging there now that I don't live by it.
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I'm almost tempted to say this place is better than Central Park. Its beauty lies in the fact that it is not quite as landscaped as its cousin in Manhattan. Replete with walkways, bridges, people playing all sorts of sports, and its biggest attraction - a dog beach. A great way to spend an evening by walking across the park to get dinner in Prospect Heights or Park Slope.
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If it's sunny, you'll find a sea of strollers and babysitters along with stay-at-home moms and dogs on the Longmeadow. Nestled in between those domestic pockets are hipsters that are too cool for Williamsburg, runners who think that it's okay for them to run shirtless, high schoolers cutting class, and people on their day off just wanting alone time to read a book.
If it's cloudy and cool you'll notice the couples in coats holding hands and walking slower than the group of hardened senior citizens en route to their favorite bench. Sidle along Prospect Park West and you'll see all the doctors sending away their patients, or singles ambling up to the lonely snack carts.
If it's a balmy night you'll see the ballfields full of dads playing catch with their sons, brothers beating up on brothers, cousins cutting other cousins in line for food. Everyone getting off of work gears up and runs again, and the number of dogs and dogwalkers double.
There's so many things to look at and do here and what makes it so great is that it's not infested by tourists on the south side. You can walk along canyons and see waterfalls and ducks and ride boats or go to the dog beach.
It's so accessible and comfortable. You can hear Brooklyn breathe when you step into this place.
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I lost 100 pounds in large part due to Prospect Park being in my front yard. That perfect 3.25 mile. I miss it so.
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31 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Greenwich Village