Upstate NY? No, the nethermead in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. A quiet place to meditate, relax, breathe in some (relatively) fresh air or toss a frisbee.
Posted on 07/22/2009 8:02:12 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Still your mind. Here are some of my favorites to take a break, relax, breathe deep, clear you mind, feel good and not choke diesel fumes:
I like to do simple meditations here. Just look and breathe in and out slowly and see what I see, feel whatever I feel.
Manhattan:
St. Mary's Peace garden - You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy this tranquil oasis complete with bowed bridge over pond, benches and plants. 315 East 47th St, between 1st and 2nd. part of the Holy Family Roman Catholic church.
Metropolitan Museum of Art hidden gems - Ditch the throngs and head to The art of Asia, especially Southeast Asia. Meditate in near seclusion with peaceful gods and goddesses from Cambodia to India while the crowds jam the latest Van Gogh or mummy exhibit. Also check out the under-appreciated arts of the Pacific Islands section on the opposite end from the Temple of Dendur. Awesome, mysterious and soul refreshing.
Central Park hidden gem: The Pool. Certainly Central Park tops any list - but go to Central park north of 96th st. where the crowds thin out. At The Pool on the west side near 100th st, you can see water bubble forth from the earth and flow into the pond, complete with weeping willows. Follow the rivulet to a hidden waterfall and into the forest primeval.
Brooklyn:
The Nethermead is Prospect Park's hidden gem - The counterweight to the highly trafficked Longmeadow, the Nethermead, hidden in the southeast corner of the park, is an open rolling field home to occasional dog walkers, frisbee players, drummers and dreamers and for the most part, barely touched by crowds. The Native American collection at the Brooklyn Museum is unparalled and mysteriously soothing and stimulating at the same time.
Staten Island
Historic park and hidden gem - I love getting off at Tottenville, the last stop on the Staten Island train. Here, the journey is half the trip, but when you get here, oh my.
Walk about 10 minutes or so south of the train until you stumble upon the southernmost point in NY state, the 265 acre oasis Conference House Park overlooking Raritan Bay. In addition to peace, quiet sand, sea and sky you can visit the oldest building in NYC, the historic Conference House built in 1680, where the Americans and British unsuccessfully tried to negotiate an end to the Revolutionary war.
When I discovered it, I was like, "Holy cow, who even knew this place existed?" A stroll along the isolated dunes did reveal the burned out remains of a 1970s Buick and some tires in the rushes, but don't let that disturb your reverie.
Imagine you are a father or mother of the Revolution or even a Native American looking for whales, dolphins and seeing dense flocks of birds overhead. You will be amazed that this is modern day NYC.
Upstate NY? No, the nethermead in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. A quiet place to meditate, relax, breathe in some (relatively) fresh air or toss a frisbee.
Ping
Umm... there's a reason for that.
so will your blood and wallet (thin out)
It’s just bad Feng Shui...
Exactly.
Any basketball court would do.
LOL! The way the benches face...
What is wrong with 21?
I always came away quite relaxed.
Anywhere along the Palm Beaches.
Jimmy Hoffa’s been sleepin’ with the fishes over on the west side fer a while ....
Of course you need a key to get in. Meh.
In a Manhattan 3 million dollar condo.
I vote for Wave Hill in da Bronx during the week. The south end of Roosevelt Island and Pelham Bay in (again!) da Bronx are also good choices.
The Bronx is the peaceful borough.
Green-Wood cemetery. Fantastic monuments, beautiful grounds...a wonder.
I also love going to Governor’s island and exploring.
Ed
I have wanted to sneak onto the grounds of the old sanitorium at the tip of R island for many years...what a magnificent ruin.
Every time I see it I want to explore it.
I also tried to go onto the High Line bridge, which is opened now, though I haven’t seen it...
The botanical gardens in B’klyn are nioce, too.
Ed
I’ve got to vote for the little garden in the middle of the Asian Art section at the Met - it’s SO nice in there. Also, there’s a room next to the entrance to some research library that’s always nice and quiet, and the roof is pretty nice too provided you don’t have crowds gathering to watch someone set off firecrackers in the name of art...
And, of course, there’s always the option of going deep into the stacks at the NY Public Library.
Strand’s Bookstore, Columbus Circle Whole Foods, Juan Valdez coffeehouse, Central Park (of course!)...no place special but I rode my bicycle to most all of them while my mother was in the hospital!
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