The lights will be turned off in Inwood Park from 8pm to 11pm this Friday evening, April 3rd.

http://www.moonbeam.net/InwoodAstronomy/events-100hours.shtml

The potential for snarky lulz is endless.....I personally think the Union Rat should be the offical mascot of the entire city...

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/mascot.html

Pick the Parks Mascot!

Parks is expecting! That’s right, we’re preparing to add another member to our diverse yet close-knit family of environmentalists, scientists, urban planners, outdoor enthusiasts, athletes, artists, historians, wildlife experts, educators, park volunteers, and more. Although we’re ready to embrace our special someone, we first need your help in creating him or her.

Who—or what—should be the official mascot of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and what is its name? Is it Nutty the Squirrel, Hudson the Hawk, or Parker the Leaf? Is it another animal, person, or object, or a previously unknown creature that emerged from the depths of New York City’s 29,000 acres of parks, gardens, and forests?

Submit your Parks mascot name and concept, and you may win the pride and glory of helping to create a City icon!



Hi Kids!

You don’t have to be 18 to come up with a great idea! If you have a mascot suggestion, we want to hear from you. Just make sure your parent or guardian fills out the form for you, using his or her contact information, and checking the box at the bottom. Make sure you ask him or her to give you credit in the Mascot Concept box, click Submit, and your idea will be sent to our special vault of mascot suggestions.

I'm going to the NY Philharmonic's Concert in the Park tomorrow evening. It's at the Great Lawn. My friends and I are thinking of bringing in bottles of wine. Is that allowed? My bags were searched when I went to a Summerstage event, but I don't know if they were being searched for alcohol and food...Has anyone been to a Concert in the Park event, and have they ever searched bags for alcohol?

In Central Park this afternoon, I watched as a giant waterslide was being inflated in the Bandstand area. I looked it up and found this...

http://www.backpackerpromo.com/adventuresnyc/

Free Kayaking, waterslide, crafty stuff, and stunt BMX bike folks on a GIANT quarter pipe. I know I'm psyched, I just thought I'd share. :)

Does anyone know of tennis courts in Brooklyn that are free? Just at random parks and such. For some reason I would be left feeling a little ripped off if we had to pay 7 bucks per person for only an hour of play ;\


If anyone else is interested, I just found this: http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/af_tennis_outdoor.html

This just hit my inbox. Also contained are some nifty looking workshops for educators, so if you're a teacher, this might (or might not) be of interest.

( 14th Annual Bronx Parks Speak UpCollapse )

Is anyone attending Phil Kline's Unsilent Night tomorrow? It's a free event at Washington Square Park in which hundreds (?) of people will be playing boom boxes with different parts of his piece. I am going to go with my digital recorder in tow to record it for my podcast. let me know if you are going, I would love to talk to some of the attendees for the show too!

Is anyone else going to the Tompkins Square Park Dog Costume Parade this Sunday? (I thought it was tomorrow, but it looks like it's been rescheduled for Sunday...)
Or has anyone gone in the past that could share their experience?
Is it ridiculously crowded? Should we get there early?

Forest like opposed to those in dense city parks. Where/how can I get to some kind of woody area by some kind of transit ( bus, metro north, lirr, subway, a combination, on foot?) I just went home for the weekend to Massachusetts and I now miss trees. 

If you live in WaHI or the South Bronx (or even Harlem) ... or if you commute by bike between the Bronx and Manhattan you'll want to speak up in favor of having the highbridge open late at night.

The highbridge is the oldest bridge in the city and it's going to be open for pedestrians and bikes. But the initial plan was to just have it open on weekends and in the middle of the day.

That means it won't be of much use for people who commute by bike or on foot.

The parks department has a survey on how people will plan to use this bridge when they open it.

If you live in one of the areas near by take some time to fill it out.

Here is the link:

http://www.nycgovparks.org/email_forms/planyc_surveys/highbridge/mail_form.html

I'm so happy they are going to open it. I just hope it will be open when I can use it, you know?