Bryant Park is a 9.603-acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. Although technically the Main Branch of the New York Public Library is located within the park, effectively it forms the park’s functional eastern boundary, making Sixth Avenue the park’s primary entrance. Bryant Park is located entirely over an underground structure that houses the library’s stacks, which were built in the 1980s when the park was closed to the public and excavated; the new library facilities were built below ground level while the park was restored above it.
This is the statue of William Cullen Bryant Memorial. Bryant (1794-1878) was a newspaper editor, one of America’s most popular poets, and a civic improver who led the campaign to create Central Park. Herbert Adams, one of the best New York sculptors of his period, created the bronze figure of Bryant. The memorial was dedicated in 1911, at the completion of the library.
The Rink, known as the Pond, is the centerpiece of Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. The 170′ x 100′ rink features free admission ice skating, in addition to rental skates, skating shows, special events, and activities.
Two day we walked through Bryant Park and the Winter Village. The first time the shops were not open yet but the second time it was fun looking at the buying possibilities. The Village had more than 125 boutique-style shops. There was unusual clothing, jewelry, decorative items, and local foods. The Holiday Shops complete the park’s transformation into a winter wonderland and reminded us of the Europe’s Christkindlmarkt.