Where to Find the Best Tree-Filled Spaces in Lower Manhattan

It’s finally summer, which means that hot and heavy days are upon us. While it’s great to get a dose of sunshine, sometimes you need a cool, shady spot to post up in as a respite from the July and August rays. The good news is, Lower Manhattan has lots of inviting tree-filled spaces for you to curl up in on a hot lunch break, downtown visit or steamy Saturday. Here are some options.

Bowling Green

The city’s oldest public park is one of its loveliest summer spots, with a slew of London Planetrees providing deep shade. It’s also a fairly picturesque spot, with 1500 deep-red Caliente geraniums circulating the center fountain and backdropped by the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, which was designed by Woolworth Building architect Cass Gilbert.

Water Street Elevated Acre

This delightful secluded park is one of our favorite outdoor spots in the neighborhood, made all the more enjoyable thanks to densely planted native and introduced tree species. The trees happen to attract songbirds, which help sound-track the acre’s incredible views of the East River, Brooklyn and Queens.

South Cove Park

This lush water-adjacent oasis in Battery Park City has an enviable collection of trees and shrubs, including large Cedars of Lebanon that shade the walkway.

Coenties Slip

This intimate rest area is shaded by a large Linden tree and decorated with a dozen round containers planted with colorful annuals and sweetbay magnolia, a lemon-scented, multi-stemmed native tree.

The Battery 

Battery Park has an abundance of native trees, with species including witch hazel, persimmon, and large-leaved magnolias. As an added bonus, the park is also home to  an active beehive whose residents pollinate the surrounding fruiting plants.

Elizabeth Berger Plaza

This relative newcomer offers a diverse palette of trees, including the bald cypress, a native deciduous conifer that thrives in wetlands as well as stressful urban conditions. Other notable trees providing sun respite are Ginkgo, Kousa dogwood, swamp white oak and shrubs- including viburnum, several types of hydrangea and lilac, as well as Japanese painted fern and flowering perennials. In short, it’s a truly beautiful spot to soak up some shade.