My Favorite Things: Free Public Spaces in New York City

On his blog, my good friend Ben Herman recently posted a comprehensive Google map of his favorite places in Saigon.  Having visited him there in July, it was fun to retrace the places we had been together.  It also blew my mind because I was not aware that this create your own map feature in Google existed.  Ben challenged me to create my own map of New York, which I began with relish.  I intend to complete and post that map sometime soon, but it quickly became clear I have so many awesome spots it might take a while.

In the meantime, I thought I'd first present a preliminary map of some of my favorite free public spaces in New York City.  It may be one of the priciest cities in the world, but through my explorations I have managed to find some great places to hang out and be creative in Manhattan on an artists' budget.

On the one level, this seems like it wouldn't be that challenging--this is a city of infinite public parks.  However, I've always had a hard time being productive outside--whether it is the ambient noise or proliferation of adorable puppies to distract me.  Also, as the weather starts to turn, the idea of warmth and shelter becomes extremely crucial.

So here are some of my go-to public spaces in Manhattan.  If you know of any others, please let me know!