Quiet CoordinatesQuiet places worth the drive.

If you loved

If you loved Carl Schurz Park

Reference: Carl Schurz Park

A city park people walk the dog in. History can sit inside it. It is not the central postcard garden.

Who is coming

Kids and big-group filters show the places marked for them.

Carl Schurz Park along the East River in Manhattan
EpicgeniusCC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Yorkville, Manhattan40.775° N, 73.944° W

Carl Schurz Park

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Food
A neighborhood table in Yorkville
Music
Carnegie Hall

Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour

Best season Any clear day. Evenings in summer are the local hour. Winter is wind off the river and an empty promenade.

Drive About 25 min by subway

From Midtown, the 4, 5, 6, or Q to 86th Street, then a short walk. This is not a drive. A car is the wrong tool.

Parking. Street parking is scarce and not the plan. Take the train.

The East River park from about 84th to 90th Street, with Gracie Mansion inside it. Dog walkers and neighbors. Not a Hudson Valley drive, and not a tourist promenade.

Worth knowing

  • The mansion

    Gracie Mansion is the mayor's residence. Do not arrive expecting a house tour unless the city has published one.

The short version

The park was renamed in 1910 for Carl Schurz, a public official. Gracie Mansion, the house in the park, was built for Archibald Gracie in 1799. It has been the mayor's official residence since Fiorello La Guardia moved in, in 1942. The house is not a casual tour.

Food nearby

A neighborhood table in Yorkville

Eat on 86th or Second Avenue. The park is the walk.

Music

Carnegie Hall

Recitals and orchestral nights. The owner's example of the kind of booking is a pianist such as Ludovico Einaudi. Whether that artist is on the current season is on the calendar, not on this page.

Official calendar

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Lawns and trees in De Waal Park, Cape Town
DebbielouiseCC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Oranjezicht, Cape Town, South Africa33.937° S, 18.414° E

De Waal Park

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Food
A picnic, or Kloof Street after
Farm stand
Oranjezicht City Farm
Kids
Marked for kids

Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour

Good with kids

Best season The city lists longer hours from September to March and shorter hours from April to August. Sunday concerts in March and April are on the city page.

A neighborhood park under Table Mountain, opened in 1895. Lawns, a playground, dogs, and a bandstand. Not the Company's Garden, and not a cable-car queue.

Worth knowing

  • Hours and concerts

    The city lists September–March 6:30–20:00 and April–August 7:00–18:00. Summer concerts are free Sunday afternoons in March and April, listed at 15:00. Confirm the year's poster.

With kids. The city page lists a play area, lawns, and dogs. The March–April Sunday concerts are free and outdoors. Hours change with the season.

The short version

The City bought land from the Van Breda estate in 1877 for reservoirs. The ground between them became the park. D. C. de Waal, a city councillor, planted trees. It opened to the public in 1895. It is a provincial heritage site. The City of Cape Town still runs it.

Food nearby

A picnic, or Kloof Street after

The park is the visit. Kloof Street is the nearby strip of ordinary restaurants.

Farms and stands nearby

  • Oranjezicht City Farm

    Certified organic produce from the farm on Upper Orange Street. They say vegetables can be ordered by WhatsApp. The farm shop is the neighborhood stop.

    Season. Their site says the farm at 87 Upper Orange Street is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

    On December 6, 2025 the weekend market moved to the V&A Waterfront, at the corner of Granger Bay Boulevard and Dock Road. That market posts Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a Wednesday night market from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. that is closed in June and July. The farm shop is the smaller door.

    Official page

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