Bryant Park Lawn Now Open For Summer

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The ropes surrounding Bryant Park's luscious central lawn were officially removed for summer at 12 p.m. Friday, in an annual ceremony arguably more impactful on a New Yorker's sense of season than solstice.

The timing is a little ironic: A powerful Nor'easter is currently preparing to dump 24 hours of straight rain on NYC over the weekend. But in the calm before the storm, hundreds of city people were pictured celebrating some final hours of sunshine Friday afternoon by tromping all over the park's freshly grown grass, crushing it with their picnic blankets and otherwise claiming it as their own.

Bryant Park's great lawn — a "rye/fescue/bluegrass mix" the size of a football field — is torn out every year to make way for its equally iconic ice rink, then regrown in spring for enjoyment over the summer, according to park officials.

And now that the lawn is open, there are a ton of city-sanctioned ways to celebrate — including but not limited to night yoga, free outdoor theater and dance and meditation classes. Here's a roundup from Time Out of more Bryant Park summer lawn events than you'll even know what to do with.

Now go binge on some manicured chlorophyll already, before this off-season Nor'easter shows up to kill the fun. And don't forget to check out NYC's fanciest public restroom, now even fancier with $300,000 in recent upgrades, while you're there.

Lead image via Bryant Park/Facebook