First Park

First Park is a dynamic spot to eat lunch, enjoy the fresh air, or grab a bite at MudPark (the café). I’m glad I decided to spend a bit of time here before continuing on my way through the Lower East Side.
There were groups of adults chatting while sitting at the tables and benches spread throughout the half of the park I was in– green playground structures occupy the other half of the park, which was understandably empty because I visited this park during school hours.
Spending time at in this space was surprisingly serene, because this park is in the middle of a really busy intersection: East Houston Street and 1^st Avenue (which becomes Allen Street once you go south). Despite the vehicle noise, I did feel refreshed being here. Plus, the big sign on Mud Park’s exterior that says, «Don’t worry, everything is going to be amazing» was so encouraging and timely to read.
I’m going to update my review once I try the food from Mud Park and pay a second visit to this spot. So far, my impressions are positive!

park it. breathe in. exhale. repeat. your insides and outsides need a break from the breakneck pace of the nyc frenzy.
a concrete, metal fenced-​in respite cornered against the trafficky Houston St and First Avenue.
while there’s a lack of greenery in this «park” – there’s still an air of playful energetic relaxation swirling in this patch of benches, playground space, and handball courts.
most of the space is dominated with slides, climb-​y stuff, monkey bars, etc. for the kiddies. the space is well-​balanced and not crowded up with recreational eq, so the wee ones can run around openly and safely. the playground seems to be the most used part of the park where parents, grandparents, etc. can let the wild ones run wild or have safe play date with their amigos or amigas.
there are «courts» that are actively used by the other «ballers» aka HANDBALLERS. this nyc-​centric sport is alive and kicking at this park with a heavy rotation of handballers running and smacking rubber balls and besting each other in the asphalt arenas.
Mudpark serves up coffee, tea, sandwiches, and other eats from the early am to early evening. there are a bunch of seating options. i often kill time in this area before jumping on the F train whose 1^st avenue entrance is only steps away.
while the non-​stop grind of life in NYC sandpapers us down and the hustle bustle keeps our minds and bodies jostled. First Park allows us a moment to pause and reset before going back into the fray of work, crowded trains, generic life drama, other points of stress and pressure.
at first glance it’s just a staged and arranged variety of stone, concrete, metal, plastic, etc. plunked down amongst the cars, buses, and other traffic in downtown Manhattan for the function of fun, activity, and leisure… and maybe that’s the point… we need fun, activity, and leisure more than we realize – not only as a function of living, but also as an essential aesthetic part of our lives that can go missing from time to time without notice. these «urban» parks give a moment to pause and to catch up on enjoying a string of moments without fraying.
drops mic to give you some peace from the din.
i out.
zzz
p. s. there’s also some great spray (street art) right next to the park on first street. a construction trailer has been tagged up courtesy of the non-​profit Centre-​Fuge Art Project.

Lower East Side has a tiny vest pocket park that appears more of a children’s playground with the 2^nd Avenue F train station located on the corner. Minimal trees and very little green growing. Drinking fountains and handball courts are available. Benches are minimal as you face traffic. Wall mural paintings are nicely embedded.

This park maybe small and have no grass. But I recently moved into the neighborhood and my eyes had hearts in them when I saw a gentleman setting up for compost. He was super friendly and informative. He handed me a stamp card. After 5 times you get a bag of compost dirt! Nice! I love the environment and I’m a sucker for a stamp card. This is a total win win for me. He also handed me an informative list of what can be composted. I saw the same man this morning when I dropped off my food trimmings and he was standing in the brisk morning weather. You can tell he cares about the environment too. I moved in from a neighborhood where people just throw their garbage on the ground. It was refreshing to know people still care.
Tip: I keep my food trimmings in a container in the freezer.
I will also add, I love the fact that Mud Park is here. My husband has made it his morning routine to grab coffee and a nibble and sit on a bench and enjoy the people watching.
Hopefully the city will add some potted plants. For now I love cutting through this little park and getting to the subway.
I also like that there’s twinkle lights hanging above. It softens the look and looks inviting.

First Park is a little tiny vest-​pocket park with the 2^nd Avenue F train stop attached to a corner of it.
It’s a very New York City-​type or park; I don’t think there’s a single blade of grass growing in it. But, there’s playground equipment, drinking fountains and handball courts.
My favorite thing about this park: In the 1930s artist Ben Shahn made a painting of guys playing handball here:
He based his painting on a photograph he took and in the photo you can see the theater in the background that is now the Sunshine Theater.
If you stand in just the right spot, you can line yourself up so that you are standing just exactly where he was when he took the picture.