City Hall Park

On my way to see the Brooklyn Bridge, I found myself crossing through City Hall Park. The evening glow over its historic buildings was absolutely captivating. If you’re a street food lover, this is the perfect spot to grab some delicious bites and soak in the vibe. It’s a great place to pause, relax, and enjoy the views before heading back and forth from the Brooklyn Bridge.”

I took a walk around City Hall Park during my lunch break, and it was the perfect mid-day reset. The park is nicely maintained with plenty of greenery and a peaceful vibe, even in the heart of the city. Although the fountain isn’t working, the space still feels relaxing and worth the visit. There are benches if you want to sit and people watch, and the surrounding architecture gives the park a classic New York charm. If you’re nearby and need a quick break from the office, it’s a great spot to clear your head.

Must-See: City Hall Park! I visited City Hall Park last week, and it’s a must-see! This beautiful park offers a serene escape in the heart of the city. The lush greenery, historic architecture, and inviting atmosphere make it a perfect spot to relax or take a stroll. Highly recommend stopping by when you’re in the area!

Very nice park for relaxing and resting. Plenty of benches and a soothing fountain. No restrooms or playground. No dogs.

Got spaces on the free city hall tour Definitely worth the hour getting inside and getting the history of the building, the paintings and the rooms

Here’s a lovely spot to relax in the city. 🐿️🐿️🐿️The fountain and historic buildings make it charming, and you’ll often see street performers like break dancers adding energy to the space. There are also lots of big squirrels running around, which makes it fun to watch while you take a break. A nice quick stop if you’re nearby!

A nice park to sit and relax after a nice walk on Brooklyn Bridge. It's very close to the Bridge and many food, drink vendors outside. There are benches to sit on and a nice fountain. A quiet respite from the hustle bustle outside.

City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan perfect for a quick escape from the city's hustle. Its well-maintained lawns, historic fountain, and benches offer a serene spot to relax, especially after exploring nearby Brooklyn Bridge or the Financial District. Surrounded by iconic architecture like City Hall and the Woolworth Building, it’s great for people-watching—newlyweds, workers, and tourists alike.

Stumbled across this park while exploring the city. Cut across the park to reach the pedestrian walkways and bike trails for the Brooklyn Bridge. So nice to walk across the bridge on a breezy summer day exploring Manhattan. The park has played many roles during its history. It has been a pasture, a prison, a parade ground, a place for public executions, an art museum and a post office. An interesting park near City Hall.

A small park with plenty of tall leafy trees, benches, and a central fountain, directly next to (south of) NYC's City Hall building. While it's currently fairly close to the bottom tip of Manhattan, the park in colonial times was considered the northernmost edge of the city. Being thus, it started off functioning as locations for services relegated to the city periphery--livestock pastures 1653-1699, an almshouse 1736-1797, a debtors prison and execution site when the British controlled the area during the Revolutionary War 1756-1783. Once the park became adjacent to the current city hall built in 1803, it then hosted the city's first art museum 1818, and the southern tip of the park was sold to the US government to convert into a post office 1867, then torn down and converted back to park grounds in 1939. Constructed in 1842, the original fountain in the park was named Croton Fountain after the then new Croton aqueduct from which water was pumped to run it. In 1871 it was replaced by the current smaller version, designed by Jacob Wray Mould, who also co-designed Central Park's Bethesda Fountain. There are a number of permanent sculptures of historic figures in the park as well as temporary sculpture installations. Overall the park is quite clean and safe, probably due to its proximity to the nearby city offices and police presence. Due to its proximity to the city building where marriages are performed, you'll often catch couples taking marriage photos here in the park--have come upon these special moments a couple times as I've randomly walked through. Fun fact: the park has 243 mapped trees according to city park services. For more info: https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/city-hall-park

Tranquil pseudo park in City Hall. Although it's described as a park, it's small but nice. A beautiful fountain sits smack in the middle surrounded by landscaped flowers. Although I'm not accustomed to sitting in a park for long periods, I'd definitely take a load off my feet here. Nowadays, some parks have become frightening drug dens. I didn't see anything but people and kids relaxing and enjoying the nice weather. Nighttime is a different story. No parks for me. Nice oasis in City Hall.

PARK & BUILDING. Took the W TRAIN down to CITY HALL. Hardly ever visited this area growing up where a Public Park surrounds CITY HALL. The Building is the seat of NYC Government and houses the MAYOR'S Office. It is also the oldest CITY HALL in the UNITED STATES. One of the main features of the Park is the JACOB WREY MOULD FOUNTAIN which was originally placed here in 1871. CITY HALL is a NYC Landmark and Historic Place. WORTH VISITING.

Surrounded by centuries-old majestic government buildings that date back to 1812, this park provides a much-needed green spot in a bustling downtown area. At lunchtime each afternoon it springs to life when those working in the neighborhood come to relax, eat, and soak in sunshine on its grassy lawns. For people-watching enthusiasts, the park provides a crosscut of New York life as government workers, jury members, and newlyweds visiting City Hall for their marriage licenses stroll through its grounds. Its bike path, which leads directly to the Brooklyn Bridge, offers a different type of scenic view to cyclists pedaling through picturesque panoramas of some of the City's iconic public architecture. We have walked past and through this park many times and sometimes is full of business type people, other times is full of tourists following a guided tour, sometimes there's some homeless people hanging around....regardless it's a part of the history of the city.

We were visiting the Woolworth Building and we decided to stroll into City Hall Park. One can relax on one of the Park's benches and imagine the historical actions at this park. Such as the rallies that occurred here; Stamp Act of 1765, the erection of the Liberty Pole in 1766 along with the completion of the Trinity Church. The history that dwells with me was the reading of the Declaration of Independence by George Washington in the commons. Fortunate for us, it was a wonderful day to enjoy the City Hall Park and take pictures of ourselves and the surrounding areas of the park.

Very nice park surrounding the City Hall area. Multiple entrances off the streets around it with each one having some sort of art installations or statues. Beautiful working fountain archors the center of the park. Plenty of benches to sit at and relax. Well manicured grounds with all kinds of trees, bushes, and flowers. Even as I walked through on a rainy day it was a peaceful stroll to relax and think about things.

I've seen City Hall Park come a long way in the past twenty years. I worked close by. During my lunch breaks I loved to sit in the park near the fountain. Every time I visit the neighborhood I go see how the park looks and enjoy the fountain. I typically spend the day wandering the whole neighborhood. There's lots of businesses nearby. It's a wonderful place for people that live and work near City Hall. I treasure this photo I'm posting that I took on a cloudy day. I can't wait to return on a nice Sunny Day.

3.5 stars. Probably the only place in the area you can eat your food outside. The park is just ok, but there are lots of benches to sit. It could be your rest stop after a visit to the Brooklyn Bridge and/or the beginning of your northbound stroll of TriBeCa or Chinatown. Considering the proximity to the mayor's office, it could be kept cleaner.

City Hall Park is the green space surrounding City Hall. It's not the greatest park in the city, but it's pleasant to walk through if the weather is nice. Maybe you might see the mayor. If not, you can still see greenery. The park is a great oasis. As it's surrounding City Hall, there may be complications accessing it. If something important is going on, it might be blocked off or taken over by protestors. The City Hall is a beautiful building, and is obviously the centerpiece. It's a Roman style of architecture. The other great thing is the fountain. The City Hall should be the pride of any city. Here it's well taken care of. The park gives it an added touch.

This park isn't anything fantastic, but it's close to Chambers Street station and a ton of food vendors (make sure you have cash, cus none of them accept card or Venmo). Well shaded for the most part, surrounded by a ring of trees, though the sun changes position throughout the day (duh). Nice fountain. As many other reviews note, tons of very active squirrels and pigeons. Nice spot to rest during a busy day in Brooklyn.

City Hall Park is basically the park that's around city hall. Easily said but it's different in different areas of the park. The main entrance on Broadway is the area most people recognize as the entire park. With plentiful benches, installation art, fountains and connections to many trains. The most interesting parts are on the side and back of City Hall with the dramatic views toward the river and Brooklyn Bridge. You can occasionally catch the "showtime" crew and food trucks and carts for your pleasure. Its a nice place to relax for lunch or to pass time.

A nice little green space to relax and get out of the sun while checking out the downtown and financial district. Beautiful architecture surrounds the park, it's also steps away from the Brooklyn Bridge on one side, and the World Trade Center on the other. Same for the subways, they all intersect down this way whether you're coming from either the Upper West or East side. The trees are some of the oldest, large canopies drape over the park it always seems very well shaded and you can feel the temperature drop. Perhaps it why you'll find some of the friendliest squirrels in the city here. They're used to people, so if you don't care to have a new buddy begging for your lunch, better just keep moving on through.

Ideal little park to sit down and have a quick lunch. It's nice to just sit here and unwind in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle.

This is a welcome respite from the Financial District and a nice place to watch and listen as the city starts it's day. Nice photo ops here (I'll post one) and a quick stroll to the Brooklyn Bridge. I always find the chess tables inviting and as other reviewers stated-the gas lanterns are a great touch.

Touristy obvi, but also somewhat chill, especially if you grab a spot on a bench in the shade and near the water fountain, which coupled with the bird sounds exhibit that echoes from the surrounding light posts, can be quite relaxing. There isn't much coverage from the sun though so if you're looking for a shady spot, those are usually taken, especially around lunchtime when many people who work in the area pop a squat and eat their lunch by the fountain.

Across from the Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall Park used to be one of my stops on my route home from work. It's not a large park, but it has a nice fountain in the middle of the park with benches all around. I guess I have a soft spot for this park because it's this green patch in the middle of all these old, grey, government buildings. The park breathes a little life into the area. It's also a nice place to meet up during the day. I brought lunch here once and ate sitting on one of the benches with a friend. It's a peaceful spot. Warning: Watch your step when it's raining or has recently rained. The stone flooring can get slick and slippery. Don't take a tumble!

Ahh... City Hall Park has imbued many memories of my undergraduate days directly opposite, Pace University where I came here to seek an inner calm frequently even now whenever in the Financial District. It's well maintained and reconstructed from the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and sometimes closed for security reasons. The Jacob Wrey Mould Fountain with the restored original gas streetlights brings its charm from the glory days of New Amsterdam. The fountain is the most charming I've seen and most coveted for photographs with City Hall Building in the background. For the avid historian or NY history aficionado, City Hall Park is rich with history as the gas streetlights will whisk one back in time. The green lawn is healthy and there is a bike path leads directly to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance. Ample seating is available for park patrons to rest and put the brakes on life.

Another NYC Park I've taking a liking to. Plenty of benches to just kick back and enjoy the city surroundings. There is a really nice fountain and historical statues. There is a great view of city hall. There's beautiful gardens to look at and take in the aromas. I circled outside the park there was a nice statue of Ben Franklin and a good view of the Brooklyn bridge.

Stop and have a Zen moment, you deserve it. I can't ever resist stopping here when I am in the area. If it's a nice day, it's the perfect place to have a quick take-out lunch or just take a stroll. It definitely is an oasis in the middle of downtown where Freedom Tower construction and general congestion are happening. The fountain may not be the Trevi, but it's certainly impressive and I never forget to toss a coin in for luck. There's also frequently some art exhibits on display as well as an African burial ground and monuments including some historically interesting Civil War ones. Walkways and lawns are immaculately cared for and the bike path leads to the Brooklyn Bridge if you're a cyclist. On a nice warm day, I couldn't think of a better place in the area to stop and sip a lemonade.

I couldn't find one thing that I didn't love about this park. With its little bit of grass and benches in a sea of skyscrapers and concrete it is 100% New York City!! In such a bustling downtown area with so many government buildings I'm sure it's nice for the locals to have a place to come and take refuge during a long busy workday. It also has a bike bath that leads directly to the Brooklyn Bridge and a gorgeous fountain splashing gracefully at its center.

I've always loved this park. I remember it before they re-did or installed the big fountain. The fountain is one of the best in the city, and provides some great photo ops for selfies or w/ friends. The opposite sides of the park include access to the 6 line (on the East side) and the R and W line on the opposite side of the park. (Broadway line) The park has ample benches and a lot of public activity. It also offers some great views of both City Hall and Lower Manhattan. Enjoy it.

Clean park to hang out and sit during pretty much any time of the day. Usually walk through this park when I need to cut from Broadway to Park Row or vice versa. Lots of benches to sit on, good for lunch hour and relaxing your legs after walking around shopping downtown. The fountain is usually on all the time, and the old school street lamps makes this park a cool classic hangout spot in the city. There are a few chess tables near the City Hall main buildings where you can play some cheese (but who carries chess pieces now, everything can be done on your phone). Most people use these tables to eat their lunch. There's a few cops usually roaming around since it's City Hall and the important VIPs might be around sometimes.

A lovely, scenic park that we walked through on the way to the Brooklyn Bridge.

A very nice park that gets you away from the busy New York streets. That area is surrounded by huge buildings, giving it an unbelievable architectural appearance. Though beautiful, it's nice to have somewhere quiet under some trees to have coffee. The fountain is nice and the sound of water is always peaceful. Once in the park I took the longer walk out, instead of just cutting through. Slow time down a bit, then continue with the day. For a New York park with a municipal building and a courthouse located inside. It's still worth a slow walk.

Loving Parks especially in New York, City Hall Park is one of my favorite! A little paradise in the middle of big great buildings and a City what really never sleeps. Hope we could fight success against corona and I am allowed to visit my favorite City and Parks again. Miss it so so much!!!

What's not too like it's City Hall park. Very relaxing atmosphere with plenty of tourists hand feeding squirrels. I mean come on you know real new yawkers are not feeding squirrels. I actually lived in this park during protest in late 80's. Back then you could go inside city hall unfettered. We had access to press room downstairs. That's when Mayor Koch was running things. So they renovated park which added new fountain and is very nice. If you like people watching or just taking a quiet break this is the place. Wish J&R was still in park row dam that was great store. Wishful thinking

Even in the cold season it is magestic to see the trees and the leafs with the most beautiful winter colors, even better is to enjoy the park on a 40 degree weather where the magic of winter and the heat of the sun gives you the confort to enjoy the beauty of the park!

What a cute little park. My fiancé and I stumbled upon this completely by accident. Honestly, this is probably one of the cleanest parks I've seen in the city. Not only that, the architecture is stunning. The two definites to check out are the fountain and City Hall.

This is a redeeming influence in a neighborhood that otherwise has more than its share of large buildings, bordering as it does on the financial district. The park touts a free wireless hotspot, although I haven't checked to see if it works. The centerpiece of the park is the Jacob Wrey Mould Fountain, that is lit by four gas lamps at night--an incredible sight.

A surprising little oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan. It's a sweet little spot to soak in the sun, people watch, and spend some time chillaxing with the honey.

City Hall Park is a wonderful oasis downtown--accessible to Tribeca and Chinatown and open all year round. Olive particularly loves when I walk her here because the squirrels are so tantalizing--just always out of reach. This is a hub of activity, with a fountain, benches, all the usual park amenities--plus proximity to City Hall. Renovated in 1999, Mayor Giuliani called the park's renovation "a final gift from the 20th century to New Yorkers of the 21st century."

Very pretty in daytime. At night it is not quite the same especially in winter. I cut through here when heading fro the PATH. Seems safe enough. Fountains are very cool in the Spring. Much better in the spring when it's a great place to escape the stress of the workday.

I love this park, especially at night. The gas lanterns and huge fountain in the center are absolutely charming. There are plenty of benches if you go on a weekend, and strolling through the park after a quiet dinner with a loved one is just...perfect. My only complaint--why are so few of the lawns open to the public? All that greenspace is so tempting and we can't go anywhere near it. Why?

Every city hall park in every city should be this beautiful. I'm always captivated by the serenity of this park, with its shady tree-lined benches, centerpiece fountain and city hall building back drop. This must be an architectural design phenomenon because tourists and local urbanites seem drawn to slow down and sit on the benches or pause for a photo in front of the fountain. The first time I encountered the park was on a late summer night when I first moved to New York. Years later, I still find it beautiful in spring daylight. If you ever need to catch the 4, 5, 6 subway, it's worth walking a few extra blocks to this scenic stop.

Super little park to have a coffee or lunch in if you work downtown, or are there as a tourist. Lots of benches. Lots of open space. Nice fountain. Nice views of city hall. Usually people around doing mime or other tricks to help you part with your money. Good people watching here. Theres a Starbucks, DD, and probably a Tim Horton's (although I'm not sure) close by. There are a few chain lunch places and a bunch of small mom and pops around for a breakfast sandwich or lunch soup & salad. Its Manhattan, don't drive, walk or take the subway. But just in case, no real street parking around here, lots of its blocked off for "official vehicles only".

Another gem in the concrete city in which we all live in. So far the biggest and best fountain which I came across present within the city parks. It gives a very calm and serene feeling to me.The park has ample seating capacity considering it's size and it is very well maintained. Park welcomes the guests with a colourful sculpture at the entrance. The park has the perfect setting for it's visitors to enjoy food or coffee with great ambience.

Crazy idea, and I have no idea how they'd implement it, but they should keep track of the people who sit in this park when it's less-than-clement weather, and reward us with a seat on sunny days when everyone and his mother decide to show up. This is a cool place to chill in the middle of a busy day. The City really went out of its way to introduce and maintain a nice variety of trees and flowers and assorted plants. They've recently started to rotate in some art exhibits, which so far have been engaging, a little edgy, and very New York. The only complaint is a personal one, and I don't expect anyone else to have this issue. Every year when J&R has its MusicFest, I'm the head of the group that has to set up police barricades inside the park so the flowers don't get damaged. That's fine in and of itself, but....try to wheel a flatbed cart into this place. It's impossible. You have to bring the barricades in and out one at a time. Fun work in mid-August, I assure you.

wow city hall park looks different now and its a combo of covid 19 and the cold weather. across from city hall where the worst mayor in the history of nyc pretends to run the city and even though the small park is well maintained i cant believe how many homeless people are camped out here .when i worked a block away during the late 80s for a year i would eat my lunch at the park while listening to my walkman and if the weather was really nice finding a spot on one of benches was first come first served. the water fountain was a good reason for the tourist to take pics before heading to city hall. overall its a nice little park and the nyc parks dept do really good job keeping it clean and people friendly for us and the squirrels and birds.

I used to watch that show, Spin City, and they used to have outside shots of City Hall, I think they were taken from this park! It's where city business gets taken care of! This is a great little green space in the midst of all the city buildings on one side, and the Brooklyn Bridge on the other! When I came by, there were performance artists doing a show that involved them jumping over people in the crowd. "Don't Move!!" Was the common thread of the show, before they leaped over scared-looking tourists. The park is kept in great condition, with hedges and lawns so tightly manicured, you could set your watch to them. There's a cool fountain in the center of the park that's a good place to sit and watch the city officials try to make New York continue to run! The park opens up to the area where pedestrians and bicyclists can get on the pedestrian path along the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a good resting spot before you head over the bridge. There's also a CitiBike facility here that can rent you a bike if needed.

Aptly named, City Hall Park is literally the grounds in which the Mayor of this city legally does business. The building stands out in the center of the park, it has a mix of ancient Roman architecture along with colonial style and early 1800s architecture. Surrounding the building is a very lush green park filled with leafy trees, flowers and well placed shrubs. There's a water fountain at the south entrance of the park where tons of people from all walks of life gather, Wall Street folks mingling with blue collar construction workers and college kids from Pace and NYU. You won't find as many tourists coming to this park, its really a hangout for true NY natives. Its a great place to sit down and have lunch or have a casual date if you're entering a new relationship. :)

I love this small park. It's like my personal oasis in the middle of downtown hell.I work right next door and it's a perfect break spot. It's kept fairly clean and other than a few wandering homeless men talking to themselves it very safe. 90% of the visitors don't even realize that they can go on the grass and sit. The fountain here is one of my favorites especially when they light the gas lanterns . This is a very good people watching spots. Squirrels and pigeons will be your best friend if you feed them. FACT: It's not illegal to take the change out of the fountain...lol...I'll remember this if times get tough. I'll be the guy on someone else's review..lmao

A lovely oasis amidst the canyons of lower Manhattan. The (limited numbers of) benches do indeed get taken quickly on weekdays and especially during lunchtime, but it's even nice for just a stroll. I particularly like the fountain and the statuary in this park.

A little grassy knoll surrounded by the old city subway and classic buildings of lower Manhattan. The people watching here is excellent and you can get tacos or korean food from the little stands nearby. You can also hop on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Nice clean park near city hall. It has a fountain which is quite a view. There are vendors nearby who sell cold drinks and hotdogs. Lots of locals and business people seen relaxing here around noon. Other than that, people don't really come here to sunbathe or read. But still, I thought it was a nice park that was near the downtown and the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge. Pro tip: stay away from the smoothie vendors: $9 for water and fruit?!

Beautiful little area with statues and beautiful buildings galore. This is where the Brooklyn bridge starts on the Manhattan side. It has the courts, city hall, the police station, and many other important structures. Street performers abound, and you're a short walk from the WTC and other downtown sites. There is a flagpole with a little Liberty sign on top. Has some history going back to the Revolutionary War.

I walk through this park every morning on my way to work and back home. It's a perfect, tiny escape from the busy city surrounding it. As mentioned by other reviewers, the fountain is the highlight but there has been a series of art installations lately which adds a nice element to the park. Get your workday lunch to go and eat in this park. Plus, if you love dogs like I do, you're in for a treat!

My 300th Yelp review! I am glad I can do it as a 5 star review. I love City Hall Park. Its small and has its own little eclectic vibe. The fountain with the restored gas lights around it are beautiful especially in the morning with the sun splashing down. They often do art displays in the park that change throughout the year,recently they had one that mimicked sounds of the forest and it was cool watching tourists try to figure out where the noises were coming from. The park offers a nice little oasis in the concrete jungle of Lower Manhattan. They also did a great job getting rid of or at least lowering the rat population. I think the biggest thing was to get rid of the shrubbery that lined the walkway and allowed the rats places to hide. I remember living in the area about 10 years ago and coming home late through the park and having to throw change every few feet to scatter the rats. Now I rarely see one.

Very clean park - it's located right next to City Hall, after all. There aren't a lot of benches so seats might be hard to find. There is no parking on the streets (unless you are a city worker). The squirrels here are very friendly. I have seen people (maybe tourists?) feed these guys very closely. The squirrels are actually really receptive of this and I haven't encountered a squirrel attack yet. I would recommend coming to this park to see the dynamic relationship the squirrels have.