Sometimes the whole plan is a blanket, a snack and a very long look at a tree. New York has way more green than people give it credit for, and a waterfront that finally got good. Here's where to go in every borough, once you've had your sesh at home.
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The one rule
New York City parks, beaches, boardwalks and plazas are smoke-free, and that covers weed, with a ticket attached. State parks set their own rules zone by zone, and national park land is federal, where weed isn't allowed at all. So the plan never changes: sesh at home or eat something before you leave, then go. The full story is in where you can sesh in NYC.
Manhattan parks
Central Park is the obvious one, and it earns it. Go wander the Ramble, or head north to the Harlem Meer, where it's calmer. Fort Tryon Park has the Hudson and the Palisades. Inwood Hill has real old forest. Hudson River Park runs the whole West Side with piers to sit on, and Little Island is the strange park on stilts. Tompkins Square is for people watching. More in the Manhattan guide.
Brooklyn parks
Prospect Park is the best park in the city, and the Long Meadow feels like somebody switched off the buildings. Brooklyn Bridge Park has lawns and piers under the skyline. Domino Park and Marsha P. Johnson State Park are in Williamsburg, Transmitter Park is in Greenpoint, and McCarren is the big backyard between them. Fort Greene Park has a hill worth climbing. And Coney Island's beach is at the end of the subway. See the Brooklyn guide.
Queens parks
Gantry Plaza and Hunters Point South in Long Island City have the most ridiculous skyline for free. Astoria Park has the Hell Gate Bridge, plus a giant pool in season. Flushing Meadows Corona Park has the Unisphere and a whole lot of room. And the Queens Botanical Garden is the calm one. See the Queens guide.
Bronx parks
Pelham Bay Park is the biggest park in the city, with Orchard Beach curving along the Sound at the end of the 6. Van Cortlandt has woods, trails and wide fields. The New York Botanical Garden is the big-ticket one, with an old forest right in the middle of it. Barretto Point has the river. All of it's in the Bronx guide.
Staten Island parks
The Greenbelt is thousands of acres of woods, and High Rock Park is the way in. Snug Harbor has gardens, paths and old buildings on the north shore. Conference House Park sits at the very bottom of the state. Everything's in the Staten Island guide.
What to bring
A blanket. A hoodie, because the wind off the water doesn't care what month it is. A big water, because cottonmouth is real. A snack from the bodega on the way, and a bag for your trash. If it's an edible day, start low and give it time. Check NYC by season for when each one's worth it, or the best views in NYC if you just want something to look at.
