Vacations Blog

‘Twas the night before Christmas,

When all through the house

Not a creature was stirring,

Not even a mouse.

Clement Clarke Moore Park in Manhattan

Each Christmas season, families gather at a Tenth Avenue park in Manhattan to read the familiar poem that begins with these lines.  The park is named for Clement Clark Moore, who wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas in 1822. For holiday visitors to New York City, this is a great location to get off the beaten path and away from crowds any time of the year, but still take in some local history with a holiday theme.

The park is located in an area that was once a farm purchased by Moore’s grandfather in 1750 and named Chelsea after the Royal Chelsea Hospital for veterans in London. Although the farm was long ago divided and sold, Chelsea is still the name of this area on Manhattan’s west side south of midtown and north of Greenwich Village. It’s easily reached by subway, by cab, or by foot in this city where locals are known for walking anywhere and everywhere.

In 1965, New York City purchased the site of the present park with plans to build a playground for area residents.  The playground opened in 1968, and was named for Clement Clarke Moore one year later.  Like so many other parks and playgrounds throughout New York City, improvements were made in the 1990s to the park fences, surfaces, landscaping, and play equipment. Although the park may be a regular destination for local residents, it’s open to any visitors daily from dawn to dusk and—despite stories of rude New Yorkers—most families are always welcoming to travelers looking to get away from more crowded tourist destinations.

Clement Clarke Moore Park is located on Tenth Avenue and West 22nd Street in Manhattan. The Clement Clarke Moore Homestead in Queens, another park named for Moore, was the site of an estate first acquired by Moore’s great-great-grandfather in 1652.

Off the Beaten Subway Track:  New York City’s Best Unusual Attractions is a recently released guide helping visitors and locals in the Big Apple find hundreds of off beaten track destinations in New York City.

We recently interviewed the author, Suzanne Reisman to learn more about the city and her book.  Suzanne is a graduate of Columbia University (MPA) and New York University (BA) and a freelance writer. She is a contributing editor for Travel & Recreation to BlogHer.org, and her writing has appeared in Metro, New York Family, City Limits, New York Nonprofit Press, and Young Children. She and her husband live in New York City.

1. What is the most romantic destination in your book?
Since Off the Beaten (Subway) Track features mostly offbeat and unusual sites, nothing exactly fits the mold of romantic destinations.  However, the garden at the Mt. Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden (421 E. 61st St.) is a lovely step back in time, as well as surprisingly peaceful, given its proximity to the FDR highway.  Concerts are offered regularly throughout the summer.

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