Bryant Park

This square of green in the middle of Midtown likes to think of itself as New York’s version of a Parisian garden (albeit much-more modestly sized), with wrought-iron lawn chairs and graveled allées. In the summers, HBO hosts a Monday night film series, ranging from classics to rom-coms (arrive early – these events are extremely popular and New Yorkers claim their patch of green with sheets and blankets by mid-afternoon). In the winter, the center transforms into an ice-skating rink.