Hang out

Washington Square Park, next door to the hotel, is Greenwich Village’s landmark neighbourhood meeting place and centre of cultural and leisure activity. Most of the buildings that surround the park belong to New York University, so students are a permanent fixture here, along with plenty of buskers and street performers. The two most famous features are the Washington Square arch, which marks the beginning of Fifth Avenue, and the central fountain, made famous in the opening credits of sitcom Friends. There’s also a dog playground and a dedicated chess-playing area in the northwest corner nearest the hotel.

Playing chess in Washington Square Park © Maxine Sheppard

Slightly further afield (about a 20 minute walk from the hotel) is Manhattan’s newest public park, the High Line. Built on a former elevated freight railroad, the park’s southernmost entrance is at the junction of Gansevoort St and Washington St in the Meatpacking District, and runs as far north as 20th Street, with the Chelsea section expected to open later this summer, doubling the length of the park.

Frank Gehry's IAC building taken from the High Line park © Maxine Sheppard

Fantastic views of Chelsea and its many new architectural wonders can be enjoyed here (Polshek Partnership’s Le Corbusier-style Standard Hotel and Frank Gehry’s IAC building are just two) and it’s especially beautiful at night when all the benches, water features, plants and flowers are imaginatively floodlit.
Many thanks to Flickr photographers snowpea&bokchoi, Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Bake, pcphoto, ElvertBarnes and aturkus for the great header shot.
For further information, reservations and room rates, visit the Washington Square Hotel.
Virgin Atlantic operate daily flights from London Heathrow to New York’s JFK and Newark airports.