Exploring Brooklyn’s Prospect Park

For years, I’ve “meant to get out” to Prospect Bark, Brooklyn’s largest public park, but it is only this past summer that I visited for the first time.

Prospect Park is one of New York’s “historical” parks, it was planned by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux – of Central Park fame.

It was first opened to the public in 1867, although work was not completed until 1870.

Prospect Park is 526 acres, maintained by New York City Parks, and contains a lake, a boathouse, a concert bandshell for performances, and plenty of sports facilities (soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball … even petanque)

There is also a Prospect Park zoo.

It’s a pleasant place to while away an afternoon, and we had a great time exploring.

There were plenty of families with kids, couples and friends enjoying picnics, and people out to enjoy a good book and some rays on the vast lawns. Something for everyone.

Sundays in summer, Prospect Park plays home to Smorgasburg – an open-air food market held in various US cities and boasting local vendors and international cuisine.

Since we were visiting on a Sunday, we bumped into it, and were amused to find arrosticini, lamb skewers, from Italy’s Abruzzo region. They looked great – but we get the real thing for much lower prices when we go hiking in the region, so we passed.

There was plenty on offer “: Malaysian satay, Japanese sushi, Colombian empanadas, Mexican tacos, Chinese dumplings … so come hungry.

All in all, a pleasant afternoon in this relaxing park. So glad I finally made it, and look forward to next time.