Lafayette Square

A Manhattan rectangle where Hudson meets Harlem, Lafayette Square rests at W. 114th St. & Morningside Ave in upper Manhattan. City blocks away from the subway’s pulse, this park separates two intersecting streets without fanfare.

No admission ticket is required, and the open lawn begs a quick break from the sidewalk beat. Children dart across the grass while adults linger on benches, then pick up the phone at (212) 639-9675 for questions you can’t solve with a quick stroll.

Locals map the safest diagonal across Morningside Heights every afternoon. The quickest route in or out: follow the directions to its map entry on Google—https://www.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x89c2f7d8c6770a1b:0xa2cace009d404124.