NEW YORK—Employees of Charles Schwab, Chipotle, the New York Palace Hotel and others can now enjoy a new “pocket park” opened Tuesday just for them.
Just tucked in the back of corporate buildings on 50th Street between Park and Madison Avenue, the 2,400-square-foot space will bloom with hydrangeas, coral bells, and 20 other species of plants come this spring.
For now, the stone, glass, granite, and stainless steel park peppered with greenery can hold up to 100 people and seat up to 40.
But the main attraction will be the large glass waterfall, which changes colors in the order of the rainbow.
“This ‘pocket park’ is truly an oasis in the midst of Manhattan’s concrete jungle,” said Dr. Michael Horodniceanu who other community leaders referred to affectionately as “Dr. H.”
The measures come as part of the larger East Side Access Project, to be completed in 2022, projected to save Queens and Long Island commuters up to 40 minutes off their daily commutes.
Underground at 50th Street is the ventilation facility meant to serve the new Long Island Railroad concourse. The loud fans of the facility will be muted by the sound of the waterfall and with sound dampeners, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Just across the street, coffee and halal food truck owner El Hassane Babekri, 43, who recently emigrated from Fez, Morocco, said the park would be a boon to his business. “A lot of people can sit there. They buy food from me and sit there.”
The park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset.
