Favorite Big Sized City Parks

[DCjedi7]

I picked Rock Creek of course because I live in DC. Also a little fact if you didnt know! the park is actually older then Central Park. It's a great park tons of trails, a river/stream , an old mill, and theres Rock creek parkway the best way to get into and out of the city.

[Shaw1013]

What about Forsyth Park in Savannah? While it is definitely not on the scale or variety of public places like Central and Lincoln Parks, it is well used by downtown residents.

[SoMAtic]

golden gate park is the best!!!! i love it...

for those of you that have never been- its a complete urban oasis--

check this out! GGP Photo Tour

[Soren]

I think part of what makes a *great* park is the ability to serve a large population in the immediate vicinity. You can have all the amenities, landscaping, diversity of experiences, attractions, etc., but if a large number of people can't easily get there it will never be in the ranks of the great.

For me, Central Park is the hands-down winner largely because it is smack in the center of an incredibly large, dense city. It also is big enough that even Manhattan can't engulf it, making it a real urban getaway experience.

I think Millenium Park (and adjoining Grant Park) in Chicago will be seen in the same light for the same reasons.

[Scott]

This is a really great thread... very informative!

I like Central Park, back home in Boston I like the Public Garden and the Esplanade along the Charles River Basin.

[rbdetsport]

I'd say Campus Martius Park or Belle Isle in Detroit. Campus Martius Park is small, but magnificent. In the winter it has a skating rink bigger than Rockefeller Plaza. It has an Au Bon Pain Cafe and a holiday tree. In the summer it is a green space with foutains and monuments. The fountain shoots nearly 50 feet in the air. It just opened in November of 04'. Belle Isle like Allan said is beautiful. It is right in the middle of the Detroit River. It has a casino and a zoo and an aquarium.

[rbdetsport]

I left out Grand Circus Park because it just isn't the greatest. The streets extending south and surrounding the half circle park make up a Stanely Cup. Perfect for Hockeytown!!!!! A fact for all of the hockey fans out there. I hope all of you will watch Detroit gleam in the national spotlight when it hosts the MLB All-Star Game in the summer, next years NFL Superbowl, in 2007 the PGA Championship, in 2008 games for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and in 2009 the NCAA Final Four. DETROIT ROCK CITY!!!!! DETROIT ROCKS!!!!!

[Loughlin]

I picked other cuz Boston Common wasnt on the list, and its definitly not a neighborhood park .

[Ron Newman]

The original topic here was Big Sized city parks. Boston Common, Public Garden, and Esplanade are all lovely, but big they aren't. Not compared to the ones first mentioned here -- Golden Gate Park, Central Park, Rock Creek Park, and the like.

[Ih8thecold]

My vote goes to Washington Park in Portland, OR. It is only 130 acres, but I wouldn't call it a small park. The park is up in the hills overlooking downtown Portland as well as the Cascade Moutains to the east (great views of Mt. Hood). Within the park is the Japanese Garden, the International Rose test Garden, and the Hoyt Arboretum. All three are amazing and quite unique. Combined with that and the spectacular views the park affords it became one of my favorite places to visit when I lived there.

[ironchapman]

My personal favorties are those in Chicago (specifically Grant and Lincoln Park). I love the proximity to Lake Michigan that they have.

If Atlanta is sucessful in the Beltline project, we may just have another great big city park on our hands.