One of the first things that I do when I move to a new office (whether it be starting a new job or moving offices at a current job) is find a nice place to go for a walk break, preferably one that also offers the option of sitting in a park on nice days. I usually bring lunch to work, so the only time I get out of the office is if I have an errand to run or consciously make a decision to go outside.
When I was downtown, I had the walkway along the river, from the Seaport to Battery Park, where I could walk. There were also benches in the park and along the walkway, as well as areas in the Seaport, where I could sit (or lounge and close my eyes for a few). It wasn't exactly the quietest area in the world and was very touristy, but it was nice on the water and it was a little escape from the office. Perhaps most importantly it was nice and warm on sunny days - no tall building to block the rays.
When I moved to my last office in midtown, my walks usually ended up either taking me north on second or first avenue, or east toward the FDR. That's where I discovered this little park right on the highway that overlooked the water and had good views of Brooklyn/Queens. There was also a little dog park attached to it, so there were often cute pups running around and playing. Again, it wasn't exactly the quietest or most serene place - being on the FDR and all - but the road noise was actually kind of calming, in a white noise type of way, and the park itself was usually quiet (it was in kind of a weird location, so it was never super crowded).
We moved offices about 8 blocks south at the beginning of the year, and my little dog park is just too far away to walk to during a quick break from the office (and so are any decent fro-yo places, which is probably for the best). The winter was brutal, so I didn't really take too many breaks outside the first few months that we were here, only for the occasional errand or food run. But, once the weather started warming up, I started exploring this new neighborhood a bit more. I started by just walking, seeing what was around and what areas were quietest. What I discovered is that 8 blocks makes a huge difference - second and first avenues down here are a lot more busy, due to the proximity to the UN, and there's seriously not any fro-yo places. There are a few more pocket parks and public spaces down here, but I know from experience that, once the weather gets nice, those fill up almost immediately starting at around 11 a.m. through the afternoon. Plus, they're almost never sunny due to their location in between buildings.
I was starting to get disheartened when I made a great discovery. Only a few blocks away from my new office are two great little parks in Tudor City. I kind of knew that they were there and forgot about them, so this was like finding gold. Given the weird location of Tudor City (it kind of dead-ends 43rd and 41st streets, and is situated above 42nd street - as in look up when you're driving on 42nd and you'll see it), it's relatively quiet. Sure, there are people there, but it's not overly crowded. And the traffic noise is pretty muted. There's a playground at the far end of the park that's usually pretty crowded, but the kids playing noises just kind of blend in to the everyday city noises, so it's not that noticeable.
There are trees and benches and the guy who maintains the park is there regularly. Plus, since there are two parks in close proximity (like, a block away), if one is buzzing for some reason, the other is usually fairly quiet.
There are also flowers and super fat pigeons and sunshine that peaks through the trees. It's a great place to go to take a phone call, read, or just sit and relax and let the sun warm my face for a few minutes. There's also an obscene number of dogs that walk by the park (I don't think they're allowed in the park?), which makes me happy. I met a really cute and happy puppy the other day on my way back to the office.
Sure, it's obvious that you're still in the city - just look up and you can see all the apartment buildings. But I've learned that you can't be too picky in this city, especially in midtown, where real estate is expensive and everything is packed in super tight. If it looks and feels like a park - even a small one - I'm happy with that.
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