This Map Reimagines NYC Parks As Subway Stops

NEW YORK — Commuters and tourists alike probably know of Central Park, Flushing Meadows and Randalls Island, some of the few parks featured on the MTA's official subway map. But The Pearly Gates, the Ancient Playground and the Hot Spot Tot Lot are likely less familiar.

Those are among the dozens of off-the-beaten-path parks New Yorkers can find on a new map from the Parks Department that reimagines the city's green spaces as subway stops.

Titled "Next Stop: NYC Parks," the map shows parks laid out along lines corresponding to the city's subway routes. The Parks Department tried to identify a park for each subway stop rather than plot them according to exact geography, department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor said.

"It’s also really fun to look at some of the more interesting park names, like Vidalia Park in the Bronx or Lion’s Pride Playground in Brooklyn," Lalor said in an email. "In areas like the 4/5/6 line along Central Park, we highlighted features within the park that are accessible from each stop."

The Parks Department tried to avoid duplications on the map, Lalor said. But some subway stations do share their names with parks, such as Pelham Bay Park in The Bronx or Bowling Green in Manhattan.

One of the Park's Department's graphic designers, Stephanie Venegas, had the idea to create a subway-style map to highlight the "diversity and abundance" of parks in the city, Lalor said. More than eight in 10 New Yorkers live within a walk to a park, Lalor said, and the map notes the city's parks encompass 30,000 acres of land.

But Lalor said the map is "more fun than function."

"(I)f you’re looking for directions, please use the subway map!" she said.

Limited edition prints of the map will be on sale for $28 through Dec. 24 at the NYC Parks pop-up shop in the Union Square Holiday Market.

(Lead image: The city Parks Department has created a map reimagining New York City parks as subway stops. Image courtesy of the Parks Department)