is more than a garden. When you first discover it, nestled in its canyon of skyscrapers, it'>oe s like an oasis"a refuge of peace and calm. But Bryant Park is a city park, full of historical monuments and urban amenities. The park is a social place where friends meet, eat lunch, chat, stroll, listen to music, work on the wireless network, or simply sit and think. Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall, New Yorkers love this park.

Today'>oe s version of Bryant Park"with its gravel paths, green chairs, and jaunty le carrousel"is a recent invention. Though the space has been called Bryant Park since 1842, the park has had a checkered career. By 1979, it was the site of frequent muggings and drug deals and was avoided by knowledgeable New Yorkers. An almost ten-year effort, begun in 1980, transformed the park and its reputation.