Location: 6th Avenue between 40th and 42nd streets

A startling green rectangle in the midst of Midtown skyscrapers, Bryant Park is the back lawn of the New York Public Library Main Building. A great place to retreat for a few hours with a good book; the park is particularly well used during lunchtime as office workers inundate the grass for some quick R&R. In the summer, the park hosts free outdoor film screenings that have become something of a New York tradition.