Prospect Park

I've heard it said that Central Park was a warm-up for Frederick Olmstead and Calvert Vaux's design of Prospect Park. They also designed Fort Greene Park, where I go to draw when the weather's nice enough. The thing I love about these parks is the use of classical sculpture and ornament everywhere. It makes the spaces seem really special, separate from the usual urban environment. I give Bloomberg credit for expanding the amount of green public areas in the city, but most of them have the aesthetic charm of a shopping mall.