Exploring East Village, Manhattan, NY - Tompkins Square Park, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, and Community Gardens

Around 2:40pm, I left Spicy Moon - East Village, and walked on E. 6th St. to Tompkins Square Park. This park pretty big and there were so many people just sitting on the benches. The park actually had enough benches for everyone, which was nice. I walked around the park and enjoyed the sunlight pouring in through the trees. After walking around for a while, I finally sat down and searched for things to do near me. Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space came up, so I didn't get to sit long, and I was off to my next destination.

It was less than a 10 minute walk to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, which ended up being the highlight of my day. The entrance was free but I did get a souvineir. The museum had history about the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It also showcased the history of activism in this area and there was a lot about the community. There was even a display about Tompkins Square Park, which was the park I had just come from. I learned a lot about community gardens as well. (And I even got to visit two community gardens which were open today. How amazing!) There were also displays about different issues going on in the world, which were real issues made into art. I was in there for a while trying to read as much as I could. See images below of the museum.

As I was leaving the museum, the person at the front desk let me know about two community gardens which were open. I went to Francisco "Pancho" Rasmos Community Garden first, which was right across the street from the musuem. This garden was so creative, and it was a like entering another world. The garden was just full of plants and trees, but then it also had lots of creativity in the garden. There were so many small pathways in the garden and every section was different. It's hard to explain in writing. See my images below.

Next I went to La Plaza Cultural-Armando Perez, which was on 674 E. 9th St. This community garden had a mini open space upon entering, with stones that were set up as bleachers. It also had a lot of small pathways and a lot of different plants. See the tongue, Prima Lingua, which is actually made my an artist. They made it from volcanic rock and concrete.

If I had come earlier, I could have spent so much more time in the museum and community gardens. The community gardens were creative labyrinths. I learned so much about the Lower East Side's history and community.