Sex and the City

6. Bryant Park

New York, NY

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If you are involved with fashion and live in New York, you know Bryant Park. Located in midtown Manhattan, it was the mecca for fashion shows like the one attended by the Sex and the City girls in the movie, and also the site of the carousel in the opening credits. It is nearly nine and a half acres in size and is the result of a public/private partnership between the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the nonprofit Bryant Park Corporation. The park's beginning date back to 1686, when much of Manhattan was just wilderness. New York's colonial governor, Thomas Dongan, designated the spot as a public space. In 1823, it became a potter's field, which is a graveyard for poor people, until 1840, when the graves were moved to Wards Island in the East River. It finally became a park in 1847 and was named Reservoir Square, named after the Croton Distributing Reservoir nearby. During the Civil War, the park was used for military drills. In 1884, the name changed to Bryant Park to honor William Cullen Bryant, an abolitionist and editor of the New York Evening Post. By 1899, the reservoir was removed and terraces and kiosks were added. By the 1930s, neglect and the old elevated subway led to a decline in Bryant Park, but during the Great Depression the park received a facelift overseen by Robert Moses, and received a great lawn, hedges, and a fence. By the 1970s, Bryant again reached a low point, as drug dealers, prostitutes and homeless called the park home. Not exactly someplace our Sex and the City girls would visit. Beginning in 1979, different groups worked to improve the park and make it the place it is today. Among many other additions, movable chairs were brought in. The park was lowered from its elevated position and the hedges were removed, so that illegal activity could not be easily concealed in the park. In 1992, Bryant Park re-opened to positive reviews. Crime in the area dropped to 92 percent and tourism doubled. The Bryant Park Grill and The Bryant Park Cafe became popular attractions. Many movies were filmed here, including Howard Stern's Private Parts (the scene where AC/DC performs), Ghostbusters (in one scene, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis come running out of the New York Public library building, which is technically in the park), Chris Rock's I Love My Wife (his character watched women in the park), and Morning Glory (starring Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams). The TV shows Law and Order and Hana Yori Dango Returns (a Japanese drama series) were also shot here. From 1992 to 2009, Fashion Week descended on Bryant Park, with the fall fashion shows held in February and the spring shows in September. In addition to Sex and the City, Fashion Week was also featured on the TV show Project Runway, during which the final three designers get to have their collections shown. Having once been the scourge of New York City life, the park has become a well regarded destination, suitable for Carrie and her friends.