Columbus Park, New York

If you ever wanted to stand on a piece of ground that’s seen the full sweep of New York drama—from notorious slum to tai-chi paradise—Columbus Park is the place. Sitting at the southern edge of Chinatown, this patch of green once formed the beating, chaotic heart of the legendary Five Points district, the 19th-century neighborhood infamous for its overcrowded tenements, poverty, crime, and unsanitary conditions. Its reputation traveled far and wide, helped along by reformers, scandal-hungry journalists, and, much later, Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York” movie.

Back in the mid-1800s, Five Points was the city’s favorite cautionary tale. Moral crusaders declared it a breeding ground for everything that could go wrong in a booming metropolis, and their complaints eventually pushed officials into action. What followed was a slow, stubborn battle to clear out the worst of the tenements and replace them with fresh air, sunlight, and something resembling order. In the 1890s, the city brought in Calvert Vaux—the same mind who co-designed Central Park—to re-imagine the space. His plan introduced greenery, light, and open areas as antidotes to the district’s former density and chaos. When Mulberry Bend Park opened in 1897, New York finally closed the chapter on Five Points’ notorious past.

By 1911, the park gained a new name—Columbus Park—thanks to a wave of early-20th-century enthusiasm for national heroes. But the surrounding streets were already rewriting themselves. Chinese immigrants were steadily reshaping Lower Manhattan, and before long, the park slipped naturally into its new role as the neighborhood's outdoor living room.

Today, Columbus Park feels like Chinatown in miniature. Early mornings bring calm tai-chi routines and the sound of traditional instruments warming up the day. Later, the atmosphere shifts to animated card games, spirited mahjong, and conversations that roll on for hours. Kids take over the playgrounds, athletes claim the courts, and everyone eventually passes by the statue of Sun Yat-sen standing dignified at the center of it all.

It may not be the largest park in the city, but few spots capture New York’s ability to reinvent itself quite so gracefully—from the grit of Five Points to the vibrant community rhythms of present-day Chinatown. If you want a quick dose of local life, this little green square delivers.