Washington Square Park

This is a popular park in a great neighborhood.
It looses a star because lately it’s been crowded by bench-​possessive homeless folks.
Over the past few years I’ve seen this park swing back and forth between a dog happy park with acrobats practicing and a park where people go to buy and sell hard drugs.
I’m giving it 4 stars because I like to think of it during its best times…

A very nice very chill park in the vein of a typical urban green oasis. It’s usually not very cowded, has nice benches and shade and nice open areas to lie in the sun, throw balls to your dog etc. It is surprisingly clean as well. All in all a very relaxing place just 100 feet from Frenchmen Street’s craziness

Washington Square Park in New Orleans is a much prettier park than Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. You know I mean business because WSP was once my unofficial college campus.
I recall a time when this park was all but deserted during the day (late 90s) and I’d hang out in here on tattoo breaks (I used to go to a shop on Frenchman). These days the park is lush and vibrant with just as many characters as WSP in NYC. Case in point, the other day when the Dancing Man 504 was doing his thing in the middle of the lawn. That is, his thing is *dancing*- you perverts!
My favorite thing about the park though is that awesome sign out front which forbids bikes, dogs and booze. Think about that as you find yourself surrounded by all of the above. In droves.
In short:
+plenty of shade provided from the palms
+nice green lawn that may or may not be the cleanest place to recline
+lots of benches in the shade that are slightly more clean
+lots of happy dogs frolicking about, thumbing their noses at the aforementioned sign
+Confederacy of Cruisers Bike Tours making this their starting and ending point, also thumbing their noses at the aforementioned sign. (Eavesdrop to glean some interesting NOLA history. Wait. Don’t do that.)
+Ditto COC drinking tours that set up a bar right here to get things started right, the final laugh in the face of the aforementioned sign

This is where all the white rastafarian bums go when they aren’t playing music on Royal or Bourbon St. I saw them play soccer here and it was like watching a junior league.

Oh man, I love Washington Square park. There are always a bunch of bums lying around, but they never ask you for shit. They’re always nice and they might stop you to say something funny, pet your dog, or to demand that you have a wonderful day, but they’re never unpleasant. It’s like Bumtopia.
I especially like to go to Rose Nicaud, get an iced mocha, and then head across the street to Washington Square with my dog and read the newspaper. That’s the makings of a Good Day.
But that stupid horn thing that’s supposed to amplify your «human essence» or whatever never works :(I do like the AIDS memorial thing though.

Scruffy-​Looking Man runs in front of me.
SLM: Are those my sunglasses? Where did you get them?
Pete: New York.
SLM: Oh. Probably not mine then. Can I see them a sec?
Pete: No, sorry.
SLM: Why?! ‘Cause I’ll run off with them?
Pete: Well, would you?
SLM: (hangs head in shame) Yeah. I probably would.
If you head over to Washington Square Park, you too, could have such enjoyable interactions with the general riff-​raff of the Marigny. The park is closed at night, but during the day, there will most likely be musicians playing music and bums bumming around, but all in all, it is a safe, lively place to lay out on the grass, have a catch, or just stroll on through.
Note the sign on the gate that bans dogs, drinks and bikes, and then see if you see a single person in the park who doesn’t have either a dog, drink or bike. Bet you can’t spot one.