Gramercy Park New York, NY

An island of serenity, a unique private enclave, Gramercy Park echoes the New York of a quieter, gentler time. Here, at the turn of a key, is peace and quiet, a place to muse and reflect, read a newspaper or merely catch some sun. It’s the legacy of one Samuel Ruggles, the visionary developer who bought the plot with the idea of recreating the delights of a London square—a refuge sorely lacking in the bustle of New York’s relentless grid.

The park is surrounded by some of New York’s most delightful architectural treasures: Stanford White’s The Player's Club (a club founded by the great actor Edwin Booth whose statue stands in the park), the Gothic Revival jewel that is the National Arts Club (former home of Governor Samuel Tilden), the Stuyvesant Fish House where John Barrymore lived, and 36 Gramercy Park East, a neo-Gothic fantasy of terracotta