ACTION CAR Rental

New York City Car Rental and Bowling Green Park

Regional Information

Theatre and Art

Practically every inch of NYC has a story worth telling. Take Bowling Green Park for example. Located at the foot of Broadway in Lower Manhattan, this small public area was once a part of an original Dutch Fort. It is also Manhattan's oldest surviving park space. Formed by the splitting of Broadway into two forks, Bowling Green Park is the perfect getaway for on-the-go tourists. A popular lunchtime getaway for Financial District employees, Bowling Green Park features plenty of picnic tables and chair settings. New York City car rental customers are always encouraged to sit and reminisce beside the parks beautiful reflecting pool and cascading fountain. A center of activity since the days of New Amsterdam, Bowling Green Park now functions as a friendly meeting place for business associates and visiting tourists. Decades worth of history have taken place inside this lovely local icon, so why not stop in and make a little history of your own? Plan to visit Bowling Green Park during your upcoming New York City car rental vacation.

A Trip Through the Ages: A Brief History of Bowling Green Park

From parades to picnics, Bowling Green Park has served more than 300 years as a prominent New York City meeting ground. The area was extremely popular with the local British settlers and was often used as a bowling green during the early 1700's. In 1770, the British government erected a number of statues in the park including a 4,000 pound gold-plated representation of King George III. The statue was extremely unpopular with the public. After the Declaration of Independence was read on July 9th, 1776 a mob of citizens stormed Bowling Green Park and toppled the statue. This event is now considered to be one of the most enduring images of American history. As legend has it, the statue was chopped up and sent to a foundry in Connecticut where the pieces were turned into 40,000 Patriot bullets. A small section of the statue is preserved at the New York Historical Society. A building boom followed during the period after the American Revolution, and a handful of elegant townhouses were built around the park. These houses have since been used as shipping offices and corporate headquarters. Bowling Green Park is now one of the city's most heavily traveled plazas, providing millions of visitors with a place to regroup during the midday rush.

A Beloved New York Installment

In 1989, the infamous Charging Bull sculpture was installed in Bowling Green Park by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Created by Arturo Di Modica after the stock market crash of 1987, the statue depicts a bull leaning back on its haunches with its head lowered preparing to charge. The bull represented Di Modica's belief in the unceasing vitality of American capitalism. The sculpture was placed in front of the New York Stock Exchange illegally in December of 1989. The Bull was quickly removed from its original location and branded as a work of "guerilla art". Public outcry soon prompted the parks department to re-install the statue in its current Bowling Park location. The Charging Bull sculpture is now one of New York City's most photographed works of art. It is also a popular New York City car rental tourist attraction.

From riots and revolution to subways and statues, Bowling Green Park has participated in some of the city's most memorable happenings. If you're interested in living piece of NYC history, Action New York City car rentals recommends heading to the foot of Broadway and the fence that grids the outside of the park. This fence is the very one that was erected in 1771 to protect the golden statue of King George III. Visitors should note that the top of each spire looks as though something has been torn off. Metal crowns were once affixed to the top of each post, symbolizing the British monarchy. New York City car rental customer can literally touch history by placing a hand on one of these posts.

Downtown Manhattan 741 Broadway, New York, NY
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-253-2299

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New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-683-7205

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New York, NY 11023
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LaGuardia Airport Holiday Inn 37-10 114 Street (In the lobby)
Corona NY 11368
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Newark, NJ
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Franklin Square, Long Island, NY 11010
Phone: 516-481-6026