Naumburg Bandshell
A charming little portion of Central Park that never quite emerged from the exuberant, extra-urban eighties, this adult playground sits at the northern end of the manicured Mall, a park boulevard that recalls the aristocratic paths of London's best parks. Here, though, something much less stuffy is going on--dozens of twenty- and thirty-somethings roller-dancing, with themselves and each other, to cheerful disco, funk, and early hip-hop played, improvisationally, from a boombox somebody or other has hauled over. It sounds like an accidental thing, but the party here is downright regular -- every day, from the early afternoon through to the evening -- and open to all comers, amateur roller-dancers or long-retired regional champions. Just north sits the bandshell, where decades of free SummerStage concerts were held, now just a decorative feature in a park positively full of them.
People say that New York has a little of everything. And I know exactly what you're thinking: yes, even people dancing disco on roller skates in the middle of the park.
