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As a recent addition to this area, I pose the question, what areas of Prospect Park are considered to be avoidable in the late afternoon? Evening?
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That really depends on who you are and what you're looking for.
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As a small female, I have been told several time (and seriously) by park employees to avoid the northeast paths (kind of woodsy, some dry fountains, close to the street) even during the day on weekdays. They said if I wanted to walk there alone I should at least have a big dog with me! I do see lots condom wrappers, drug related trash, and the like around there plus for the longest time, besides the groups of park employees working, I ONLY saw adult men alone there (not exercisers, nannies, dog-walkers). That said, I love spending time in the park and feel safe using most of it during the day. With a friend, I'll use the larger walkways and fields after dark. Have fun
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Hey bad stuff can happen in the Park anywhere at any hour but common sense tells me if I am alone to hang in sections that are frequented by people who are there to use the park.. runners, cyclists, people with dogs.
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one area near a hill i wouldn't recommend. hmm i forget what excat area is it called. next time when i walk in the park. i'll look up name. the area has some characters hanging out and smoking stuff and just up to no good. i always get a stare down by them. and always ready for a fight when i walk past that area.Fight white guilt and injustice by smoking tax free guilt free Reservation Smokes or go gamble in a Native Casino.
I like to stick it to The Man, The Man happens to be Liberal in NYC(power Structure). -
Subject: Re: Prospect Park
I think a general rule of thumb is to avoid areas off of the main roadway that takes you out of eyesight of other people. This would include any of the trails inside and outside the road, as well as the two roads that cut across the park. And I can't say this enough -- if you're worried about being seen as a target, it is dangerous for anyone (but especially women) to be running or walking with headphones on when the park is sparsely populated, whether at midday or at night. During the morning and evening rushes, I don't think it's a big deal. As for those on their bikes talking on their cell phones (bluetooth or not), well, I suppose I should pity the terminally stupid. -
armchair_warrior » one area near a hill i wouldn't recommend. hmm i forget what excat area is it called. next time when i walk in the park. i'll look up name. the area has some characters hanging out and smoking stuff and just up to no good. i always get a stare down by them. and always ready for a fight when i walk past that area.
There's a few of those - one is if you walk over and behind monument hill, and another is lookout mountain over more towards the windsor terrace side. Personally I would never walk through any of those woods alone for no reason, like one of my cop relatives told me, "if you knew half the stuff that has gone on in that park over the years you would think twice about even going in"
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I am remembering one idiotic thing I did... Through the late 90's I was accustomed to walking my 100 pound dog through the woods in the park and remote areas.. daytime... but still not highly trafficed areas. I don't know what I was thinking but after he passed I got a toy breed dog and when he was about 7 months old started on one of my old, familiar walks. there I was in the woods and a light bulb went off .. it said idiot.. you have a 5 pound dog on a leash.. get outta here!!
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Subject: Thanks
OpossumQueen: I did some research and I appreciate your insight, those areas seem populated by individuals of questionable motive. armchair_warrior: Your comment has summed up my problem with the park and some other locales I frequent. I am aware of my surroundings and at times I feel as though it's almost time to drop the gloves. As I move past you in a secluded wooded area, don't immediately start walking behind me... I am roughly 200 lbs. and 6ft. Sometimes I think its just the shock of moving downstate... OnEasternParkway: True, thanks, I agree with the whole sensory deprivation thing. Why would I eliminate my senses in a potentially dangerous area? Restless Native: Yeah those names of areas helped and honestly that's where I have felt least comfortable. -
Maybe others feel differently but there is a wooded area or two that I think are trafficked enough during the day to use without more than normal concern. The paths from the dog beach area (by the baseball fields) to Nethermead always seem fine to me. The fences along the path probably deter some of the folks in the park for, um, activities you don't want the kids to see. I generally feel safe on most of the paths that lead out of Nethermead--towards the boathouse, towards the main road, to Long Meadow.
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Subject: Prospect park
well here is some food for thought. Way back when, Prospect Park was one of the most dangerous places to be at night in NYC. A park administrator devised a policy where dogs could be offleash during the dark winter months in the park, after 5pm, when the park is desolate and unused. Dog owners would meet at the outskirts and walk the parks together and reclaim the public spaces. After a time the park became a safe place to walk after dark and instead of being empty it had pockets of dogs and their people walking through it. Now - with all the bad publicity that dogs and dog owners are getting, dogs are banned from the park during winter hours (offleash). What does that mean? Well, there will be less people out enjoying the park during the winter hours, which is a shame (I think) Certainly dogs and their humans are not the only thing responsible for a safe environment, but it is a part of community building that a neighborhood should remind themselves every so often. -
Southofsouth... I agree with you. Way back when I was one of those people walking my 100 pound gentle beast in the park. many times we had company because other people did the same. These walks were inside but on perimeter areas of the park and I have no doubt that is was a deterent for the people up to no good.
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back in the late 80's and early 90's me and my underage friends went about in the park playing hookie :O. it was like outdoor adventure. scary at times but it was fun. there was no fences, we climb and walk about every where. we rarely see another soul, while exploring the park.Fight white guilt and injustice by smoking tax free guilt free Reservation Smokes or go gamble in a Native Casino.
I like to stick it to The Man, The Man happens to be Liberal in NYC(power Structure). -
Hi, Longtime lurker, first post. I walk all through the park several times a week during the day and have never felt threatened or in any danger. And I've made a point of trying to explore every nook and cranny. I don't doubt that there have been problems. But for the past year, I've never had any kind of issue. I'm a 5' 8", 200-pound obviously harmless guy.
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622I've been living here and going in the park for 10 years. I don't go after dark. During the day, I stay on the main paved road, or areas where there are people, and I've never had a problem -
About 6-7 years ago when I lived on 6th Ave, I would take my dogs up to the 11th Street entrance around 9pm to let them run around. I had Cheech, my 65lb shepherd mix and Rasputen, my 85lb black lab mix then. There were usually a few people there at that time and with 2 big dogs I felt relatively safe. One night though, something happened that creeped me out. I was walking the dogs back and forth from the 11th Street entrance to the 15th Street exit when I noticed someone hiding behind a tree. This person was wearing a hood over their face and following me. Every time I looked back he would hide behind another tree. I didn't stick around long enough to see what he was up to. And there were other people around that night so I wasn't completely alone. Any kind of freak who would even consider messing with a woman with 2 big dogs is someone who is seriously screwed up.Go do something useful.
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Caseopele.. I really understood the feeling behind your post. That is a freaky experience. I was walking my 100 pound Lab on 9th street late one night and the dog saw this guy approaching and started to bark at him. This was a loud menacing bark from a dog who never barked at people. I was in good control of the dog so it wasn't even a situation where the dog pulled or lunged at this man. As we passed... the man sneered and said, "I have a gun." I was so shocked that my mouth spoke before my brain had time to think and I said.. "I have a 100 pound dog that doesn't seem to like you and one command and he will be all over you!" I just kept walking. Nothing happened. But.. when I look back on it I know why I said that. I was just scared out of my wits because I trusted the dog and the dog had shown me the guy was a threat.
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Oh yeah, if my dogs don't like someone then there's a good reason for it. My pit Ripley has scared off a couple of scoundrels with evil thoughts in their hearts. She's very curious and is a people watcher who happens to wear a basket muzzle. I'm sure not going to tell them it's to keep her from eating crap off the street. She's horribly vicious, I tell you and under no circumstances does she play with tiny kittens!
And, wtf was wrong with that guy? People like that scare me since they are obviously mental and extremely unpredictable. A semi sane person will pick an easier target, someone without a large dog. Glad you didn't get hurt, veets!Go do something useful.
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