Washington Square Park is a truly special place for kids, families, and people of all ages to gather and play. We spoke to one family who thinks of the park as their backyard and feels it’s important to support the places you depend on. Let’s meet Layla, Rob, and Mercer!

What is your connection to Washington Square Park?

We live on 12th Street, between Fifth and University, and we moved there during the pandemic in 2020, when our son Mercer was a little under a year old. The thing about New York City is you don’t have a backyard, so the parks end up being your playground, and your yard, and your athletic field, and your social circle.

During that time, and especially because it was during the pandemic when you couldn’t really be inside, the impact of a place like Washington Square Park was just amazing in our life. And it was a very unique time where people were looking for social engagement. Our son Mercer was here at least four or five times a week from the ages of one to five years old.

New York apartments have very small square footage. So if two families with a bunch of kids want to get together, meeting on the playground is the place to do it. It’s a great place to socialize and get the kids together.

What do you love about Washington Square Park?

The park is like New York in a nutshell. You have people of all sorts walking around, eating different foods, lots of different music going on.

What’s your favorite park memory?

Layla: I distinctly remember coming to the park at one point during the pandemic and I saw this drum circle. And I remember just having this very emotional moment, because it was the first time I had heard live music and been around a group of people in so long. It felt like, we’re humans in the world, in this lovely park and community, and you’re not alone now. I think that’s what parks can do for you.

Rob: I have, obviously, great memories with my family, my wife and my son, but I also have a very vivid memory from when my sister went to NYU: I want to say it was 1996, and I think Neil Diamond was the keynote speaker back when they would do graduation here. He had the entire NYU graduating class singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the park. That was pretty cool.

Mercer loves to watch the many dogs of the park play at the dog run. This year at Washington Square Park Dog Halloween his favorite costume was the one with “the dog in the middle and a big ol’ castle on top.”

Why should folks support the Washington Square Park Conservancy?

Layla: I really believe in supporting your community and the things that you use and love. It’s great that we have some public funding for parks in New York, but there’s so much that needs to be added to make it the experience that we all want.

Rob: If we are here every day, and using this beautiful park to create new memories, we feel like if there’s any way we can give back and create an environment where other people have wonderful memories, we want to be involved with that.

Washington Square Park is a vibrant place enjoyed by people of all ages. And the Washington Square Park Conservancy is dedicated to keeping the park thriving.

We host children’s programming like Storytime Under the Trees and Art in the Park to encourage our youngest visitors to get creative. We fund maintenance for the park’s spaces for play. And we are committed to ensuring the park is clean and safe for all who love and use it, year-round.

None of this work is possible without donor support from park lovers like you.
Will you make a gift today to ensure the park remains a beloved place for families like Layla, Rob, and Mercer to enjoy?