Petrosino Square is a very very cool park especially if you are going to the multitude of restaurants in Soho and you just want to eat alfresco. For example you can pack a picnic from Jack's wife Freda, which is across the street or the market that I just visited , DeEspana Café. Eataly is also nearby. It is a very small space , very intimate but it's great to just relax. get some fresh air and people watch. Come springtime, this little park will be littered with people who are just trying to enjoy a very nice spring day . Or a good five minute meditation space, for now, not crowded and you can find piece of mind in a very small space in Soho. Ok.. close your eyes.. breathe in.. breathe out Repeat and enjoy! read more

Petrosino Square - Parks Near Me - New York, New York

Although Petrosino Square itself is not that interesting, the man behind the triangular square lived an incredible life. Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino (born Giuseppe Petrosino) was the first Italian-American lieutenant in the New York City Police Department (NYPD). He formed the "Italian Branch" an elite undercover police corps to combat the "Black Hand" crime organization in the US and Italy. He was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime. His crime fighting techniques, such as bomb and canine squads, are still used by law enforcement agencies over a century later. Giuseppe Petrosino was born in Padula. He was sent with his cousin, Antonio Puppolo, to live with their grandfather in New York City. When a streetcar accident killed their grandfather, the two young cousins wound up in orphan's court. The presiding judge took them home to his own family instead of sending them to an orphanage. He provided for the boys until other family members could be brought to NYC. This exposed young Joseph to a "politically connected" Irish household for some time which opened up educational and employment avenues. In 1883, he joined the NYPD as the first Italian speaker in the NYPD's history. He had to get a waiver to join as he did not meet the minimum height requirement. He was only 5'3." He became friends with Theodore Roosevelt who promoted him to detective sergeant in the Homicide Division in 1895. In 1908, he was promoted to lieutenant to deal with the criminal activities of organizations like the Mafia. He played a key role in cases like the extorsion of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso by the Black Hand gangsters who demanded money in exchange for his life. He also warned the Secret Service that an Italian-based anarchist organization suspected of ties to the assassination of King Umberto I in 1900 intended to assassinate President William McKinley in Buffalo, NY, but McKinley ignored the warning even after Vice President Theodore Roosevelt vouched for Petrosino's abilities as a detective. McKinley was subsequently assassinated by Leon Czolgosz during his visit to Buffalo's Pan-American Exposition on September 6, 1901. Petrosino's investigations led to thousands of arrests which made him a target during a covert police operation in Sicily. Lt. Petrosino was murdered in Palermo, Sicily, while investigating Mafia crimes. He is the only NYC police officer to die in the line of duty outside of the US. Upon hearing the news of his death, Theodore Roosevelt said "Petrosino was a great man and a good man. I knew him for years, and he did not know the name of fear." Over 250,000 came to pay their respects to him at St. Patrick's Cathedral. New York City closed down for the day of his burial for the city to morn and attend his funeral. While you are there, think about the history and the man behind the square. Then walk across the street and grab a sweet treat from Eileen's Special Cheesecake and check out the art exhibits at the Storefront for Art and Architecture. The current installation is Amanda Williams' " What Black is This, You Say?" read more

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Petrosino Square won me over quickly after I read the dedication on the plaque. This space is dedicated to a true Italian American Hero. There's no better place to have a seat with the delicious food establishments in the vicinity. Yes it's definitely a tiny space. There were plenty of seats in the sun. Everyone took the seats in the shade on this very warm Spring Day. This square could use some work. The benches could use a paint job. The pigeons pooped everywhere. It's in Little Italy where there's neighborhood residents enjoying their time outside. I'm glad I found this quiet space. There's trash cans for when I bring a snack or lunch. Don't look for a bathroom though. When I say it's a small sitting area, I mean it! If you're in the neighborhood stop by for a piece of cheesecake across the street. Sit in the Petrosino Square and enjoy! read more

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A small triangular shaped park with just the slightest decoration of greenery around the edges. It's directly below the Spring Street 6 station. read more

Petrosino Square - Parks Near Me - New York, New York

The Square is one of those bizarre, tiny, triangular traffic island/"parks" that New York has -- that I very much doubt any other city in the world has. It's located at the confluence of Lafayette Street, Cleveland Place and Kenmare Street, in Little Italy. It's hard to imagine that anyone would want to stop and sit down here. Sometimes this Park is used by a nearby art gallery (the Storefront for Art and Architecture) for events. That's cool. Also, as of a couple years ago, a "Real Food Market" (a type of greenmarket) was setting-up in the Square (not sure if it still is). Improvement is on the way, though. The Square is going to be expanded into one of the Lafayette Street traffic lanes and renovated. In all the time I've lived in New York, I've never really gotten the value of these kinds of parks -- You seldom see anyone sitting in them (anyone who isn't homeless, that is). And there's usually traffic blasting by within a few feet of these parks' borders. If the upcoming renovation means more room for parks and less room for streets and cars, then I can get behind that. Bring on the parks! Just don't make them like this one (used to be)...Please? read more

I don't really understand all the hate... I happen to have quite the nifty lil' time when I get a chance to hang at Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Park. A small SoHo respite to enjoy a taco from La Esquina or a croissant from any of the nifty lil' bakeries in the 'hood while watching the leaves change from green to pumpkin orange in the middle of Fall. If you find yourself strolling by, take a second to appreciate this little slice of nature in our bustling urban jungle. read more

Post renovation review - Petrosino Square is not so ugly anymore! It's gotten a NYC Parks and Recreation's version of an extreme makeover that was 2 years in the making. It's taken the underutilized street on Lafayette and extended it out 1 car lane. A great improvement over the concrete slab that it once was. You'll also see that the square attracts a variety of people: The elderly Chinese men come out to do their daily morning Tai-Chi, retail whores hogging up precious bench space so they can eat their lunch before running back to sell their next pair of pants, European tourists with their outstretched maps trying to figure out where the park is and of course the obligatory homeless person taking a nap. I love New York. read more

Petrosino Square is uuggllyyy!! There are several beautiful parks in New York, but this is not one of them. Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino (NYPD) can't help that. It was only named after him (and he was dead already, so he couldn't protest!). Lieutenant Petrosino was an Italian-American police officer who served undercover, investigating the Sicilian Mafia and Neapolitan Camorra in Little Italy in the late 1800s/early 1900s. He was killed in the line-of-duty while in Sicily trying to track Sicilian criminal activity that had spilled over into the U.S. 250,000 people attended his funeral in New York. The Square is one of those bizarre, tiny, triangular traffic island/"parks" that New York has -- that I very much doubt any other city in the world has. It's located at the confluence of Lafayette Street, Cleveland Place and Kenmare Street, in Little Italy. It's hard to imagine that anyone would want to stop and sit down here. Sometimes this Park is used by a nearby art gallery (the Storefront for Art and Architecture) for events. That's cool. Also, as of a couple years ago, a "Real Food Market" (a type of greenmarket) was setting-up in the Square (not sure if it still is). Improvement is on the way, though. The Square is going to be expanded into one of the Lafayette Street traffic lanes and renovated. In all the time I've lived in New York, I've never really gotten the value of these kinds of parks -- You seldom see anyone sitting in them (anyone who isn't homeless, that is). And there's usually traffic blasting by within a few feet of these parks' borders. If the upcoming renovation means more room for parks and less room for streets and cars, then I can get behind that. Bring on the parks! Just don't make them like this one (used to be)...Please? read more

Ugh. This "park" sucks. If you like watching crazies feed trash to pigeons, have at it. Plus it's surrounded by traffic so it's loud and stinky. It is a central spot to meet up with friends before heading into soho or take a people watching break. read more

A triangle, not a square. Formerly known as Kenmare square, this small park, named for heroic police officer Lt. Joseph Petrosino, is at a crossroads of several dynamic New York neighborhoods: Little Italy and the Bowery to the east, Chinatown to the south, and SoHo to the west and north. A few benches and pigeons. Would definitely be back. read more

Great little park to eat lunch and people watch in the middle of --- all the fucking noise. Trash cans in between the benches and enough spaces in between so you don't feel like you're on an awkward first date trying to watch the person eat without utensils read more

Ah c'mon, this place isn't so bad! They put a bunch of benches up and a little fence so you can sit here nice and peacefully. It's a simple triangle park with no grass. It's good to eat lunch or some other meal on a nice day over here. read more

This is a mediocre spot to stop amidst the traffic and not much greenery if you're waiting for someone or enjoying a quick lunch outside. Of organized crime notoriety and not its original name. read more