The Big Guy and the Little Guys: Tom Otterness Playground

The Big Guy, lounging on the lawn.

If you've ever waited for the A train at 14th Street and noticed little bronze figures getting up to mischief around the station, you already know Tom Otterness. Now picture one of his guys supersized to about 30 feet long and stretched out in a garden at the foot of the Silver Towers on West 42nd Street. His legs are slides. His arms are for climbing. His head is a lookout. It's public art you are allowed — encouraged, even — to go down headfirst.

Two leg-slides, ready for a race.

My daughter named it “The Big Guy and Little Guys Playground” on our first visit, because small bronze figures are hidden all over the sculpture, and finding them became a quest. I don't think we've found them all. I'm not sure anyone has.

The playground itself isn't big. The metal dude is just about all there is, plus a little kids' playground right next to him. But it's a lot of fun precisely because nothing else in the city is quite like it. The two leg-slides are made for racing, and it's very hard not to declare a best-of-seven.

It's clean, and it's usually pretty quiet — the far-west end of 42nd Street isn't on anyone's way to anywhere, which is exactly why it stays a gem. The only real downside is bathrooms: there aren't any. I believe the nearest public facilities are across 12th Avenue along the river in Hudson River Park.

Verdict: a true hidden gem. Pair it with a stroll up the river greenway and you've got a lovely morning.