New York City is chock full of superlatives. “Best” pizza and tallest building (in the United States) are just some of the first that come to mind. But there are tons of quirky and surprising ones like the smallest park, the shortest lived building, the narrowest shop, and even the smallest subway door. We’ll be continuously updating this, so please submit your ideas to us in the comments or via the hashtag #untappedcities!

At 256 West 71st Street between Amsterdam and West End avenues is often cited as the smallest public space in New York City. There, between two four-story brownstones, like a short, awkward cousin in a family photo, is Septuagesimo Uno. Calling Septuagesimo Uno a “park” is generous. In fact, the parks department actually calls it a “triangle/plaza.” But Septuagesimo Uno is more like a forgotten dead-end alley that has been reclaimed by Mother Nature. It is a world away from the grand public gathering places (Union Square, Bryant Park, Grand Army Plaza) that we tend to associate with New York City parks. At two-fifths of an acre in size, Septuagesimo Uno could fit into Central Park more than 21,000 times.

But, there are in fact six other parks smaller than Septuagesimo Uno, the smallest being too small to even walk into. Check out McNally Plaza and the other smallest parks of Manhattan here.

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