Tavern On The Green Becomes Visitors Ctr, Plaza
NEW YORK (AP/1010 WINS/WCBS 880/CBS 2) - A visitors center and food court has opened at the once glitzy Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park.
LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Al Jones reports
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reports
In addition to the visitors center that includes interactive city maps and a gift shop, the pedestrian plaza features trees, tables, benches and food vendors selling soups, dumplings, Turkish tacos and ice cream, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe cut the ribbon unveiling the new center Friday.
"We've brought to life a space and made very public a space that has been quiet for a while and it's going to have a very populist feel," Benepe said.
Clean public bathrooms are also among the welcomed new amenities.
"That's the most important thing -- having clean bathrooms and a visitor's center and having an area where we can see what's going on in the city," one woman told 1010 WINS' Al Jones.
The original Tavern on the Green closed its doors on New Year's Eve after 75 years. About three years ago, it was still one of the world's top-grossing restaurants.
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