A new "GREEN" outdoor space where families can enjoy the warmer weather and live performances has opened in New York City.
To boost the pandemic recovery, Lincoln Center covered the area around the fountain in Josie Robertson Plaza with about 14,000-square-foot of recyclable, synthetic grass. Starting Monday, "The GREEN" will open to the public and the park-like area will host a series of live performances through September.
The space, designed by NYU grad Mimi Lien, is one of 10 outdoor performance and rehearsal spaces popping up across the five boroughs to help revitalize the city hit hard by the pandemic.
Lien says changing the normally cold and hard paving stones to grass-like material makes the space more inviting and anyone can sit anywhere.
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"I wanted to make a place where you could lie on a grassy slope and read a book all afternoon. Get a coffee and sit in the sun. Bring your babies and frolic in the grass. Have a picnic lunch with co-workers," the designer said in a news release.
In addition to live performances around the area, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will have books that can be borrowed. There's also a small snack bar in the northeast corner.
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"The GREEN" will open every day from 9 a.m. to midnight and COVID-19 safety protocols will still be in place. Visitors are advised to follow existing public health guidelines, including maintaining physical distance, wearing masks and washing hands.
