City Parks Commissioner Encourages Public Sex In The Ramble

Just in time for Valentine's Day, CityRoom asked NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe for the best outdoor spots in New York to "hold hands." And the randy Ramble, Central Park's notorious cruising ground, made the list!

Here's what Benepe had to say in his endorsement of the Fruited Plain:

"The Ramble in Central Park, especially after a snow. See above. The birds provide natural mood music year-round, and it has been a destination for romance over the last 150 years."

A condensed history: the Ramble has provided libidinous inspiration to Cole Porter ("Picture Central Park—without a sailor, Picture Mister Lord, minus Mister Taylor") and Tony Kushner (one of Angels In America's kinkier scenes took place there). Over the years, it's played host to hate crimes and meth-addled CNN anchor Dick Quest (you can't write this stuff).

It's also a fantastic spot for bird-watching. And despite the area's historic reputation as a bastion of the love that dare not speak its name, "birds" of the human variety are welcome too.

Taking into account that the Ramble and other spots on his list might inspire something a bit friskier than hand-holding, Benepe does strike one note of caution:

"Dress appropriately, so that [you] don’t get frostbite.”