Photo of the Day: J. Hood Wright Park, Washington Heights, NYC

On Sunday, as a heat wave gathered enough momentum in New York City to merit consideration as the muggiest day of the year so far, I was on my way to the subway at 175^th Street and Fort Washington Avenue when I glimpsed a park on the other side of the street. Curious, I walked across to get a better look.

The J. Hood Wright Park is not a sprawling urban landscape like Central Park or Riverside Park, but it gives the citizens of Washington Heights some much-needed green space—and, on Sunday, some much-needed shade. As you can see from this photo I took, a number of people of all ages were also gathered in the playground.

The man for whom the park was named was a Philly-born banker who lived in a mansion on 175^th Street and Haven Avenue. I especially like him for having contributed substantially to the Washington Heights Branch of the New York Public Library.