23rd Street (R, W)

This stop brings you right to Madison Square Park* and the Flatiron Building. Both, in my estimation, are underwhelming. But if you read to the end, I might just have a little bit of magic for you.

Look to the left and you’ll see the green Madison Square Park sign.

This seated area is an offshoot of the park, at the intersection where some station entrances are.

Why am I a hater? Well, hear me out.

Madison Square Park is kind of blah. It’s a good place for a lower-midtown employee to have Shake Shack for lunch, but your views are of high-rise office buildings. This isn’t exactly a mid-day nature escape. There’s some public art in the park; when I went there was a giant overturned crane functioning as a sculpture piece. Eh, okay.

And the Flatiron Building was under construction scaffolding when I visited, but I’ve seen it in the nude, too, and have also been unimpressed. There are so many other cool flatiron-style buildings throughout the city, like the Brooklyn Love Building right off the Lafayette (C) Station. But, this one’s all historical and whatnot, so it attracts a crowd.

In short, I’m not coming to this stop because I want to hang out. Chances are, if I’m using this station, it’s because I work in a building nearby.

*Be careful not to confuse Madison Square Park with Madison Square Garden, the giant event venue. I guarantee you the Knicks aren’t playing here. But, hey, you never know, you might run into a player in line at Shake Shack.

If you read this far, you now get your reward: the Harry Potter Store is off this stop. I’d go for a butterbeer. And there are also two speakeasies that might be worth your time out here. They’re Thyme Bar and Undercote. If you want a more complete speakeasy list for the area, here you go.

Alright, what did I miss? Scroll down and let me know in the comments.

The Shake Shack in Madison Square Park.