8. Turtle Bay Gardens Courtyard

Turtle Bay Gardens circa 1920. Photo from Library of Congress.

Here’s one you might know about—Turtle Bay Gardens, between 47th and 48th streets and Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan! This historic district, consisting of townhouses and a common courtyard, had its beginnings when Charlotte Martin, a descendant of the Dutch settlers, brought 20 run down houses in 1919 and remodeled them, creating a shared garden esplanade between them. A replica of the fountain in the Villa Medici also sits in this garden, and with neighbors in the vicinity all using and tending to this peaceful enclave.