Tompkins Square Park was a hotspot for protests, from the unemployed in the 1850s to the anti-Vietnam war protesters in the 1960s, and then a drug dealers' place of business until the 1990s. Times have changed and the park has settled down! Picnic area, mecca for chess players, playground for basketball players and budding musicians, prized by dog owners for its specialised playgrounds, it has found peace and serenity.