Gramercy Park by Bond No. 9 was my introduction to the niche perfume house based on Bond Street (No. 9, in fact) in New York City. I liked Bond No. 9 almost immediately, but it took a bit of time for Gramercy Park to become the favorite that it is.

Bond No. 9 names its perfumes for New York neighborhoods, and although I've never regarded the Big Apple as particularly fragrant, apparently the good folks at Bond No. 9 have a bigger version (and better nose) than I. I can't speak to the various neighborhoods. I don't know Gramercy Park at all and why they picked this name for this particular scent. Then again, many perfume names are enigmas to me.

Gramercy Park is what I would have once called a "green scent." There are lots of notes in this scent that smell of trees and ivy and plants. It's got a bit of pepper in it and a tempering of muguet.

The first time I smelled it, I thought it smelled mannish. Now it didn't smell unappealing; it was actually quite delightful and intriguing, I just found that it was different than the scents I was used to wearing. To be sure, Bond No. 9 markets this scent to both genders and I suspect there are a lot of men who wear it.

However, I loved wearing it. A spritz on paper or a whiff from the bottle makes it seem a bit like classic men's colognes, but it wore extremely well on me. It has a freshness to it without being "summery" or "youthful." It seems natural, but it's not one of those wispy, flimsy fresh scents. It is quite simple, almost plain, but it is not unsophisticated.

I don't know what Gramercy Park is like, but if people go there to walk around and detox, this is the right name for it. I found soon after my initial forays with Gramercy Park that it is absolutely my most favorite perfume to wear when I have a headache. Many perfumes exacerbate a headache and some bad-headache days of mine end up with me going around with no fragrance at all (a lost day, really), but I find this perfume works on me like an elixir. It is almost like smelling something healing.

Gramercy Park is a great scent for just about everything except when you want to be a seductive woman of mystery. Gramercy Park is more upfront, clean, and healthful.

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