We were just there last week and the new seating area was wonderful. Though we had the place to ourselves for the most part. They were predicting scattered thundershowers and the park was practically empty. Sadly though most of the uncovered areas are not usable due to the aforementioned birds. We were heading toward a nice quiet spot near a pond but when we saw all the tables and chairs covered in droppings we settled on a spot away from the trees. I would highly recommend not sitting at any table under a tree when eating there, no matter how nice it might look.