Central Park is a treasure for the 40 million annual visitors to enjoy. It is recognized as the premier public urban park
in the world, constructed 1858-1873 and is entirely man-made. It is a National
Historic Landmark as well as a New York City Scenic Landmark covering 843 acres
in the center of Manhattan, New York.
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| Maine Monument, Central Park, NY |
The Maine Monument, placed in the Park in 1913, is a marble
and gilded bronze sculpture commemorating the 250 American sailors who died
when the battleship Maine exploded. It
was re-gilded in 1995 along with other repairs and greets the visitors who
enter the park at the Southwest corner at Columbia Circle, which is also the
point from which all official distances from New York City are measured.
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| The band plays in Central Park, NY |
There are roads for vehicular traffic through the park that
are closed on the weekends, but the miles of trails and paths that meander all over the Park
for pedestrian and horse and carriage traffic offer so many sights to enjoy as
well as gatherings such as this small band who just set up on the grass and
play for anyone who chooses to listen.
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| Sports fields in Central Park, NY |
There are ball fields scattered around the Park as well as
soccer fields, lawn bowling, croquet greens, tennis courts and tables
permanently set up for chess and checkers that many gather to play and enjoy on
any given day. These are used during
spring, summer and fall but close down during winter. The two outdoor ice skating rinks are open
between November and March.
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| Carousel of Central Park, NY |
One very special sight is the Carousel that pulls you over
when you hear the calliope music floating through the air. The Carousel, one of the largest in the U.S.
and the fourth one in Central Park since 1871, was originally built in 1908 but
came to the Park after being found abandoned when the previous carousels were
destroyed by fire. The restoration
included the 57 beautiful hand-carved horses.
There are also twenty-one playgrounds in the park, most of them located
near a Park entrance, and usually filled with lots of kids enjoying themselves.
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| Imagine Mosaic in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, NY |
Strawberry Fields was one of our first stops to visit,
created in honour of John Lennon of the Beatles. It was officially dedicated on October 9th,
1985 which would have been his 45th birthday, almost thirty years
ago. The 5 acre site is covered with
trees that were gifted from all over the world and the mosaic tile “Imagine”
was a gift from the city of Naples. We
walked by several times and there were always people lined up to take their
photos on “Imagine”. This is deemed a Quiet
Zone, as are other areas in the Park, which means there are no dogs, bike
riding, skateboarding, running or sports played in this location.
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| Burnett Fountain, Conservatory Gardens in Central Park, NY |
The Conservatory Garden covers six acres of Central Park
where you will find flower beds and color throughout. There are three areas with different garden
styles, Italian, French and English.
This water lily pond is in the English garden and is the Frances
Hodgeson Burnett Memorial Fountain in honour of the author of the children’s
book, The Secret Garden. The
Conservatory Garden is also considered a Quiet Zone.
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| The Bow Bridge, Central Park, NY |
There are several bridges within the Park, many of them are
cast iron and no two are alike. The star
of them all, though, is the Bow Bridge on The Lake. It was the first cast iron bridge, built in
1862, in the Park and is the second oldest in the world. The Bow Bridge is considered a very romantic spot, adorned with several large flower filled urns and has
been the sight of many marriage proposals.
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| The Lake, Central Park, NY |
There are several lakes and ponds within the Park, ranging
in size from The Lake at 20 acres to the Turtle Pond and The Pool being the
smallest. The Lake, not to be confused
with The Pond, has row boats, gondolas and bicycles that are available for
rent. The Boathouse seen on The Lake’s
edge has a restaurant offering a great view.
The Pond, a habitat for birds and turtles has a natural environment
making it a good place for them to be, as does Turtle Pond. The Conservatory Water is for remote
controlled boats where Saturday morning boat races are held.
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| Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, Central Park, NY |
The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir was so named in
1994 to commemorate all that she did for the city. The JKO Reservoir has a running path encircling
it so we followed that around on one of our many walks in the Park. The 106 acre reservoir was used as the water
source for the city for 131 years but was decommissioned in 1993. It has now become a great bird sanctuary, a
perfect place for birdwatchers.
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| Central Park Zoo |
The Central Park Zoo is not a large one but has several very
interesting habitats for the 130 different species. The Zoo, covering 5 acres, is in the
Southeast corner of Central Park. We
saw four different kinds of penguins in the Polar Seabird exhibit behind a
glassed temperature controlled area,
several breeds of monkeys all in different settings, the cutest Red
Pandas, California sea lions waiting for
dinner and some beautiful birds in their Tropical Rainforest surroundings.
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| Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, NY |
A beautiful European inspired terrace with two grand
staircases leading down to the Bethesda Fountain is one of the most popular
meeting places in Central Park. The
fountain is one of New York’s largest standing at 26 feet high and 96 feet
wide. The “Angels of the Waters” was
created by Emma Stebbins, the first woman to receive a major sculptural
commission in New York and it was dedicated in 1873. The angel’s outstretched hand delivers a
blessing to the waters and the four cherubs represent health, purity,
temperance and peace.
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| The Pond, Central Park, NY |
There are some lovely serene locations within the park even
when thousands of people are wandering through or spending time enjoying the
many other things to see in Central Park.
The leaves on the trees are beginning to turn color with fall weather but
I am sure the blossoms in spring would be even more amazing.
The Central Park Conservancy, the Park management, is a
private, not-for-profit organization and in a public-private partnership with
the City of New York. Their “mission is
to restore, manage and enhance Central Park” and they do so with the help of many
donations and volunteers. There have
been several restorations done in the past years to make Central Park what it
is today and to be the star that it was meant to be from the beginning. New York would not be what it is without
Central Park, it truly is a treasure to be seen.
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