Central Park

Introduction

If someone tells you to think of a park or if someone tells you to the of the most famous park in the world, the park which is going to come to mind for the most of you and me, is Central Park! How could it not be? This huge park situated in the district of Manhattan, New York, is the most visited park in the whole of the United States, but it's not the biggest park. So that you can have an idea, trips to Central Park are 5 times that of the visits to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

General information and history about Central Park

Central Park comes into the category of urban parks and it is found right in the "Big Apple" itself, taking place from 59th Street to 110th Street and from 5th Avenue to 8th Avenue (although in this instance, the name has changed to Central Park West Avenue). This park also divides Manhattan into two areas known as the Upper East side and the Upper West side, which usually appear in American TV series and films.

Central park has a longitude of 4 kilometres and a width of 800 meters, a huge space as you can imagine, around some 340 hectares of natural space in the middle of the concrete jungle with the most famous and tallest buildings in the world, hence the name "the lung of New York".

The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1858 and was under construction for 16 years. Central Park was built thanks to the population of Manhattan rising a considerable amount during this time and there wasn't much open space which could be used. The lack of open spaces was so severe that people used to go to graveyards to enjoy a relaxing day in the city. It's creators had also visited many parks previously, above all, European parks, getting ideas and taking into account the necessities which the citizens would soon come to need. For this, in the plans for the park, they included pedestrian paths and paths for vehicles, which in those days were horse drawn carriages. During the construction there were many problems, they changed the original creators and even transported 13, 000 cubic meters of earth from New Jersey because the quality of the earth in New York wasn't good enough for the growth of trees and other plants that they wanted to introduce to Central Park. By the end of the project, there were 4, 000, 000 trees and other plants which represented around 1, 500 living species in the park.

Despite all this work, a little after the inauguration, the park started to degrade thanks to the mayor not paying enough attention and subsequently, the introduction of motor vehicles around the park which contaminated the city more and harmed the park, coupled with a change in mentality of the citizens, the park started to ruin over some decades, straying far from the original image of the park and of the park that we know today. In 1934, a new mayor changed the course of Central Park, he was interested in returning it to what it once was and in only a year, he managed to revive it.

As well as the large number of trees in the area, there is also a large variety of fauna which we could find in the park, from birds to ducks, turtles, squirrels, rabbits, etc. It's normal for them to congregate here, outside of the urban contamination.

Crime was also much more common some years ago compared to now. Areas such as Central Park or Times Square where considered dangerous a few years ago; there were crimes from robbery to rape attacks and even some murders. Nowadays, they are safe areas, although it's better to not go to the park at night just in case you did find yourself in one of these situations.

The park is not protected by the National Parks Service, but it is protected by the Central Park Conservancy, a non-profit private company and it's also on the list of United States National Historical Places.

Places of interest

Central Park isn't just a large green area, it also has a variety of famous monuments and buildings which make the park even more beautiful and interesting. I'm going to tell you about the most important places so you can plan your visit well and you don't just wander round thinking there's nothing to see. I'm going to list them in geographical order from the south of the park to the north (from 59th Street to 110th Street).

• The Pond: just as you go into the park via the entrance opposite the Hotel Plaza, you come to a pond which is in the shape of an arch and is known as "The Pond". Just a little bit ahead, you will see a bridge and in winter you can see underneath one of the two ice-skating rinks in the park called "Wollman Rink".



• The Dairy: this Victorian style building came to be the information centre or visitation centre in Central Park. As well as being able to see a beautiful building there, you can get a calendar with the events of the park and obtain the information that you want.
• Bethesda Fountain: This fountain is one of the most famous as it has appeared in numerous films and series such as the film "Enchanted" or in one of my favourite series, "Gossip Girl" where the famous wedding of Blair and Chuck Bass takes place. The fountain is quite big and in the middle is The Angel of the Waters a Romantic-styled statue depicting an angel which was built by Emma Stebbins, the first woman to be entrusted with a public job in New York. This fountain is next to the Grand Lake.



• Strawberry Fields: This monument is a monument dedicated to John Lennon a member of "The Beatles" who was assassinated in the vicinity of the park. It's also known as the Imagine Monument as it has the word written on it and "Imagine" is also one of John Lennon's most famous songs. The memorial was commissioned by his partner, Yoko Ono. You will find it in the mid-west part of the park.



• The Great Lake: this lake is the second biggest in the park and it takes up part of the central part of the park. You can go on a boat in the lake which is the best way to see it, or you can see it by going over the bridges, of which the most famous is Bow Bridge which is 18 meters in length. From there, if you look out to the west, you will see 2 important buildings, one is the Dakota building where John Lennon used to live with Yoko Ono and the other is the San Remo Apartments, which has appeared thousands of times in movies and series, when you see it in the photo, you'll recognise it immediately.





• Hans Christian Andersen statue: In the eastern part of the park, on the height of the beginning of the Great Lake, you can see the nice statue of the author who wrote really famous stories. The statue represents him with a book in his hand and sitting on a bench and with a funny little duck looking at him.
• Conservatory Water: Close to the old statue found in the same area, where the boat race takes place on Sundays from March until November.
• Alice in Wonderland statue: Just next to the Conservatory Water the statue of this famous girl is found. Alice is sitting on a giant mushroom together with the Mad Hatter and another character which I didn't recognise.
• The Ramble and Lake: Is a wooded area where there are lots of track and pathways. Lots of different species of bird congregate here, around 250 species have been seen in this area when they're migrating.
• Belvedere Castle: Is a Victorian castle and is the current headquarters of the Meteorological Observatory of New York. It's also very central in the park. You'll recognise it because it appears in a lot of Sesame Street episodes, especially the scenes with Count Dracula.
• Metropolitan Art Museum of New York and the Natural History Museum: in the heights of the park but at each end of the park, these two very famous and important museums are found. You'll find the art museum in the eastern part and the Natural History museum in the western part. I went outside the art museum but I went into the Natural History museum and saw the famous dinosaur skeletons.
• Central Park Zoo: Is in also in the central part of the park but situated towards the east. It's the most visited zoo in New York although I don't think it's one of the best that you can see. It's something for the kids, since the rest of Central park has more things to offer.
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir: This huge lake is the biggest in Central Park, taking up 43 hectares in the park and the water has a depth of 12 meters. It's dedicated to one of the first First Ladies in American history.





• Guggenheim Museum: Another one of the most famous museums in New York, it's found on one of the sides of the park, the side which goes onto 5th avenue, at the top of "The Reserve".
• Harlem Lake
• Botanical Garden or The Conservatory Garden: It's located in the northern part of the park, but I didn't go there.

Personal opinion and recommendations

Since I have use of practical reason and since I am a massive fan of American cinema and Rom-Coms, visiting Central Park was like a dream turned into a reality for me and I'm sure I'll have the chance to go again. It's an essential trip if you're in Manhattan, even if you only have a wander through it.

If you only have a little time, I would go to the southern entrance of Central Park, opposite the Plaza Hotel, since it's one of my favourite parts. I love being in the park whilst looking at the skyscrapers all around, the image is really impressive; when you go in the park, you forget that you're in Manhattan. This park integrates two of the most important things in Manhattan: Central Park and the skyscrapers. It was the first thing that I saw about the park, I had spent a lot of time sitting by the pond whilst looking at the skyscrapers which seemed as if they were going to fall on top of me. I remember I was sitting on the grass and I stained my trousers thanks to the damp ground, so my second recommendation is to bring something that you can sit on so you don't get stained. If you have a bit more time, I would go to the Great Lake area, coming in from the gate that is next to the Metropolitan Art Museum (MOMA) and crossing over Bow Bridge, stopping to see the building, including it's matching towers and arriving in the western area to see the John Lennon monument. If you still have more time, I would visit the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir and rent one of the boats.

If you're wondering if there is any points in the year when it's not worth visiting the park I would say in the middle of winter. My first visit and the longest was in September so I didn't have any problems, but my last brief visit was in February and the park was completely snowed over. Although it's pretty, it's not convenient, it's slippery, it's cold and you can't see the large amount of flora which the park has, furthermore, the lakes are frozen over. I thought that I would like it more because all the scenes that we see in the movies, it's usually snowy, but well, I think it's best to just leave those snowy scenes in the movies.

Something else I'd recommend from my own experience, is bring some money or some food in your bag because Central Park is so big so when you're gripped by hunger, it can take you like half an hour to find somewhere to go an eat. There are food stalls around the park, but there are none near the metro stations, only in the busiest areas. The same goes for the rest-rooms, the best thing to do is go before you get to the park and bear in mine that wherever there's a public toilet, there are flies. You never know, and it's quite uncomfortable.

You can see a panoramic of the whole of Central Park if you go to the top of the Rockefeller building in its attic which is called "Top of the Rock". I was lucky enough to be able to go up to the attic and see the sun set with Central Park as a backdrop and the sky-scrapers on the opposite side. From the top, Central Park looks like a big, green rectangle, with a large lake in the middle, at the same time as everything else that's in the park, but the lake is what caught my attention the most. You have to experience the tower too, if not, the views of Central Park will not be complete.

Lastly, if you have a greater purchasing power than me, the best thing to do is go on a horse drawn carriage ride which you can find in the south entrance of the park or in the centre of the park. The journey lasts 30 minutes and the prices is approximately 50$. I don't think there's anything more romantic or cinematic, someday I'll do it; )

Activities in Central Park

Shakespeare in the park takes place here during summer, an annual theatre festival which is public and free which is attended by many people and has where some of today's stars have acted such as Denzel Washington or Glenn Close. There is also The Philharmonic Orchestra of New York who play an open air concert in Central Park as well as the Metropolitan Opera. It's not only these institutions who perform in the famous park, music stars have also performed such as Bon Jovi. It must be amazing to be able to enjoy these music concerts whilst in open air and surrounded by huge green areas. If you don't like music or theatre, there are numerous other activities to do in the park, especially in summer, from projected films to activities for kids.

Sports also take place in this park, in fact, a lot of New Yorkers from Manhattan choose this place to go running, especially around the reservoir and people can be seen running whilst pushing their prams or with their pets; each weekend races usually take place and a lot of the racers practice here for the New York marathon. Another fairly common sport is bike riding around the park and it is the best way to get around the park quickly. There are even 30 tennis courts, a swimming pool and in winter, 2 ice-skating rinks, A great offer that meets the expectations of anyone who is interested in doing another activity other than just stroll through the park, which is not small. I don't know if it's thought of as a sport, but you can rent boats to go out onto the lake. I rented one and I don't regret it because from the lake you can see corners of Central Park that you wouldn't be able to see if you weren't in a boat, I went under Bow Bridge and I had the best panoramic view of the San Remo Apartments. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I would really recommend it.

Even musical street performers, caricature artists and other artists are found in Central Park. I have a brilliant memory of when I saw a pretty good musical performance, close to the John Lennon monument, and the guy was performing for free for whoever happened to be in that part of the park. I sat on one of the benches and I enjoyed the views whilst my ears were also enjoying the music. Other musical performers usually perform on the stairs of the MOMA since it's another fairly busy area and the stairs make it quite convenient.

Something that I read which seemed really odd was that Central Park was so big, bigger than Monaco and the Vatican being double the size of Monaco and 8 times bigger than the Vatican. I have also been to these 2 countries and I can confirm for you, even if it's weird that it's double the size of Monaco.

Opening times, tariffs and how to get there

The opening time of the park is quite lenient, you can visit the park from 6 in the morning until 1 in the morning. Although, I think that the quay and other attractions of the park close before the park itself, so it's better to ensure that you go before, or go in the morning or at midday, I am sure that the attractions are also open.

If you really want to see the park thoroughly, from the first attraction right up until the last, you will need more than half a day or even than a whole day, or you could do what I said and divide the trip into two parts so you end up being fed up of Central Park.

Entrance to the part is free, since it is an urban park, but you have to pay for a lot of the activities including going on the boats, renting a bike, going to the zoo, etc.

To get to Central Park, there are loads of different ways and entrances to the park itself, so I'm not going to write down all the metro stops which you can get off at, but if I say to you that the lines that go to the park are the A, B, C & D and the 5, 6 and 7. There are also buses which you can get to get off in the actual vicinity of Central Park; they are the M1, M2, M3, M4 & M10.

Enjoy the trip because Central Park is an essential place to visit, not only in Manhattan but in the whole world.