Central Park is New York’s most favorite and most visited urban park in the United States among locals and tourists. In the park you can do almost everything: jog, sun-bathe, walk the dog, take a picnic, visit a small zoo, relax, rent a boat at the lake, etc.
If you are about to visit New York over the colder months, there is even an ice skating ring in the park.
If you are fan of John Lennon, then you should visit his memorial called Strawberry Fields. Just be aware that this area is now designated as a quiet zone of the park.
The park is open daily from 06:00AM to 01:00AM.
Central Park is located between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, roughly bounded by Fifth Avenue on the east, Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) on the west, Central Park South (59th Street) on the south, and Central Park North (110th Street) on the north. If you already checked one of my previous articles about Manhattan streets grid it will be very easy for you to locate the park only by following the streets and avenues numbers.
If you are about to come by subway, there are many subway stations within walking distance from Central Park.
The park has approximately between 37–38 million visitors annually, and it is one of the most filmed locations in the world.
The entrance is free of admission. If you wish to visit the attractions such as the zoo, cinema, horse carriage ride, bike rental, guided tour, etc. then you will be asked to pay some entrance fee.
The park itself is very clean and beautiful.
Central Park was opened in 1857 as an open space where the burgeoning population could recreate in the open air.
The interesting thing about it is that all the topsoil in the park was brought in from New Jersey. The topography of central Manhattan was not particularly fertile therefore millions of cartloads of soil and rocks were carted out of the park and about 1,500 species of plants were brought into the park.
Even though everything was planted it looks very natural. Central Park has rich flora and fauna (I won’t bother you with the numbers).
There are two indoor restaurants in Central Park. The Tavern on the Green is located on the park’s grounds at Central Park West and West 67th Street. The second is The Loeb Boathouse located at the Loeb Boathouse, on the Lake near Fifth Avenue between East 74th and 75th Streets.
According to the Central Park Conservancy website, there is a possibility for anyone to adopt a bench in the Central Park. The program was established in 1986 as a permanent fund to maintain and endow the care of Central Park’s more than 9,000 benches and their surrounding landscapes. To date, more than 4,100 benches have been adopted. In recognition of contributions to the fund, Central Park Conservancy installs a personalized plaque on a park bench of the donor’s choosing. Benches may be endowed for $10,000.
It is a wonderful way to memorialize or honor a loved one. Adopt-A-Bench for a birthday, anniversary, new baby, graduation – it is the perfect gift for any occasion! If you wish to learn more about how to adopt the bench, please email benches@centralparknyc.org.
We asked our tour guide why the skyscrapers around the Central Park are so slim. She told us that these building were called pencil towers. There is the rule where all the high buildings built around the Central Park have to be slim so they don’t cast huge shadows across Central Park. I found this information very interesting, therefore I wanted to learn more about it.
According to The Guardian these towers are not only the product of advances in construction technology and a global surfeit of super-rich buyers, but a zoning policy that allows a developer to acquire unused airspace nearby, add it to their own lot, and erect a vast structure without any kind of public review process taking place. You can read the entire article in the link above.
In my next article you can learn more about Central Park Zoo, followed by many others about interesting spots to visit while in New York.
Stay tuned and follow Embrace yourself embrace the world side, if you wish to learn more about New York and many other beautiful destinations.
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