Not Just an Ordinary Walk In The Park

Central Park is located right in the center of Manhattan in NYC. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Central Park is managed by the Central Park Conservancy, a non-profit organization. They are under contract by with the city government. The park is bordered by West 110^th Street on the north, West 59^th Street on the south and Eighth Avenue on the West.  The parks border streets are known by Central Park North, Central Park South, and Central Park West.  The only street that retains its name is to the parks eastern border and that is Fifth Avenue.

Central Park is a public park that opened in 1857 on 843 acres that the city of New York owned. The park was designed in 1858 by the winners of the design competition, Frederick Law Olmstead a landscape designer and Calvert Vaux an architect. Their design came to complete fruition in 1873. The two also designed Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

The park was originally 770 acres but was expanded to just under 850 acres. The beauty of the landscape design of the park is that it appears natural when almost the entire park is actually landscaped.  The lakes and ponds that are located in the park are actually man made.  There are seven major lawn areas, known as the meadows, one of which is called Strawberry Fields, after the Beatles hit. There are also smaller grassy areas that are popular for team and informal sports.  There are also grassy areas that are specifically set aside as quiet areas. 

Central Park is one of the most visited urban parks in the US, and receives more than 35 million visitors a year.  The park offers many activities there are two ice skating rinks, one of which is turned into a pool in the July and August, tons of walking paths, and bridle paths. Of course there is the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary and a large area that is still dedicated to natural woods. There is a man-made reservoir that holds a billion gallons has a circular running track that surrounds it.  One of the perks of summer at Central Park is Shakespeare in the Park which takes place at the Delacorte Theater, an outdoor amphitheater.  Of course one of the must sees in Central Park is the historic Carousel; it was installed in 1951 from its original location of Coney Island, and is the largest in the US.