Central Park hides a lot of interesting, sometimes even legendary things. It is also home to a wide variety of inhabitants and is the center of vibrant events very often.
We tried to plunge into the atmosphere of Central Park in order to understand what is so special about it. Why is it so famous as no other park in the world? And in this article we will answer to this question.
We were also surprised by an unexpected meeting with an unusual inhabitant of the park, and we will talk about it a little bit later.
Central Park is a public city park in the heart of New York. Today it is the most visited city park in USA.
Every day, Central Park attracts many visitors who come here for peace and harmony in the middle of the turbulent, grandiose city of New York.
Let’s look into the history of the park.
The park was created by landscape architect Frederick Olmsted.
Since the beginning of the park creation (1857), the works did not stop even during the American Civil War and was completely finished in 1873.
Before the start of construction, it was required to evacuate 1600 locals who lived on the territory of today’s park, all buildings were demolished.
Central Park is located in the very center of the city in the shape of a large rectangle. Its length reaches 4 km, width – 800 m.
The 10-kilometer road surrounding the park is often used by runners, cyclists and roller-skate enthusiasts, especially on weekends and after 7 p.m. when car traffic is prohibited.
You can see Central Park in the scenes of famous movies very often. So while walking along its alleys, you involuntarily feel yourself the main character of a movie.
Calm, peace, harmony are in the air of the park.
And the concrete jungles with multi-story skyscrapers grow behind the trees, in the middle of such a vibrant New York city!
There is a special nature in the park: birds and animals of different species are everywhere you look around.
We walked around the park and saw a large crowd of people. We couldn’t understand what’s the matter? But coming closer, we saw a real raccoon! It was so unusual to see him walking just in the trees – not in a cage, without a leash, or unlimited in any way, he looked just like a part of the surrounding nature.
Before planning your walk along the Central Park you should remember that there are no snack bars and food stalls in the park, so you can bring your food to-go and have a picnic on any spot of the park. By the way, there are some street food stalls before the entrance to the park.
There are 2 restaurants in the park: the Loeb Boathouse restaurant with an open terrace and the Tavern on the Green restaurant. But a snack will be much more expensive there.
You can not only walk and enjoy the beautiful nature of the Central Park, but also arrange a kind of entertainment – searching for the local attractions.
Despite the fact that the park looks very natural, almost all landscapes are created by human. There are several artificial lakes, lots of alleys, two ice skating rinks which are made in the winter time, corners of “virgin wild life”, lawns used for various sports, children’s playgrounds in the park.
Nice fountains and squares – which are the meeting points for people, who come here to have fun on nature together.
Central Park is the location for one of the most famous museums in New York – the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Nearby you can suddenly discover the Egyptian obelisk.
The monument, dedicated to the hero dog Balto, was erected in 1925, immediately after the rescue mission.
It was impossible to deliver the medicine by plane due to the severe winter weather conditions, so the serum was transported by dog sledding. Siberian Husky named Balto was at the head of the dog team, which delivered serum safely and saved the children from the disease.
Balto became a national hero. The children in Alaska schools were told this story as an example of heroism and the will to win. 1995 a cartoon was shot with Balto – the hero of Alaska – in the main role.
The board on the pedestal of the monument, which describes this heroic dead, ends with three words: “Endurance, fidelity, intelligence.”
The zoo is a twist of the park. You can see monkeys, lions, polar bears and penguins there. There is another zoo in the park – the contact zoo, where live such animals like cows, pigs, lambs and goats. They can be fed and stroked.
You need to buy an entrance ticket to visit it.
Belvedere Castle – is a beautiful building of the 19th century, located on a stone rock.
There is a pond with turtles at the foot of the Belvedere castle.
On the summer time an open-air festival named “Shakespeare in the Park” takes place in the green theater near the pond. Even such popular movie stars like Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino participated there.
If you want to see the Central Park from the above, you should climb to the top of the observation deck on the Rockefeller Center skyscraper.
By the way, the park is not visible on the observation deck of The One Observatory World Trade Center.
Central Park is surrounded by the very interesting spots of the New York City:
The legendary Plaza Hotel is situated right in front of the Central Park. You definitely know this hotel because of the “Home Alone – 2: Lost in New York” movie with Macaulay Culkin in main role.
American Museum of Natural History is one more outstanding must-visit point near the Central Park. This museum was also a spot for one of the most famous movies, namely, for “Night at the Museum” fantasy-comedy film.
The last but not the least beautiful stop in our walk along the park is the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. This is the largest basin on the territory of the Central Park. The locals like jogging around there.
Even a full day is not enough to see the entire Central Park.
We hope that we succeeded to convince you of how many interesting and fascinating things are hidden in the Central Park and show what it is so famous for.
This is definitely a place that is worth your attention and time.
Author (c): Irene Melnyk
Photos (c): Nick Melnyk