Central Park is an 843 acre carpet of green. Smack bang in the middle of Manhattan, it is an oasis from the insanity - lush lawns, cool forests, water and wooded paths. In summer it swarms with joggers, in-line skaters, musicians and tourists. In winter snowstorms can inspire cross-country skiing and sledding or a simple stroll through the winter wonderland.

It was laid out between 1859-1870. All the more impressive as the oasis of green is surrounded on all sides by high rise buildings.

It was designated a "people's park" where everyone could come and enjoy it right in the heart of New York.

We took a horse and carriage ride around the park. It had just started to snow, so this made the ride really magical.

We were very thankful in hindsight that we had chosen a carriage with a roof, as this, combined with the green woolly blanket the driver threw over our laps, kept us snug, warm and dry.

The ride lasted about 20 minutes and was a lovely way to travel and see the inside of the park. Our driver - originally from Ireland, was pleasant, friendly and chatty. When we got out, our son enjoyed watching the horses get a drink of water from little stone troughs at Artists Gate on Central Park South.

The Wallman Ice Skating Rink is beautiful. We didn't skate here, but very much enjoyed watching the other skaters on this large rink with its lovely setting.

We had a ride on the carousel. It has been in the park since 1871 and is open daily between April and December. There are 58 beautiful hand-carved horses. It was such a cold day, our hands and faces were frozen as we whizzed round, so it wasn't really a fun experience.

The Heckscher Playground is the largest playground in the park and great for children. It has been recently renovated and has lots of swings, slides, climbing structures and a big sand pit.

Around Conservatory Water are several statues of children from favourite children's stories. Alice in Wonderland is great - a bronze statue of Alice on a large mushroom with the Mad Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse. There is also Hans Christian Andersen and Mother Goose.

Strawberry Fields is a lovely landscaped area with the "Imagine" mosiac in memory of John Lennon. He lived just across the road at the Dakota Apartment Building and apparently particularly enjoyed this area of Central Park.

One tip I would pass on if you visit Central Park on a cold winter day is to make sure you are wearing thermals and are well-wrapped up. We were wearing lots of layers and were fine elsewhere in Manhattan, but in the Park the temperature seemed to be about 10 degrees colder than anywhere else. This combined with the wind chill meant we were sooooo cold!

I’ve visited New York several times, but never spent much time in Central Park, what a mistake. I never realized how beautiful or expansive this park was. Covering 843 acres the park includes a zoo, restaurants, a castle, several statues, a museum, as well as two ponds. There is so much to do here that Central Park could be a trip in itself.
The park isn’t hard to find either. Look for the first sign of trees; the park is full of them. Being in Central Park truly makes me feel like I left the city and was back home in Pennsylvania. Throughout the park there are directories of where to find specific sights in the park; however it is almost better to print out a map of the park before you go because finding these directories is almost as hard as finding what you are look for. Besides that they don’t list several of the statues that I was looking for that I found on Central Park’s website.

My main goal for visiting the park was to find Strawberry Fields. It took hours, a side trip to the zoo, several confused conversations with other lost tourists looking for the memorial, a run in with a renegade sprinkler, and a sighting of the Dekota before finding it. The memorial was created in 1981 in memorial for John Lennon by his wife. It’s across the street from the Dekota on West 72nd street. One of the paths leading to the sight has a plaque stating “Imagine all the people living life in peace” and lists all of the countries in the world. At this point I put on my I-pod, put on the song Imagine, and proceeded to the memorial. The black and white memorial has a circle in the middle with the word “Imagine” written in it. A group of hippies keep constant vigil, rearranging flowers left there into peace signs and taking pictures with tourists while holding signs that say, “adopt a hippie.”

Crossing the park near the great lawn is Belvedere Castle. It has been turned into a nature museum, but I find that truly just a beautiful piece of architecture just to stop and look at. It’s even more impressing when you don’t expect to see it and round a corner only to find an amazing castle standing in front of you.

Keep going past that is the Met, and in the museums back yard it an Obelisk. Brought to New York from Egypt this is another unexpected site to see however it somehow fits. On the sides of the Obelisk are hieroglyphics. At the base are plagues that translate the story; however several sections have been worn off though time and it is reflected on the plagues below because huge sections are left blank.

My only regret was not finding a good book, packing a picnic lunch, and find a boulder to sit on under the shade of trees, and enjoy people-watching.

While walking through Central Park northbound towards the Boathouse, I came across the famous movie location of the Bethesda Terrace. Seen in tons of movies and a popular romantic hotspot, this place is amazing and after being there, you can see why. The overlook looking down onto the Lake with its many boats aimlessly rowing around is a relaxing sight. Also, at the bottom of the stairs, directly in the center is a large fountain called Angel Fountain. Surrounded with a concrete border, the fountain is a popular place for reflection, picture taking, and people watching. There is usually a street performing musical group playing different styles for the passing families and lovers. Please remember to bring some change or a dollar or two to donate to the efforts of the musicians and other style of street performers.

With the Lake a stones throw away and Gondola boats coming up every so often for a romantic ride, this place screams love and romance. And with the Boathouse Restaurant right on the other side of the Lake, the romance can go on fro as long as you want it to.

Many things to do from sunbathing, to playing soccer... Yes European fellows who wishes to test the few Americans playing soccer (we call it football), go to Central Park.

There are a few Americans playing, but I must admit that they are rather good at it. It is also a good way to meet other Europeans.

Central Park was unbelievable. It was much larger than I had imagined. We spent several hours there over a couple of days… and still only scratched the surface. Strawberry fields and the literary walk were, by far, my favorite spots.
The angel fountain was breathtaking. It was kind of weird seeing it in person after seeing it in so many movies and shows. It was a rainy spring day, the day we were at the fountain. It was desolate, like she was waiting for us.

You must have a map of the park on hand, or you won’t have a clue where to go next. Make sure you decide some of the points of interest in the park that you want to see before you get there, so you can plan accordingly. Unless you plan on spending your entire trip in Central Park, you won’t be able to see all of it.