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.

Walking around the park is an adventure in itself. If you like the Beatles, they have a John Lennon Memorial. If you like art, there's the Manhattan Museum of Art. There are countless statues, pillars, monuments! The place is packed with performers and musicians! Around the park are horse carriages! The options are endless!

Central Park has provided an oasis of greenery in the big city for 150 years. It has trees, meadows, lakes, sculpture, and all kinds of attractions. My walk covered just a few acres, and I found the park enchanting. I plan to go back for more whenever I have a chance.

We walked into the park at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is an impressive sight, with a large glass wall. We walked around it and saw the obelisk, also called Cleopatra's Needle, which was made in Egypt in the 1500s and transported to the United States in 1879. Just south of that, we stopped to admire some unusual mushrooms that were growing under some trees. We meandered along, enjoying the warm summer day. We stopped briefly at the bronze Alice in Wonderland statue, which includes Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat, and several mushrooms, one of which Alice is seated on. Kids were climbing all over the statues, which I thought was in keeping with the playful theme.

We paused for iced tea at the snack area facing Conservatory Water, a small lake. Kids and adults were renting remote-control boats to play with on the water. It was a weekday, so the park wasn't very crowded, with tourists making up a high proportion of the visitors.

The walkway passed under a couple of very attractive bridges. We saw a couple of cops on small motorbikes. Their main function seemed to be answering questions for tourists.

We walked west around the large lake. Once past that, we reached our final destination in the park, Strawberry Fields. It is named after the Beatles song in honor John Lennon, who lived at the Dakota, which is nearby right across from the park. We walked on a narrow path that wound around among the bushes and trees. For a while, we couldn't see or hear anything but a bird. Consciousness-expanding! We came out at the edge of the park at the Imagine mosaic. A man was placing rose petals all around the mosaic, in memory of John, while his dog lounged on a park bench. A couple of stands sold souvenirs.

And then we crossed the street out of the park. We'd gone the full width of the park, from east to west, and covered not even a quarter of the length. Plenty more left to explore.

Central Park is huge—much bigger then I expected—an oasis in the middle of a bustling Manhattan. There is tons to do there. There is a beautiful rose garden which you can sit in and relax and read a book and take in the city. There is a duck pond—there were people taking wedding pictures there when we were sitting on the bench on a Saturday afternoon and it was quite beautiful and serene. You can take a horse and carriage ride, and it feels like something out of a movie. There is also a great little restaurant overlooking central park, which has decent prices but a fantastic view!

I highly recommend you spend a day in Central Park, wandering around and seeing all it has to see. It's very centrally located so you can do it on your way to do other stuff. I don't think you should go there at night but definitely during the day.

Central Park is so peaceful for such a busy area. We went at the beginning of March. The ice was just melting off the ponds. It was 70°F outside. My friend and I walked for about an hour. We climbed on top of some rocks and looked at the entire park. We sat on some benches and listened to our iPods as we watched people skating and walking by. It is perfect for anyone or any group—lovers, friends, family.