After a morning visit to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, a visit to the Guggenheim, and lunch in the Guggenheim Café, I was ready to return to Central Park. My first visit to the best-known urban park in the country had occurred in February of the previous year. Today I returned, ready to experience the park on a glorious Sunday afternoon in May, and to meet some fellow IgoUgo members. With nearly 2 hours to kill in the park between leaving the Guggenheim and meeting the rest of the group at the Conservatory Water, I decided to embark on a meandering path through the park, starting north of the Reservoir and visiting the Great Lawn, Belvedere Castle, and Ramble as I slowly made my way to the Conservatory Water.

The Great Lawn, located near the park’s center, is the backyard for many of Manhattan’s residents. This large oblong open field is closed to visitors in the winter. But with the new spring grass, the lawn is reopened, and on a sunny spring weekend afternoon, the space is filled with thousands of New Yorkers relaxing on blankets and lawn chairs, playing Frisbee, and enjoying being outdoors. The number of people on the lawn was staggering; yet, the space is so immense that there was still plenty of room for those just arriving to stake out a space.

Just south of the Great Lawn, and across a small lake, stands the Belvedere Castle. This structure houses exhibits describing the wildlife found in the park and offers a rooftop lookout featuring great views of the entire park and surrounding neighborhoods. From this point at the top of the castle, most of the park is visible, and it’s a great vantage point for seeing just how big the park is.

Continuing south from Belvedere Castle, I entered one of my favorite areas of Central Park, the Ramble. The Ramble is a large wooded area with several large hills and rocky areas. Several creeks also cross this section of the park. This is a great place to relax in a shady area, or to enjoy the many birds and other wildlife that populate this section of the park. In some of the more dense areas of the woods, it’s almost possible to forget that you are in the middle of one of the largest cities on the planet here.

The time was quickly approaching for rendezvous at the Conservatory Water, so I headed that direction. Once part of the city’s water system, today the Conservatory Water provides a tranquil setting for children to play on the nearby statues of Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Andersen, and for park visitors to rent and sail model boats in the pond. Here I met several IgoUgo members, including Mr. Wonka, Jose Kevo, zabelle, and Idler, and enjoyed a relaxing chat in a nearby grassy area. It was the perfect opportunity to get to know people in person whom I’d only previously known online.

In the middle of winter, Central Park doesn't come off as such an exciting place. Sure, it is a huge park in the middle of a big city, but really it isn't all that different from millions of parks around the world. I can imagine that it isn't until a beautiful sunny day that it's magic comes through. We weren't lucky enough to experience it this way.

Strawberry Fields, the Resevoir, Tavern on the Green, Alice in Wonderland, the fountain and the Conservatory Garden are some of the park's highlights. Horse-drawn carriage rides are a popular way to see the park. Watch out for joggers, as there are MANY running on the paths and trails.

Website:
http://www.centralpark.org/

Central Park amazes me, because the minute you step into it, the whole city is hushed. It is soooo peaceful. My last visit was in July, and it was so lush and green. My friend and I had the brilliant idea that we would cross the park from the Natural History Museum to the Met because they are pretty directly across from each other, divided by the park.

If you are in a hurry, don't take that advice. The paths are very curvy, and, yes, you do see some amazing sights, but by the time you are on the other side, you are about 20 blocks away. We walked around many sights that I've seen in movies, and it was very exciting. It’s just a beautiful way to relax and enjoy nature in a very crazy city.

Truly a nice breath of fresh air amidst the skyscrapers and large crowds. Although to some it may seem small, there some very interesting spots here!

You have a lot to do here--you can take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride, see the ducks and birds on the water and running streams, lots of walking trails, and an oversized merry-go-round ride too! Musicians play here, and of course, depending on the time of year, there may be a festival or live entertainment.

Don't forget the hot dog vendors and others along the edges of the park too!

The grand oasis in a sea of concrete

My first sight of New York City besides the subway was Central Park. After getting off the subway with all my luggage, I spotted the park and all the trees. After dropping off my luggage I grabbed my friend and we started to explore the park.

We walked from 106th Street all the way down to the end of Central Park. There were so many children running around, playing, as there are many playgrounds in the park. We continued to walk, past the reservoir (which is the giant lake you see on TV and in the movies) - it is huge and very beautiful. Great views. Other sights we saw were:

The Great Lawn - great place to play volleyball, soccer, softball etc.
Belvedere Castle - a fairy-tale castle in the park that offers great views of the skyline, the great lawn, turtle pond
Strawberry Fields- beautiful part of the park where you can sit and relax. It is named after the song Strawberry Fields Forever in honor of John Lennon. There is a mosaic tile with one word, Imagine, in the center of black and white tiles. There is also a plaque that lists the countries that endorsed Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.

Central Park is amazing. We stayed right by the park and walked through it every day. It’s a wonderful place to relax and sit on the grass, go for a jog, play Frisbee, walk your dog or anything that your heart desires.

In a city of chaos and non-stop action, this is the one place that allows the city to stay sane.