Central Park is fabulous. You can't see everything unless you have a couple of days. It is 50 streets long and 5 blocks wide. With so many sights to see along the way, take your time or go back again. The zoo is a bit tiny for the price, but it's all for a good cause and cute, unusual animals are inside (and polar bears!).

Wear comfy shoes and stay close by so you can go back.

It is almost unfair to describe Central Park as a park. It does it no justice. A park conjures up images of a few hectares of grass garden and a children’s playground. Central Park is so much more.

Stretching 3 blocks wide and over 50 blocks long, it is a patchwork of greenery, with over a dozen distinct areas, each of which is like a mini-park in themselves. The Rambles, in the centre of the park, is a cool wooded tangle of narrow paths. Belvedere castle rises above the lake of the same name like a 19th-century Victorian folly. Across the north meadow, a dozen baseball diamonds hold the promise of summer leagues.

And throughout all this, you are within sight of the New York City skyline, reminding you that this remarkable oasis is actually at the heart of one of the most important cities in the world.

Central Park is both a place to do things and a place to wander, doing not too much at all. It is fairly flat, making an ideal cycling, walking, or rollerblading area, and though there were invariably areas fenced off to allow the grass to grow back, there were also swathes of open green to run on and rocks to climb.

Our son loves to go to Central Park to run out some energy. It's nice to just walk around and play games in the open fields. We went to NYC in the winter, so playing in the snow was a great hit (especially since we are from Georgia where it NEVER snows!). There are often free concerts and festivals in the park, too, that are fun to happen upon. I also feel safe in Central Park in the daytime (Use common sense and stay where the people are.) though I always keep a very close eye on my son when we are playing. In the summer, we pack rollerblades, take a frisbee or a kite and enjoy the outdoors in the sunshine. I have never been to Manhattan without spending a little bit of time walking or running in Central Park.

I love running in Central Park. There is nothing like pounding the pavement in a new city, taking in the sights and sounds while in motion. It is also a great (and free!) place to take kids to run out some energy. We were there in January, so my son got to enjoy a snowball fight with my husband as I ran my heart out on the main loop. As I do a lot of trail running in Atlanta, the hills encountered at Central Park do not seem terribly difficult to me. They would be more of a challenge for a beginning hill runner. They are certainly enough of a presence, however, for me to notice. Especially if going long or doing windsprints. There are many variations you can make to your run while in Central Park. I would advise reading a NYC Local's Running Journal in the Igo Ugo community to get some good ideas. I stay on the main road personally. After all, it's not an every day route for me!

Central Park was a nice little oasis in the middle of the big city. The lush green landscaping was very nice, and it would be a great place for walking around and having a picnic. It would especially be recommended for people who live in New York City or visit frequently. It may not be as exciting for infrequent visitors, but even then, if you're going with your special somebody they have horse and carriage rides which would be very romantic.