Did you know? To create that feeling of being in the countryside, and not in the middle of a city, the four Transverse Roads were sunken down eight feet below the park’s surface.
Find a quiet bench at the Shakespeare Garden, the only rock garden in the park, and dig into that book youʼve been wanting to read.
The monument was sculpted by Attilio Picarelli in 1913. This monument was raised in honor of the 260 U.S. soldiers who lost their life in the Battle Ship Maine in February 15, 1888 in Habana, Cuba.
Take the path to the right through the pagoda to meet all the dogs early in the morning.
Olmsted and Vaux, the park original designers (1858-1978) named this gate "All Saints" AKA "Prophet Gate." To prevent confusion, the stone wall outside indicates "All Saints" is the name to be called.
One of the best areas of Central Park. To the left is a pond with weeping willow trees. At right is an infant-toddler playground. Straight ahead are baseball and soccer fields. Dogs rule this land.
Check out the nearby Block House, an 1812 War fort and the oldest structure in the park. Good views over Harlem, and quiet.
North park is the best park. Plenty of beautiful trails and places to hang out and relax, but without all the craziness of Sheep's Meadow.
"...at the entrance of Conservatory Garden, considered 1 of the finest examples of wrought iron work in NYC. ...adorned the mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II @ 5th&58th." http://bit.ly/cp-vanderbilt Read more.
Strangely, the only Gate named in the singular form; all others given in the plural: Engineers', Inventors', Pioneers', etc.
PHOTO: 1931. Golden Age Hollywood actress Greta Garbo on a walk up the East side of Central Park, at the link! Read more.
One of 20 "gate" entrances to Central Park -- http://sn.im/centralpkgates -- and this one's *not* the same as Artisans' Gate a block away on 7th. http://sn.im/artistsgate
The lake is home to fish, birds, critters & different types of flora. Around the area are benches, bridges, trees, food stands, & plenty of photo ops!
PHOTO: Grab some friends and take a picture by the pond like this one of the Beatles from their first visit to America in 1964, at the link! Read more.
A place for cultural riturals and folk dances and musical performances this focal promenade is an offering to quietude and festivity.
Sweat is rarely sexy, unless we’re talking about watching shirtless St. Judes boys work out. Come to work out . . . but stay for the show. Read more.
This pond was modeled after the model boat ponds of Paris and is a great place to see radio-controlled sail boats gliding across the water. Nearby is a bronze sculpture of “Alice in Wonderland.”
A hidden gem at the northeast end of Central Park, and among the most beautiful, elegant and serene offerings from the world's greatest natural resource.
Great spot in Central Park to relax, have a picnic or even get some work done, since it's not too crowded and not too many people know about it. Cute ducks all throughout the pond!
This area of the park was designed by Calvert & Vaux to replicate the beautiful Adirondacks in upstate NY! Where to find it: Mid Park from 101nd – 110nd Streets. Read more.
One of the most magical parts of Central Park...you would never know you're in the middle of Manhattan. Wooded area with tons of trails, waterfalls and bird-watching.
Summit Rock is the highest natural elevation in the park. Peaking at 137.5, it stands just a few feet above Vista Rock, home of Belvedere Castle.
The natural waterfall at the Ravine is a beauty (especially with fall foliage)! Sit on a rock and forget that you're in the middle of Manhattan
PHOTO: The Beatles take a horse drawn carriage ride through the park the day after their arrival in 1964, at the link! Read more.
Prime sunbathing time is between 10:30am and 3pm; we suggest you claim your spot early on this 15-acre expanse, one of the most popular ray-catching spots in NYC. Read more.
Lots of dog owners congregate here before 9AM. Great unobstructed sun all morning until about 3PM. Quieter than Great Lawn or Sheep Meadow because the slope discourages sports.
Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John, Dave Matthews Band, Diana Ross and Hall & Oates (among many others) have held massive shows in this thirteen-acre section of Central Park. Read more.
Don't picnic under the giant knobby tree. You will get shat upon by a lot of tiny birds.
Tucked away are the conservatory gardens of French, English and Italian design, each fragrant with the blooms of the season. Here you will escape the crowds, the noise and bustle of the city.
These Yoshino Cherry trees along the east side of the Reservoir may be the original trees presented as a gift to the United States by Japan in 1912. Read more.
A great variey of pine trees, some planted by Arthur Ross himself. If there's a park ranger about, they'll be happy to give your a small tour.
Great place to relax in the park without having to go to far inside the park. Nice place to sit and enjoy the end of the day with someone special or friends and neighbors.
Less famous than bow bridge if has some great views as well. Gotta give a chance to every corner at this park.
Sitting across from the Tennis Court puts you equidistant to the dude selling ice cream and the bathroom. Double-win.
PHOTO: Like a mini-Cleopatra on a mini-barge, Adelita Clark (wearing a mini-bathing suit) is rowed under the bridge in 1967, at the link! Read more.
This is the bridge over the pond in the South East corner of the park. It has been a location in many New York movies and a popular spot for tourists to take pictures. Read more.
This is the only double arch in CP by CPC app for iPhone. Must have this app, too.
One of Calvert Vaux’s earliest arches, Denesmouth supports the 65th Street Transverse and is the passageway between the Central Park Zoo and the Children’s Zoo.
The passageway is lined with red brick; the walls are divided into blind arcades of seven arches each with a granite keystone. The walls also feature secluded benches.
If you are lucky enough, you may catch a saxophone player here when the weather is nice.
Glenspan Arch constructed in 1865 has a really nice rustic look to it. It's surrounding is very serene complemented by a beautiful stream.
The arch is made of white-gray gneiss, while its balustrade has been crafted from New Brunswick sandstone and decorated with fleur-de-lis carvings.
Built from enormous uncut boulders—one of which is said to weigh 100 tons—Central Park's Huddlestone Arch is supported not by mortar, concrete or metal but by gravity and friction alone. Read more.
Download the Central Park app for maps and other information. We saw a raccoon in a tree here, just sleeping way up high.
It's below your feet when you enter at the Women's Gate (W 72)--get down to the Bridle Path and check it out...
Take a look under the Arch. Unlike most of the other arches in Central Park, this one has been wooden over on the inside. No exposed brick
Designed by Emma Stebbins and dedicated in 1873, this fountain was the only sculpture commissioned as part of Central Park’s original design. Its official name is “Angel of the Waters.”
Emma Stebbins's centerpiece of the"Angel of the Waters" was the only sculpture commissioned as part of the original design of the Park.
Dedicated in 1985, this 2.5-acre area of the park is a memorial to musician John Lennon, who was murdered nearby on December 8, 1980.
So called because it's lined with statues of writers William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Fitz-Greene Halleck—and Christopher Columbus, often referred to here as "the odd man out." Read more.
Unveiled in 1872, this statue by John Quincy Adams Ward pays tribute to one of the world's most famous playwrights, who lived from 1564 to 1616.
If you look at the expression in his face you can tell the artist thought Fitzgerald halleck was a dick.
Dedicated in 1894, this statue depicts the explorer whose trans-Atlantic trips, starting in 1492, helped lead to European colonization of the Americas.
Located in Central Park since 1945, this statue depicts Wladyslaw Jagiello (1362-1434), the king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania.
Dedicated in 1921, this statue depicts the 19th century, Venezuela-born general who has been referred to as the "George Washington of South America."
In the vicinity of Mt Sinai Hospital -- the benches around the statue are a good place to sit and take a breather...
This granite statue of Hamilton, a Founding Father and co-author of the Federalist Papers, was donated by his grandson in 1880.
Just across the road from the Cherry Hill Fountain, a lovely understated fountain originally designed for carriage horses.
Indian Hunter was the first sculpture in Central Park by an American artist. Having studied the Lakota tribe, Ward was interested in developing American subjects.
If the crowds are overwhelming at Alice in Wonderland, hang out awhile here with Hans and read The Ugly Duckling.
Created in 1959 by Jose de Creeft (1884-1982), this bronze sculpture features characters from the 1865 Lewis Carroll story‚ "Alice in Wonderland."
This life-size sculpture of Balto, the Alaskan sled dog hero of 1925, was created by Brooklyn artist Frederick George Richard Roth.
Paul Manship, the sculptor, also created Prometheus, at Rockefeller Center, and the Lehman Gates to the Central Park Children's Zoo, among many other public art works.
This cat challenges you - mocks you - torments you - as you run or bike up the drive, but you will persevere.
Right by the Reservoir at East 90th St, one of the most beautiful memorials in the City...
Cleopatra's needle may not have been constructed in Central Park but you can thank American businessman Wm. Vanderbilt for donating $103k to have the structure moved from Egypt to NY in 1881
"...came to Central Park in '47 after death of Samuel Untermeyer....a cast of the original. Just how Untermeyer acquired the sculpture from the Berlin original or had the cast made remains a mystery." Read more.
"...Center Garden’s formal lawn is capped at the far end w/this elegant geyser fountain - 1 of 3 stylized gardens that make up the six-acre Conservatory Garden." http://bit.ly/cp-ctrfountain Read more.
This is not the fountain from the television show "Friends". That fountain is in Burbank, California.
Don't miss two outstanding long-term loans installed in the galleries for postwar art on the 2nd floor: Cy Twombly's Untitled (Rome) and Robert Rauschenberg's Canyon. (Ian, Contemporary Art)
Worth being a mensch and making a visit. It's lit every night of Hanukkah using a mechanical lift.
the temple base are carvings of papyrus and lotus plants, symbolized by figures of the Nile god Hapy. Above temple entrance are images of the sun disk wings of Horus, the sky god.
The oldest structure in Central Park is the blockhouse built to protect NYC during the war of 1812. Read more.
Designed by Calvert Vaux in the 1860s as a lookout point for the Great Lawn to the north and the Ramble to the south. Now home to the Henry Luce Nature Observatory. Read more.
The Theater was shipped over from Sweden as part of that nation’s exhibit for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
Impress your friends with this bit of trivia: From 1871 to 1924, this Central Park icon was powered by a blind mule and a horse that walked on a treadmill in an underground pit. Read more.
After stuffing your face with delicious food at The Boathouse Restaurant in Central Park, burn off those guilt-causing calories by renting a rowboat or a bicycle from the adjacent kiosks.
The summertime home of the Public Theater and a glorious outdoor stage for all their Shakespeare in the Park productions. Tickets are free, if you’re lucky enough to get ‘em.
Central Park SummerStage fills Rumsey Playfield with every type of music under the summer sun. Here you can find SummerStage concerts (free) and their benefit shows (not free) as well as other gigs! Read more.
The park has seen better days. Probably once the model playground for your adventurous child is now a mixture of 20 year slides and climbing things that should be torn down and re-built.
Large water play area with sprinklers and raised platforms with water channels. Great for the kids to run around on a hot day. Located near the Carousel, too.
What a great place to visit! Loved all the diversity in the park. Cannot wait to go back to explore more of it.
If you run from 86th st to 102nd & cross at the 96th street overpass forming a figure 8 your distance is 5km for each lap.
The best part of the 72nd St Transverse is the view of the fountain.
