Central Park, New York City

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Central Park is New York's biggest park and especially at sunny weekends filled with half of the city's population. The large meadows are then playground to lawyers and teachers, to grandmas and babies, to bodybuilders and McDonald's regular guests alike. Ice-cream stalls sell refreshments, people visit the zoo, go skating on a skating rink, go rowing with their darling on the lake or just hang out at a bench and watch passers-by. In my opinion a perfect way to spend a weekend!

Even on a short trip to New York, Central Park deserves *at least* a whole day dedicated for your exploration.... we took a cycle tour, which was the highlight of my whole trip. My partner and I met up with the tour group at the corner of a building by Trump Towers, opposite the corner of the park... no need to book, just meet at one of the regular times (we got this info from our hotel guide). We collected our hire bikes and prepared to ride for the first time since our childhoods!

The park is a 2½ miles long, and offers a total escape from the buzz of the city surrounding it... but of course, you never forget you're in New York as the energy is throughout. All sports and activities are catered for, including rollerskating, ice skating, basketball, baseball, boating, horse and cart rides, and lots more...

Our tour lasted a couple of hours and was a great way to get a taste of it all in a short space of time.... and leaving me hungry for more!

I really enjoyed the many bronze statues throughout the park, especially that of Alice in Wonderland... and there was the Egyptian Obelisk and a beautiful ever growing display of Lennon/Beatles memorabilia in Strawberry Fields... the Shakespeare's garden was a lovely little oasis - with it's handwritten labels on each pretty plantation... watching the turtle lake from up in the castle was a real joy, and if only we'd had time to stop for a puppet show in the little theatre!

I'll certainly return to Central Park one day... it's a chapter that has only begun...

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Central Park is nice to have picnics, canoe on the lake, get a softball game going, or just get out and walk, ride or blade around to enjoy the weather. You can also check out John Lennon's tribute "Imagine" in Strawberry Fields.

Central park is an iconic place and is a must see when in new york. Being in the park you can forget your in such a big city as the park is so big itself.

When ever I've visited the park I just take a walk through it and soak up the sun. Whether it be sittin at the lake or sitting watching a softball game at one of the many pitches.

I've never been at winter but from what I have seen of others photos and listening to there experiences it looks breathtaking.

I've also never visited at night as I reckon it could be quite a scary place as it is so huge that I think you could get lost pretty easy and who knows who is creeping about in there at night.

One thing I wouldn't reccomend to do in the park is the zoo its not very impressive at all but it is really cheap to get in

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It was very cold the day that we went to Central Park, but it wa amazing. It was a shame that it was winter as there was no leaves on the trees and everything was bare. We finished off our walk with a ride in a horse drawn carriage and a nice hot chocolate in the Tavern on th e Green.

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Central Park is bordered on the north by West 110th Street, on the west by Central Park West, on the south by West 59th Street, and on the east by Fifth Avenue. Along the park's borders, these streets are usually referred to as Central Park North, Central Park West, and Central Park South, respectively. The park was designed by landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux.

While much of the park looks natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. It contains several natural-appearing lakes, extensive walking tracks, two ice-skating rinks, the Central Park Zoo, a wildlife sanctuary, a summer Shakespeare festival, and grassy areas used for informal or team sports or set aside as quiet areas, as well as playground enclosures for children. The park is an oasis for migrating birds, and thus is popular with bird watchers. The 6-miles (10 km) of drives circling the park are popular with joggers, bicyclists and inline skaters, especially on weekends and in the evenings after 7:00 p.m., when automobile traffic is banned.

With about twenty-five million visitors annually, Central Park is the most visited city park in the United States, and its appearance in many movies and television shows has made it among the most famous city parks in the world. It is run by the Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization that manages the park under a contract with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

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In June 2007 we visited the park on 2 occasions, it was early summer with bright and sunny days which showed the park to perfection. The park is 843 acres of trees, parklands, recreation areas designated for specific groups such as childrens playgrounds, family groups, lakes, fountains, memorials etc.

We most probably covered two thirds of the park and what impressed us was the excellent condition of the park, the design which allowed groups to find an area suitable for their purpose, whether it be active participation or isolation from the world.

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Although more pleasant to visit in the warm summer months when all of the trees have leaves and the grass is green, even in the winter months, Central Park should be on the visitors must see list. Central Park covers 6% of Manhattan to give you an idea of it's size.

Central Park is an 843 acre green oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of New York City. It was designed in 1858 by Frederick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it took 16 years to finish the park. It was the 1st landscaped public park in the US.

I was only able to squeeze in a walk from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the southern end of the park, even in that short distance there are several highlights-the Alice in Wonderland Statue, Hans Christian Andersen statue, the Reservoir and the zoo.

On my 3rd visit to the city in 2007, we took the subway to 81st Street stop and walked into the park trying to find the Belvedere Castle. After several people gave us bad directions, we finally found someone who worked there and he pointed us in the right direction. So if you want to explore, bring a good map, there aren't many directional signs. There's a good walking tour on the attached website if you want to explore more fully.

Belvedere Castle was erected in 1869 as a lookout and is now home to the NY Meteorological Observatory.