Central Park - New York - Post 7th November

Central Park is a large park (with 341 hectares) within the city of New York. It has an area of 3.4 km ², and is located in the district of Manhattan.

Central Park - New York

The park, which has existed for 150 years, is considered by many New Yorkers, an oasis in the great forest of skyscrapers in the region. It's a place where people can sit on a bench and read the paper, chat with friends, play games, ride a bike or play with the kids. A place where people can relax and decrease the frenetic pace of the city.

Central Park - Aerial View

The Central Park has approximately twenty-five million visitors annually. It is the most visited park in the city and appears in many films and television programs, making it known worldwide.

The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who created later Brooklyn's Prospect Park. It is maintained 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.


                             

Central Park - Belvedere Castle

While planting and land form in much of the park appear natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds that have been created artificially, extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks (one of which is a swimming pool in July and August), the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre (43 ha) billion-gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater, the Delacorte Theater, which hosts the "Shakespeare in the Park" summer festivals. Indoor attractions include Belvedere Castle with its nature center, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and the historic Carousel. In addition there are seven major lawns, the "meadows", and many minor grassy areas; some of them are used for informal or team sports and some set aside as quiet areas; there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children.

                           

The famous Wollman Rink (ice rink) in Central Park.

The six miles (10 km) of drives within the park are used by joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters, especially when automobile traffic is prohibited, on weekends and in the evenings after 7:00 pm.

Did you like the Central Park? Would you like to visit it?