2:30 pm. 5.5 hours into the 59 hour vacation (including the time change). Guggenheim has been checked off the list, and now Central Park (which was on the wish list but not the mental itinerary) has appeared immediately next to the Guggenheim, which had I done any research or planning I would have already known about...but then the surprise wouldn't have been so enjoyable!
I had a few reservations about roaming into Central Park alone just a couple of hours before sunset. All I know about Central Park is that it looks huge on the map, and when I was growing up it had an international reputation as a high crime area. So I did ask at the desk at the Guggenheim if it was safe in this part of the park. They looked at me like I was insane and said, "Of course, I walk through it to and from work every day." It didn't take long to realize that Central Park, like the rest of Manhattan, looks and feels very safe.
The park is pretty big -- 840 acres (which is 3.4 km2). The park is traversed with paved pathways in many directions, has a larger "street" path reserved for cyclists, horses, and park vehicles, and is far more beautiful than I expected. I entered the park near the reservoir, named the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Decommissioned in 1993, it used to draw from an aqueduct and supply water to Manhattan. It was named after Jackie O since it was in view of her 5th Avenue apartment window and she used to frequent the area.
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| Looking towards the Western art of the park across Jackie O Reservoir |
The next thing I noticed is that Central Park is filled with squirrels. These are big squirrels compared to Canadian squirrels. Tan squirrels. Black Squirrels. Very active but super chubby park squirrels. I thought they were awesome!
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| Central Park Squirrel |
When I looked up from my squirrel photography, I saw a large marker, and thinking it was a war memorial, made my way over. I was way off. This is called Cleopatra's Needle. It is a genuine Egyptian monument, a gift from the Egyptian Government in 1881. London and Paris also have one. Cleopatra's needle is an inaccurate term, as the monument actually predates her by a millennium and was created during the reign of Tutmoses III in 1450 BC at Heliopolis. The New York weather and pollution are not as kind to the monument as Egypt's climate...Egypt's chief archaeologist apparently hinted at taking it back in 2010.
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| "Cleopatra's Needle" |
A little further down the path I came across a peaceful pond, the Turtle Pond, complete with ducks, duck feeders, and duck watchers. I didn't see any turtles...but they are probably napping in the warmer mud. The amphitheatre, Delacorte Theatre, across from it does many summer performances, but was empty and silent on this afternoon. Fine by me, I was enjoying the quiet of the park -- well, mostly quiet. Someone apparently decided they could make a buck by marketing a stereo system for pedal bikes -- so rather than the rider using an ipod and listening to their music via headphones, they now pedal past with booming music emanating from the handlebars. I have gotten old enough to think this is a terrible idea. I prefer the sound of the ducks.
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| Across from the Delacorte Theatre, just a guy and his ducks enjoying the day at Turtle Pond |
A few feet past the pond I stumbled upon Belvedere Castle. Belvedere Castle is a cute little castle, designed in 1865 just to be a Victorian style novelty for the tourists. It has 2 outdoor decks overlooking Turtle Pond and Delacorte Theatre, and the volunteer Conservation staff are usually around to help out with maps and information about the park. While I was up there I met a lovely couple in their 60's who were touring New York for the wife's birthday. They asked me to take a few photos and were tickled pink with them. And they took the only photo of my on my New York trip (other than one other selfie).
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| Belvedere Castle |
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| Me in Central Park on the balcony at Belvedere Castle |
From Belvedere Castle I decided I wanted to see the area called Strawberry Fields. Strawberry Fields is a teardrop shaped section of the park located between 71st and 74th Street on the West End of the Central Park, adjacent to the Dakota apartments where John Lennon lived and where he was assassinated on December 8, 1980 while walking home. To get there, I walked through a pretty wooded area with many paths going helter skelter, called the Brambles.
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| Looking at Downtown across "The Lake" (which is actually in Uptown) |
I took a few wrong turns trying to get on the correct side of the Lake so that I would get to Strawberry Fields, but it was a pretty area with a lot more squirrels and a few little bridges with gorgeous views. In Strawberry Fields I found the Lennon Memorial, a flat Italian donated tile design in the pavement commemorating John Lennon and his message in the song Imagine. There were crowds of people waiting to photograph themselves in this area -- all of them smiling, which spoke to me of the effect a great musician with an honest and kind hearted message of peace can have across generations and ethnicity's.
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| The John Lennon Memorial |
A quick glance at the map said that I was almost through Central Park and could make it out before dark, although I was no longer too worried about that. I made my way to the boat house, which has been converted into a restaurant, and saw the famous fountain, passed a statue of Balto (couldn't bear to stay too long -- brought back too many memories of Jaycena as a little girl watching Balto over and over and over), and caught some beautiful images as the light faded near the Promenade.
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| What is left of fall's colors as dusk and winter approach |
What really struck me about Central Park was that I was worried about it being a dark and dodgy place is such a big city -- it is anything but, and really the people I saw were either exercising, relaxing, or just staring at its scenes with absolute reverence. I imagine if you grew up in NYC where there are so many people and a disconnect from nature, that Central Park is a place for solitude and soul searching. It was, even for this guest.
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| A fellow photographer catching reflections |
It turns out that the area called "The Mall" has no mall, but it is a wide walking path with vendors along it. The Dairy is no longer a dairy but the visitor center. And the skating rink which I expected to still look as it did in the 1980's movie "Splash" has been modernized and was a little less quaint than I expected. But overall Central Park was a gem. I was stunned at how gorgeous this city park really is.
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| Sun setting on Central Park's lake |
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