Central Park

Central Park is an oasis of beauty in the Manhattan borough of urban New York City. Lush and beautiful, Central Park looks like a natural sanctuary with lakes and ponds, walking trails, a natural woods, a zoo, two ice skating rinks, a wildlife sanctuary, and gardens. It is almost entirely landscaped and designed to look as natural as possible.

Taking up 843 acres of central New York City, Central Park draws about 25 million visitors annually making it the most visited city park in the United States. After 7:00 PM, automobile traffic is banned, making it a wonderful location for joggers, bikers, and in-line skaters. Central Park is also a haven for over 200 different migrating birds species, making it a prime location for bird watchers. There are several areas set aside for informal or team sports and many different enclosed playground areas for children. Central Park has something to offer everyone.

While Central Park was not included in the original plans for New York City, it soon became apparent to city planners that everyone needed a quiet place to go to escape the exploding city life and accompanying chaos. In 1857, a Central Park Commission was established and held a contest to see who could come up with the best landscaping design. Writer Frederick Law Olmsted and an English architect by the name of Calvert Vaux won with their Greensward Plan.

One of the winning features was the ability of the plan to keep the pedestrians, horseback riders, and vehicles all separated. In addition, the design enabled the park to basically “hide” the roadways by means of densely planted shrub belts. This preserved the illusion of an isolated area of nature within a bustling city.