How to Explore Central Park in New York City
Central Park is the premiere New York City playground. It offers everything from a merry-go-round to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, from baseball fields to Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon. Along the way, you can see many pleasant things and see many pleasant people. Visiting the entire park takes some planning, in terms of where to start and when to go. Start early and devote an entire day just for a casual stroll.
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Things You'll Need
- Map of New York City Map of Central Park Good walking shoes Warm jacket Water Sunscreen Camera
Instructions
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Plan a visit during a weekday in the off season. Almost the entire city empties out into the park on summer weekends and it's too crowded and hot. The winters are chilly and unpredictable. Either a warm spring morning when the vegetation is new and alive, or autumn with the changing of the colors can be particularly nice.
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Start in the northwest corner of the park--West 110th Street. If you're staying on the Upper West Side, simply take a taxi to this point. If not, take the subway to West 110th and Broadway and walk east from there.
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Begin among the duck ponds and streams along the Great Hill. This could be considered the more forested and natural area of the park. A minor elevation gain will be experienced in this section of the park.
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Walk toward the eastern boundary and the Conservatory Garden and then south along the eastern side of the Great Reservoir.
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Stop for brunch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum is free but accepts donations. Eating an early lunch while the other patrons are in the galleries allows for a prime gallery viewing time during the noon hour. Stop at the Met only for an hour or so and extensively tour it another day.
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Exit the Met and walk through the Great Lawn. The beautifully manicured grass is home to many summer concerts.
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Locate the Belvedere Castle and, if time allows, stop for a tour. You may want to reschedule the Met for another day and instead have a Central Park hot dog for lunch and see the exhibits at Belvedere.
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Note that both the Great Lawn and Belvedere are in the central part of the park. Continue toward Central Park West and follow the park boundary southward to Strawberry Fields; a circular monument with the simple word "Imagine" in the center. Dedicated to John Lennon, many fans leave flowers and other symbolic gifts in his memory. The Dakota Apartments are just across the street.
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Continue south again toward the center of the park and for a nominal fee, you can ride the century-old carousel. While the flourish of the horses may seem inviting, the loveseats are even more so.
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Stop and visit the Central Park Zoo, if time allows. The zoo is a New York City landmark, relatively small, compared to the Bronx Zoo, but nevertheless, it is kid friendly and offers a nice variety of animals.
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Take a carriage ride. From Central Park South, around the pond, rink, dairy and back, there is no greater way to end the day in New York City.
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