Always so Much to See and Do in Central Park!

Shakespeare Garden, Central Park

As a first time visitor to New York City, one must find time to visit Central Park, my most favorite place in New York.

There are always so much to see and do in this gorgeous Park! I took my sister who was visiting New York for the first time to this beautiful park with breathtaking scenery.

Every time I come to visit, I always take time to stroll through this urban oasis,  consequently, I have been to Central Park numerous times over the past few years.

Because the park is so huge, occupying over eight hundred acres of land in downtown Manhattan,  it does not matter how many times I have visited the park, I always discover something I have not seen from my previous visits.

This time I visited a number of places which I was not aware of before: the Shakespeare Garden filled with windy paths and lined with rustic fences made of old tree branches. A quiet and peaceful place to read, mediate and just sit and chat with your pal.

Fences made with rustic tress branches create an old world charm in the  Shakespeare Garden

The other place we visited this time was the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace which were the focal features of the original plan for Central Park. The artist, inspired by the miracles in the bible about the pool of Bethesda created the fountain sculpture which was installed in 1873. 

Visitors to Central Park were entertained by performers by the Bethesda Fountain & Terrace

The fountain and the architecture surrounding it are regal and spectacular! The Bethesda Fountain  is huge and magnificent. It was also where the popular American sitcom "Friends" was filmed. This fountain scene could still be seen at the beginning of each episode of "Friends" and its re runs.

The beautiful scenery of Central Park has been captured in many Hollywood movies. For example, one of the scenes in "Rain Man" with Tom Cruise and Hoffman walking together in a park was also filmed on the ground of Central Park.

Musicians performing classical music under the stairs of the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace

A violinist plays music in a hola hoop

Visiting the Central Park is like treating your senses to a feast, visually and musically.


 Everywhere we walked,  we admired the colorful flowers and carefully manicured shrubs and gardens.

We also enjoyed the  many musicians serenading visitors with various genre of music while some performers entertained the young and old with tricks and stories.

 

There are always some unexpected  hidden scenery,  buildings and architecture to be discovered.

An interesting rustic European designed house on our way to the Shakespeare Garden.

Belvedere Tower, Central Park

The  Belvedere Tower - constructed in 1869 as a lookout for the new houses built in New York City.

Now it houses the New York Meteorological Observatory

 We were greeted by a very friendly ranger inside the main floor of the Belvedere Tower.

He explained to us about the history of the tower and provided us with a pair of binoculars for free to observe the turtles in the Turtle Pond below!

Horse drawn carriage and other modes of transportation in Central Park

And if you have $2.50 to spend, you could get a minute`s ride in one of the many horse drawn carriages or other modes of transportation in the park. 

The best part of our visit was renting a couple of bikes and riding it through Central Park with my Sis!

We got to see lots more places, did a bit of exercises and had a great time!

Central Park - An Urban Oasis

( The bike rental cost was not too bad. We rented our bikes at the Columbus Circle entrance  to the park ( 66th street) for $ 15.00 an hour. We wished we had more time for the two hour rental which was only $5.00 more.

 We should have rented it from Bike and Roll, a reputable company that would also have provided us with helmets free of charge. But we listened to one of the tricycle drivers who took us to a no name rental. We would not make that mistake again in the future.  )

There are tons of things to do in Central Park! And the admission to the park is FREE!!!!

I always have a fantastic time there.
I hope if you ever have a chance to visit New York City, you will find time to visit this lovely park!
The children will definitely enjoy it and so will the young at heart!

R.T.
Central Park, New York City
July,  2013