Well Hello, 2017!
Hope you all are having a great beginning to the year. 2016 was a pretty much a happy year for me. Made new friends, met old ones as well, visited new places, started blogging, got a chance to meet the most important people. Life couldn’t have been better than this. Winding up 2016 with a blog post about one of my most favorite places in New York City was the best thing to do.
Central Park, situated in Manhattan, New York City, is one of the most visited urban parks in the States. Also, the park is famous for a number of films shot here. Spread across 3.5 square miles, the park is located in the center of Manhattan. This place can be visited almost any time of the year but we chose the most colorful one, the season of Fall. I have been to Central Park many times but mostly during summer. This was the first time I was visiting the park during fall.
We entered the park at 60th street and right in front, we saw the Gapstow bridge over the Pond.
We then walked over the bridge to the other side of the pond which lead us to the Hallet Nature Sanctuary.
Located on the South end of the park, this place is a must go for all the nature lovers and the people who enjoy bird watching. The sanctuary is open on specific days and timings throughout the week and remains closed in extreme weather conditions. Unfortunately, we chose the wrong day, so we just got a glimpse of the sanctuary from outside.
Strolling past the Sanctuary we reached the Playmate’s Arch. The only purpose of this arch is to connect the Dairy Center and Carousel at the park.
Walking past the arch, our next spot was the Bethesda fountain. On our way, we came across this place called the Ballfields Café. Designed with outdoor seating, this café is a perfect place to grab a snack and get going.
After a lot of confusion about the streets that could lead us to the fountain, we finally decided to navigate ourselves to the famous pathway, The Mall Literary Walk. While we walked, we got a look at horse carriage with a regal look.
And we arrived at The Mall Literary Walk.
Pictures are the only medium through which I could explain how beautiful the park is during that time of the year.
A lot of artists put up stalls on the walk to sell their art. This, by the way, is a regular sight.
The Mall Literary Walk finally led us to The Terrace at the Bethesda Fountain.
We then walked down to get a closer look of the fountain.
Yet another fun thing to watch out for at the Bethesda Fountain is kids playing with the soap bubble.
Next destination was the Wagner Cove.
Wagner Cove is located at a corner of the lake serving the purpose of pick up and drop off location for the call boats.
And another favorite picture that was clicked during summer last year.
Next on the list was the Rainbow bridge or as it is known Bow Bridge.
We walked past the Bow bridge to walk towards our next spot.
Colors of the season were very much visible all over the park. But what’s the point of Fall without a tree full of red leaves? Roaming around the park, we finally spotted such a tree.
Well, she could not afford to miss to pose with the perfect red maple leaf.
And when she was playful.
Final Destination for the day was the Belvedere Castle. The castle is nothing but a tourist attraction which gives an elevated view of the Great Lawn and the Turtle Pond.
While walking back, we happened to come across a log and a wooden bench placed along the pathways. Well, of course, I captured them too.
The path we took showed us some more colors into the park.
And finally, before we took the exit to the street, we came across this man-made structure that usually is a waterfall, but was dried up at the time.
The park has much more attraction on the Uptown Side of Manhattan. Unfortunately, we fell short of time to cover all of those in a single day. But yes, rest of the attractions are soon to be covered.
Being a nature lover, I prefer visiting this place more often than any other architectural wonder. Though the park is man-made, it still serves the purpose of letting you spend some time with mother nature away from fast paced day to day life. Central Park proves to be the perfect platform for a lot of activities like hiking, cycling, birdwatching etc. This nature’s den is a perfect place for a short getaway with your friends and family if you want to avoid hours of traveling.
How to get there: All thanks to the better connectivity of Subways, driving can be completely avoided in Manhattan. You need to take any one of A, C, B or D subways and get down at 59th Street-Columbus Circle Station. And for people traveling from New Jersey, you need to take the PATH to 33rd Street and then take either B or D Subway from 34th Street-Herald Square Station and get down at 59th Street-Columbus Circle Station.
Best time to visit: There is no specific time to visit the park. Every season has its own charm. Winters with heavy snowfall covers the entire park in a white blanket which is a treat to the eyes, Spring lets you witness cherry blossom, Summer has its own perks and Fall, well, you saw it yourself!