"Let any man ask himself whether
the value of such views as the grandest the mountain offers, is
greater when they are made distinct spectacles or when they are
enjoyed as successive incidents of a sustained landscape poem,
to each of which the mind is gradually and sweetly led up, and
from which it is gradually and sweetly led away, so that they
become a part of a consistent experience."
-- Frederick Law
Olmsted
Great Hill (W. 105-106) provides a hilltop retreat
under the shade of some of NYC's finest trees.
Great Hill is also
the locale for informal drum circles as well as the occasional
dramatic performance on some weekend afternoons in the summer.
Check out the
mini-waterfall near Huddlestone Arch in the park's Northwest
corner. Some of the rocks in Central Park
are over 500 million years old. Olmsted and Vaux made use of native
boulders as much as possible in the creation of arches, waterways,
and general landscaping. Scarring on rocks are the result of various geological
phases. Most consist of native schist flecked with
mirrorlike grains of mica.
Recreation is king in Central
Park. The park's Loop Drive is closed to motorized traffic weekdays
from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and all day on Sunday. Bicyclists, rollerbladers, and
joggers are particularly appreciate of this beautiful paved amenity.
Pretty cool, huh? Lasker Pool and Rink
(W. 106) -- built in the 1950s displacing part of the original
Harlem Meer -- accommodates swimming, ice skating and ice hockey seasonally.
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
(E. 109) features hands-on exhibits and programs for all ages, including weekend workshops,
after-school activities, clubs, and performances, and sits on the
shore of the recently restored Harlem Meer, a 13-acre reflective pond accented with cattails and
rushes. Park staff hand out bamboo poles for kids to fish for largemouth bass and sunfish.
The Conservatory Garden
(E. 103-106) -- created during the Depression
as a WPA project -- is an elegant, six-acre formal garden with fountains and spectacular displays of bulbs,
perennials and annuals.
The North (French) Garden features a circle of tiered flower beds
containing 20,000 tulips.
The Vanderbilt Gate (E. 105 at Fifth Ave.) to the Conservatory Garden
was installed in 1939, and originally was created for Cornelius
Vanderbilt’s nearby home, which was torn down in 1927. One of
the finest examples of wrought iron work in New York City, the gate was made
in France with designs by American architect George B. Post.
Untermeyer Fountain (E. 105), in the center of the North
Garden was a gift from the Samuel
Untermyer family in 1947 and features three bronze dancing nymphs.
The Center Garden features a finely-trimmed lawn that was designed in
the fashion of an Italian villa court, with a bubbling fountain at the rear that shoots 20
feet in the air.
The gardens are immaculately maintained by full-, part-time, and volunteer gardeners.
The Secret (English) Garden is named for the British book and play which
is the story of two children exploring together. The flowers and shrubs are planted to
bloom at varying seasons, in variations of patterns and in many colors, akin to a
kaleidoscope.
The Burnett Memorial Fountain
(E. 104) adorns a reflecting pool with water lilies and
goldfish.
The fountain is dedicated to Frances Hodgson Burnett, and features two
characters from her book "The Secret Garden."
The North Meadow is the latest part of the park
undergoing a major overhaul following the successful completion of the Great
Lawn renovation in 1997.
The North Meadow Recreation Center (C.
97-102) offers organized boys and girls field games, basketball, and locker rooms.
Tennis courts are located nearby as well.
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