Central Park – Karen McCullough

Central Park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect/landscape designer Calvert Vaux in the late 19^th century. In many ways it’s one of the most surprising and delightful features of Manhattan. More than just stretches of grass and stands of trees, it was designed to be a recreation center for the city and includes an amazing variety of things to do, including walking and biking trails, a zoo, amusement park, and an assortment of monuments, fountains, bridges, ponds, fantastical buildings, and even a theater.

Central Park Tree & Bridge
Jet Lowe / Public domain

I’ve visited Central Park a couple of times but never spent very much time there. A few years ago while on a convention further downtown I went with a small group of other people to the park and we walked around the southern end of it. We glanced in at the zoo, followed a couple of paths for a bit and saw one or two of the monuments. Someday I hope to go back and take advantage of a lot more of what the park has to offer.