Let's enjoying central park

Inspired by  "little manhattan" and "enchanted",  i love at the first sight with this park..

under the beautiful trees, autumn

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York city. The park initially opened in 1857, on 770 acres (3.1 km²) of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan. Construction began the same year and was completed in 1873.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963, the park is currently managed by the Central Park Conservancy under contract with the city government. The Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that contributes 85% of Central Park's $25 million dollar annual budget, and employs 80% of the park's maintenance staff.

Central Park, which has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963, was designed by landscape designer and writer Frederick Law Olmsted and the English architect Calvert Vaux in 1858 after winning a design competition. They also designed Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

general overview

The park, which receives approximately twenty-five million visitors annually, is the most visited urban park in the United States. It was opened on 770 acres (3.1 km²) of city-owned land and was expanded to 843 acres (3.41 km²; 1.317 sq mi). It is 2.5 miles (4 km) long between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and is 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. It is similar in size to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Chicago's Lincoln Park, Vancouver's Stanley Park, and Munich's Englischer Garten.

Central Park is bordered on the north by West 110th Street, on the south by West 59th Street, on the west by Eighth Avenue, and on the east by Fifth Avenue. Along the park's borders however, these are known as Central Park North, Central Park South, and Central Park West, respectively. Only Fifth Avenue retains its name, as it delineates the eastern border of the park.

sunset at play ground

down for walking

 While foliage in much of the park appears natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds that have been created artificially, extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks (one of which is a swimming pool in July and August), the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre (43 ha) billion-gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater, called the Delacorte Theater, which hosts the "Shakespeare in the Park" summer festivals.

manicured grounds and old trees

Indoor attractions include Belvedere Castle with its nature center, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and the historic Carousel. In addition there are numerous major and minor grassy areas, some of which are used for informal or team sports, some are set aside as quiet areas, and there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children.

early morning view under Bethesda terrace

one of the park bridges ; no twos are alike

The 6 miles (10 km) of drives within the park are used by joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters, especially on weekends and in the evenings after 7:00 p.m., when automobile traffic is banned.


And , also there are tons of fun activities that you can do there :

• Birding: A wooded section of the park called "The Ramble" is popular among birders. Many species of woodland birds, especially warblers, may be seen in The Ramble in Spring and Fall.

• Boating: Rowboats and kayaks are rented on an hourly basis at the Loeb Boathouse, which also houses a restaurant overlooking the Lake.

look out point on the lake of central park

• Carriage horses: the carriage horse industry, revived in New York City in 1935 has been featured in various films, the first female carriage driver, Maggie Cogan, appeared in a newsreel in 1967. The ethics of this tradition and the effects on horse health and well being, have been questioned by various animal rights activists.

• Pedicabs: Covering three to ten times the distance of a typical Central Park horse carriage ride, pedicabs have become very popular with visitors and New Yorkers alike in the last five years.

• Sports: Park Drive, just over 6 miles (9.7 km) long, is a haven for runners, joggers, bicyclists, and inline skaters. Most weekends, races take place in the park, many of which are organized by the New York Road Runners. The New York City Marathon finishes in Central Park outside Tavern on the Green. Many other professional races are run in the park, including the recent, (2008), USA Men's 8k Championships.
  • Rock Climbing: Central Park's glaciated rock outcroppings attract climbers, especially boulderers; Manhattan's bedrock, a glaciated schist, protrudes from the ground frequently and considerably in some parts of Central Park. The two most renowned spots for boulderers are Rat Rock and Cat Rock; others include Dog Rock, Duck Rock, Rock N' Roll Rock, and Beaver Rock, near the south end of the park.
  • Ice Skating: Central Park has two ice skating rinks, Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, which converts to an outdoor swimming pool in summer.
  
  

  

  skating at wollman rink

  
  

• Central Park Carousel: the current carousel, installed in 1951, is one of the largest merry-go-rounds in the United States. The fifty-eight hand-carved horses and two chariots were made by Solomon Stein and Harry Goldstein in 1908. The carousel originally was installed in Coney Island in Brooklyn.

• Playgrounds: Central Park has twenty-one playgrounds for children located throughout the park, the largest, at 3 acres (12,000 m²), is Heckscher Playground named for August Heckscher.

• Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre: located in the Swedish Cottage, a model schoolhouse built in Sweden of native pine and cedar, then disassembled an rebuilt in the U.S. as Sweden's exhibit for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Frederick Law Olmsted moved the cottage to its present site in 1877.

• Central Park Zoo: The Central Park Zoo is one of four zoos, and one aquarium, managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The zoo is home to an indoor rainforest, a leafcutter ant colony, a chilled penguin house, and a Polar Bear pool.

cute polar bear at central park zoo

• Entertainment: Each summer, the Public Theater presents free open-air theatre productions, often starring well-known stage and screen actors. Each summer, City Parks Foundation offers Central Park Summerstage, a series of free performances including music, dance, spoken word, and film presentations. SummerStage will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2010. 

Summerstage features free musical concerts throughout the summer

Okay, after all day long recreation that we've got, i think we will get starving... Do not worry, because Central Park was home to the famed New York City restaurant, Tavern on the Green which was located on the park's grounds at Central Park West and West 67th Street.
So, this is it!! The great restaurant you could find at central park to satisfy you.

Tavern on the Green, one of the most popular high-end restaurants in New York City

Features of Central Park
Features	Belvedere Castle • Bethesda Terrace • Blockhouse • Bridges • Central Park Mall • Cleopatra's Needle • Conservatory Garden • Conservatory Water • Delacorte Theater • Diana Ross Playground  • Gapstow Bridge  • Great Lawn • Harlem Meer • Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir • King Jagiello Monument  • The Lake • Lasker Rink • Medical Unit  • The Pond and Hallett Nature Sanctuary  • The Ramble • Sculptures • Seneca Village • Strawberry Fields • SummerStage • Tavern on the Green • Wollman Rink • Zoo • Zoo York Wall
Events	Be-In • The Concert • The Gates • New York Shakespeare Festival  • New York Mini 10K
Streets	Borders: Fifth Avenue • Central Park North • Central Park South • Central Park West Transverses: 79th Street • 85th Street/86th Street • 96th Street
People and animals	Balto • Central Park Jogger • Hal the Coyote • Frederick Law Olmsted • Pale Male • Regina Peruggi • Elizabeth Barlow Rogers • Arthur Ross • Calvert Vaux • Urban Park Rangers

I say :

Living on the moment like this, that we  have to face the truth about global warming is really a sadness reality. The hotter temperature, melting of ice in the arctic and antarctic give's the big impact to human being on earth. So, i think, it's the time to fix our eyes on this planet and it's contain, to become aware with this issues and become regarded with trees and energy saving. Starting with the little things like planting trees, saving the energy, could make a big differences which would bring us into the great things.
So, that's why we have to realize bout the importance of existences of trees.  For having a park in a city, it's really a great idea, i think.  Yup! it really does!! Not just only for people entertainment or refreshment, but the importance thing is to keep the air fresh from all of pollution in a busy city. The last but not least.. Let's save our planet, for the sake of our future either next generation. Be green... =]

so green at conservatory garden