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Attraction >Landmark
| Central Park |
Address:
Btwn 5th & 8th Aves. & 59th & 106th Sts.
| New York City | 10019
Region:
Midtown
Rating:
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More Info
Phone: 212-360-3444
FAX:
Website
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Description and Basic Information ::
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 Find refuge from traffic, crowded streets and sidewalks, and the hectic pace of life in the city, in New York's Central Park. You really can lose yourself admist the Park's greenery and attractions and it's popular place for tourists and locals alike to unwind.
Central Park was conceived back in 1853 and became the first landscaped public park in the United States. State legislature authorized the park to be built on over 700 acres of land in the heart of Manhattan. Before landscaping could begin, over 2000 of the City's poorer residents had to be moved from their shantytowns on the land.
The Park was an instant attraction and has been ever since. It offers jogging, biking and rollerblading trails, wide open spaces, free concerts and even a zoo. The Central Park Wildlife Center houses over 100 species including sea lions, penguins and polar bears. The famous Delacorte Clock is near the zoo and depicts mechanical animals on its face.
You'll find free performances in the Delacorte Theater, an open-air venue hosting summer performances from the Joseph Papp Shakespeare Theater Company. Shows usually start around 8 p.m.
Other neat places to hang out include the Great Lawn with its wide open spaces, baseball fields and picnic groves, and the Wollman Memorial Rink, where you can ice skate in winter and rollerblade in the summer.
Strawberry Fields is more somber spot - a memorial dedicated to the late John Lennon. A vigil is held every December 8th, the day he was shot in 1980 just across the street.
For a romantic night in Central Park, take a hansom carraige ride on the trails. It's the perfect way to end an evening in New York. |
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:: New York City >Midtown :: |
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