The Great Back Yard

The most famous of all New York City's parks, is Central Park. Everyone has heard of this park, everyone who has seen a movie or TV show within the last 30 years. Central Park occupies over 850 acres and is bordered by 59th street to the South and 110th to the north, making a giant rectangle in the north central part of Manhattan. Though there was originally a small village, Seneca, inhabited by Irish and black residents, most of the land was uninhabitable. Today, a walk through the park reveals giant schists or large black boulders, the remains of the receding Wisconsin Glacier. These schists are evident elsewhere in the city but nowhere as prolific as in the park. Removal of these formations made agriculture or development financially prohibitive. Today they provide seating and points of interest for park visitors. There are numerous points of interest in the park and the best way to see it is by taking a walking tour. These are provided through the park conservatory or through commercial guidebooks. One of my favorite sights is the Elm Grove which includes the "Poet's Walk" This is the largest Elm Grove in the Country. At the time when Dutch Elm Disease killed most of the elm in the United States, these elm were protected and survive today.

I have had some memorable moments in Central Park. One was last winter when it snowed. I took a lengthy walk through the park. I will let the pictures describe what words cannot.

Central park serves as a major entertainment venue. This summer I saw a production of Shakespear in the Park, Twelth Night. The production was critically acclaimed and rightly so as it rivaled any Broadway Production. There is no charge for admission but you do pay a price, having to stand in line the day of the production for four hours.

Another memorable event was the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's Summer Concert in the Park. This was also free. New Yorkers came by the thousands with their blankets and picnic baskets to sit on the lawn and listen to Beethovan and Mozart.