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City of New York

New York City Map

Central Park Map, New York

Central Park
Central Park spans two and a half miles from 59th Street to 110th Street and half a mile from Fifth Avenue to Eighth Avenue and was the first urban landscaped park in the United States. Originally conceived in the salons of wealthy New Yorkers in the early 1850's, the park project spanned more than a decade and cost the city ten million dollars. Today, the park is home to numerous restaurants, playgrounds, the Metropolitan Museum, the Central Park Zoo, and Wollman Rink.

Landmarks    *click to see the detail information of the spot.
1. Lasker Rink & Pool
2. North Meadow
3. Delacorte Theater
4. Swedish Cottage
5. Shakespeare Garden
6. Belvedere Castle
7. Loeb Boathouse
8. Alice in Wonderland
9. Hans Christian Andersen
10. Bethesda Fountain
11. Strawberry Fields
12. The Mall
13. Children's Zoo
14. The Caroucel
15. Wollman Memorial Rink
16. The Pond
17. Columbus Circle
18. Time Warner Center
19. Grand Army Plaza
20. Conservatory Garden
21. The Great Hill
23. Jacqueline Kennedy Oassis Reservoir
24. Sheep Meadow
25. Central Park Zoo
26. Metropolitan Museum of Art
27. American Museum of Natural History
28. Dairy
29. The Great Lawn
30. Turtle Pond
31. The Lake
32. Harlem Meer
33. Naumburg Bandshell

Central Park
Central Park spans two and a half miles from 59th Street to 110th Street and half a mile from Fifth Avenue to Eighth Avenue. The park is home to numerous restaurants, playgrounds, the Metropolitan Museum, the Central Park Zoo, and Wollman Rink. The internal "loop" (known officially as Park Drive) is approximately 6 miles around and is closed to traffic on weekdays from 10am-3pm and 7pm - 10pm, and from Friday night at 7pm until Monday morning at 6am. From the day before Thanksgiving until the first business day of the new year, the drives are still closed on weekends, but are open 24 hours a day on weekdays.

Central Park Today
In the sixties and seventies the park's maintenance entered a decline; despite its growing use for concerts and rallies, clean-up, planting, and general maintenance fell by the wayside. A 1976 evaluation by Columbia University found many parts of the park in sad disrepair, from the low stone wall which surrounded it to the drainage system that kept the transverses from flooding. During the early 1980s there was a massive attempt to involve New Yorkers in the upkeep of their beloved park, including the "You Gotta Have a Park" campaign and the formation of a private fundraising body, the Central Park Conservancy to fund repairs projects. Today, as the major site of most New Yorkers' recreation, the park hosts millions of visitors yearly engaging in such activities as roller blading, fine dining at the Tavern on the Green, watching free performances of Shakespeare in the Park, and relaxing and sunbathing in Sheep's Meadow.
Landmark in Central Park
Lasker Rink & Pool

Photo Copyright (C) Mark H.   
Situated between 106th and 108th Streets in mid-park, nestled between loops of the park drive, you'll find Lasker Rink and Pool. It was constructed in the late 1960fs, made possible by a contribution by the extremely philanthropic (and wealthy) Lasker sisters. While they clearly had the best of intentions, and there is no doubt that the facilities have provided a wonderful boon to the community, the project itself was fought over bitterly for years. It displaced a corner of The Meer and was therefore seen by park purists to be nothing short of desecration. While we may thank the vigilance of concerned citizens and dedicated commissioners for keeping literally dozens of absurd and inappropriate additions from ever coming to fruition (a racetrack and a housing project being just two examples), it is difficult to get too worked up over this installation. Especially if you are close enough to hear the happy screams of landlocked city children splashing about on a hot summer day. (from centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park between 106th and 108th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/lasker-pool-rink.html
Subway : 2/3 Line 110th St
North Meadow

Photo Copyright (C) centralpark.com   
The recently renovated North Meadow is, at 23 acres, one of Central Parkfs largest open areas. Ball fields first appeared there in the 1870s and it has been extensively refitted with carefully managed baseball diamonds which are in use throughout the spring and summer. Located just to the north of the reservoir the gently rolling landscape around it creates a slightly more secluded ambience than the Great Lawn to the south. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park at 97th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/north-meadow.html
Subway : B/C Line 103rd St
Delacorte Theater

The outdoor Delacorte Theatre is the summer home of the annual "Shakespeare in the Park" production. Begun in 1957 by Joseph Papp as part of the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival the annual productions draw thousands to the open air theater at the heart of Central Park. Originally built as a temporary structure in 1962, the Delacorte Theater is the setting for the continuing series. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park at 80th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/delacorte-theatre.html
Subway : B/C Line 81st St
Swedish Cottage

For over fifty years, puppeteers have been bringing to life magical tales of princesses, paupers, genies, and giants to hundreds of youngsters and their parents at Central Park's Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater. The Marionette Theater originated as a 19th century schoolhouse designed for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia as an example of Swedish building design. At the end of the exposition, the NYC Parks Department purchased the schoolhouse for $1,500 and moved it to its present site. (centralpark.com)

Location : West Side at 79th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/swedish-cottage.html
Subway : B/C Line 81st St
Shakespeare Garden

One of the many hidden gems of Central Park, the Shakespeare Garden is a lovely spot to "stop and smell the roses". Nestled between Belvedere Castle and The Swedish Cottage the garden first came into existence in 1913. Known as the Garden of the Heart it was patterned after Victorian era rock gardens. Then, in 1916, to celebrate the tercentennial of Shakespeare's death, it was rechristened in honor of the Bard and only plants mentioned in his plays were planted there. These include columbine, primrose, wormwood, quince, lark's heel, rue, eglantine, flax and cowslip, many of which sound as if they would be right at home boiling and bubbling in a caldron. (centralpark.com)

Location : West Side between 79th and 80th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/shakespeare-garden.html
Subway : B/C Line 81st St
Belvedere Castle

Sitting high atop Vista Rock (the second highest natural elevation in the park) Belvedere Castle provides a panoramic view in almost every direction. It is also perhaps the most magical monument in Central Park, one that combines function, form and romance - all in one convenient, central location. Designed originally in 1865 by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould as a Victorian "Folly" (A fantasy building) that would provide an overlook to the scenic splendors around it. The views include the Delacorte Theater, home to the very popular Shakespeare in the Park series, the newly-restored, 55-acre Great Lawn, once one of the Park's original reservoirs and, directly below, Turtle Pond. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park at 79th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/belvedere-castle.html
Subway : B/C Line 81st St
Loeb Boathouse

The Loeb Boathouse, one of the most famous icons of Central Park is located at the northeastern tip of the Lake and houses the Boathouse Restaurant. It is a romantic setting for dinner on a mid-summerfs evening, watching the sun sink behind the trees and maybe catching a gondola slowly poling past. (centralpark.com)

Location : East Side between 74th and 75th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/loeb-boathouse.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Alice in Wonderland

Photo Copyright (C) nycgovparks.org   
At the northern end of Conservatory Water you will find yourself at perhaps the least exclusive soiree in Manhattan, a party where everyone is the guest of honor 364 days a year. It is, of course, Central Parkfs permanent installation of itfs very own unbirthday party. (centralpark.com)

Location : East 74th Street, north of Conservatory Water
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/alice-in-wonderland.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Hans Christian Andersen

Photo Copyright (C) nycgovparks.org   
At the western edge of Conservatory Water is one of the most popular staues in the park - a statue of master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Created by George Lober and donated to the park in 1956 this statue of the beloved Danish storyteller, along with his famous duckling companion, is the site of a story telling program that delights children every summer. (centralpark.com)

Location : East 74th Street, north of Conservatory Water
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/hans-christian-andersen.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Bethesda Fountain

Bethesda Fountain rises high above Bethesda Terrace, looking over the hundreds of visitors that come every day to enjoy the view of the Lake and relax at the "heart" of the Central Park. The sculpture that tops it, Angel of Waters, was designed by Emma Stebbins in 1873 and is one of the most recognizable icons in the entire park. Stebbins designed the statue to celebrate the new Croton Aqueduct which not only fed the fountain, but also supplied fresh water to a city that had long been plagued by infectious diseases caused by an unsafe water supply. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park at 72nd Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/bethesda-terrace/bethesda-fountain.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Strawberry Fields

On December 8th, 1980 John Lennon was shot dead as he entered his home at the Dakota Apartment Building at 72nd St. and Central Park West. A long time resident of New York City Mr. Lennon had taken many walks with his wife and young son through the friendly confines of Central Park. Long a favorite son of his adopted city John Lennon wasnft simply New Yorkfs Beatle, he was, for many, the embodiment of the spirit on which city had been built. One half urbane cynic and one half romantic dreamer, he unabashedly embraced the disparate parts which, as every New Yorker knows, combine to form a uniquely gifted, passionate individual. And city. (centralpark.com)

Location : West Side between 71st and 74th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/strawberry-fields.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
The Mall

Designed by Vaux and Olmsted as a ggrand promenadeh the mall joins with Bethesda Terrace, both geographically and stylistically, to fulfill the parkfs need for a place that offered visitors a chance to socialize; an alternative to the secluded paths and solitary walks that populate so much of the terrain. The forty foot wide Mall, flanked by its majestic rows of American Elms, provides the perfect place for a leisurely stroll in any season. One can easily imagine the scene a century ago, women with parasols and men in top hats perambulating towards the Concert Ground that stood adjacent to its northern end. Now you are more likely to find skateboards than waistcoats, but the effect is still the same and even the visitors on wheels are apt to slow down just a bit and admire the cathedral-like ambience. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park from 66th to 72nd Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/mall.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Children's Zoo

Photo Copyright (C) PapaAndDaddy   
One of the most popular additions to Central Park in recent years is the Tisch Children's Zoo. Lying at the northern edge of the Central Park Zoo it was added in 1997 and financed by a generous gift from philanthropist Laurence A. Tisch. With its imaginatively designed and little-user friendly exhibits the Childrenfs Zoo offers a magical, as well as educational, experience for children and their parents. It also offers year-round education programs, including the zoofs fascinating "Wildlife Theater", which encourage visitors of all ages to become aware of the natural world that they live in and how they can help in protecting it. (centralpark.com)

Location : Just north of the Central Park Zoo at 64th St.
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/children-s-zoo.html
Subway : F Line 63rd St
The Caroucel

As the park spins by and the calliope tootles it is easy to imagine yourself at a country fair miles outside the urban confines of New York City. The original park carousel opened in 1871 and was powered by a blind mule and a horse which walked a treadmill in an underground pit. It almost immediately became one of the parkfs most popular attractions and remains so to this day, with almost 250,000 riders a year. Originally the park commissioners had frowned upon commercial enterprises in the Park, but they eventually saw the popular attractions as valuable assets. They also recognized the not insignificant fees that the city earned on the carouselfs operation as a welcome source of needed revenue. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park at 64th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/carousel.html
Subway : A/C/B/D/1 Line 59th St
Wollman Memorial Rink

Wollman Rink was built in 1949 when Kate Wollman donated $600,000 for it's construction. In the early 1990's, it was purchased and is now run by Donald Trump. It has been a success from the day it opened - over 300,000 skaters glided across the ice in its first year of operation. In use the year round the summer months find hundreds of in-line skaters taking lessons or perfecting more advanced skills. (centralpark.com)

URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/wollman-rink.html
Subway : N/R/W Line 5th Ave-59th St
The Pond

Located at the southeast corner of the park, near the entrance at Grand Army Plaza, the Pond provides immediate relief from the hustle and bustle of the city just outside. This is due to a veritable wall of trees and shrubs, as well as the inspired landscaping of Olmsted and Vaux, which placed the pond below street level. This entrance was originally designed to handle most of the traffic into the park, and continues to do so until this day. (centralpark.com)

Location : Central Park South between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/pond.html
Subway : N/R/W Line 5th Ave-59th St
Grand Army Plaza

Grand Army Plaza features the statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman astride his horse. Across the street is the Plaza Hotel, the scene of countless movies, from North by Northwest to Home Alone. The Grand Army Plaza was completed in 1916 and is named after the Grand Army of the Potomac that fought for the Union side during the Civil War. The statue of General Sherman is by the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. This was his last great work and fulfilled a long standing dream of his to pay tribute to the heroes of the Civil War. (centralpark.com)

Location : Cetral Park South (59th Street) and Fifth Avenue
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/grand-army-plaza.html
Subway : N/R/W Line 5th Ave-59th St
Conservatory Garden

One of the hidden wonders of Central Park is the Conservatory Garden at Fifth Avenue and 105th St. A secluded oasis, just a few steps down from one of the Cityfs busiest thoroughfares; the garden offers a fragrant respite from the gasp and clatter of the urban afternoon. To enter the six-acre Garden from Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, you must pass through the Vanderbilt Gate. Installed in 1939, it originally served as the entrance to the Vanderbilt Mansion at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street (at the present site of the Bergdorf Goodman department store) until its demolition in 1927. One of the best examples of wrought iron work in New York City, the gate was made in France with designs by American architect George B. Post. The only formal garden in Central Park, the Conservatory Garden derives its name from a huge glass conservatory that once stood on the same spot, which was built in 1898. While not the impressive construct included by Olmsted and Vaux in the original Greensward Plan, it was put to brilliant use by the head gardener of the new park, Ignaz Pilat. It was here that many of the first shrubs and trees that were later planted in the park were first cultivated. When maintenance of the facility became too costly it was torn down in 1934 and replaced with the present garden in 1934. (centralpark.com)

Location : 5th Ave and 105th St.
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/conservatory-garden.html
Subway : 2/3 Line 110th St
The Great Hill

Photo Copyright (C) Paul Moeller   
The Great Hill is an open hilltop meadow with picnic tables, a three-quarter mile soft surface oval path (good for a jog), and green grass under stately American elms. Olmsted and Vaux designed the Great Hill as a carriage concourse where passengers could enjoy commanding views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. (centralparknyc.org)

URL :
http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=virtualpark_northend_greathill
Subway : B/C Line 103rd St
Jacqueline Kennedy Oassis Reservoir

The Central Park Reservoir - now offi-cially named the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir - is located between 86th and 96th and covers a full one eight of the parkfs surface. The 106-acre water body is 40 feet deep and holds over a billion gallons of water. Once a critical part of the cityfs fresh water system it was disconnected as an active component since the new water tunnel was opened in 1991. It is probably best known now as home to the 1.58 mile running track that surrounds it. The reservoir is also currently the subject of a very public debate as several different plans are considered for its future; these include fishing piers, a marina, ball fields, restaurants and beaches. Hopefully the debate will rage on indefinitely and the current configuration will remain as it is. (centralpark.com)

URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/reservoir.html
Subway : 4/5/6 Line 86th St
Sheep Meadow

While it has been many years since sheep actually inhabited this verdant lawn on the west side of the park, Robert Moses having exiled the sheep to Prospect Park in 1934, it still remains a pastoral setting that invites sunbathing and the enjoyment of a good book. Original entries to the design competition for Central Park were required to include a parade ground and Olmsted and Vaux reluctantly included one in the first Greensward Plan. Soon after winning, however, they managed to convince the commissioners that a quiet park landscape was perhaps not the best place for military displays. To re-enforce the quiet nature of the gGreenh as it was then called a flock of sheep was added in 1864. A Sheepfold was built across the drive in 1870 and twice a day a shepherd would hold up carriage traffic, and later automobiles, as he drove the animals to and from the meadow. After the sheep had been banished to Brooklyn the Sheepfold was converted into what is now the world famous restaurant Tavern on the Green. (centralpark.com)

Location : West side, mid-Park from 66th to 69th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/sheep-meadow.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Central Park Zoo

A walk around the Zoofs five plus acres will take you through a variety of habitats, all carefully designed to recreate the natural environment of the animals they house. At the left youfll see a list of links to the pages describing all of the Zoofs inhabitants. The Polar Circle contains two of the Zoo's most popular guests - Polar Bears Ida (on the right) and Gus. Alongside Polar Bears lies an exhibit featuring Harbor Seals and nearby is the Ice Pack building which houses 61 Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins along with the Tufted Puffins. The Rain Forest houses a brilliant collection of tropical birds including the Fairy Blue Bird of Southeast Asia and the Scarlet-chested Parrot of Southern Australia. Here youfll also find enough frogs, lizards, snakes, toads and various other squirmy things to keep any little boy enraptured for his entire visit. Then there are the Colobus Monkeys, as well as three species of Tamarins, to represent the primates of the tropics. The Temperate Territory includes the California Sea Lion tank at the center of the exhibit and stretches around the rear of the Zoo. This section is home to the Red Pandas, Japanese Macaques and the almost urbanly manic North American River Otter. Here youfll also find the Mandarin Ducks (happier residents then their cousins at nearby restaurants) and the lovely Swan Geese.

Location : East Side between 63rd and 66th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/central-park-zoo.html
Subway : F Line 63rd St
Dairy

At its inception the southern portion of Central Park was considered by designers Olmsted and Vaux as the Childrenfs District. This was because it was the first area of the park that would be reached by families traveling from the heart of the city, most of which lay below 38th St. at the time. One critical need of children at the time was for fresh milk, a series of scandals, as well as cholera outbreaks, having placed the dairy production of the city under a cloud of suspicion. To satisfy this need and provide a place where families could find a ready supply of fresh milk when traveling to the park the dairy was built. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid Park at 65th St.
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/dairy.html
Subway : N/R/W Line 5th Ave-59th St
The Great Lawn

The Great Lawn has, over the years, hosted some of the most popular musical events in the cityfs history. Besides hosting the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera for two free performances every summer the area just north of Belvedere castle has been the stage for acts as diverse as Simon and Garfunkel and Pope John Paul II. It was even the site for the 1996 opening of the Disney Movie "Pocahantas". (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park from 79th to 85th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/great-lawn.html
Subway : B/C Line 86th St, B/C Line 81st St
Turtle Pond

Turtle Pond, so designated in 1987 in honor of its most prominent residents, began life as Belvedere Lake, which was, in turn, originally part of the Croton Reservoir that once covered what is now the Great Lawn. At its inception Belvedere Lake was a shallow pool of nondescript shape that soon became the home to an itinerant collection of fish, frogs, turtles, dragonflies, and aquatic fowl. While not part of the original park plan it quickly became clear that the pond was in an ideal location at the base of Vista Rock, perfectly complimenting the view of Belvedere Castle. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park between 79th and 80th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/turtle-pond.html
Subway : B/C Line 81st St
The Lake

At twenty-two acres the Lake is Central Parkfs largest body of water, excluding the Reservoir, and offers a variety of activities for park visitors to enjoy. It also offers a startling array of views as its meandering shoreline snakes around the landscape. Created originally from a large swamp the lake has provided generations of park visitors with startling vistas and countless opportunities for exploration. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park from 71st to 78th Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/lake.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St
Harlem Meer

The northern end of the park was the last to be constructed as the blocks from 106th to 110th Sts. were the last to be purchased. Nestled up in the north east corner is the Harlem Meer, at 11 acres the second largest manmade body of water inside the park and, since its renovation during the mid-nineties, considered to be one of the loveliest. (centralpark.com)

Location : Eastside from 106th to 110th Street
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/lake.html
Subway : 2/3 Line 110th St
Naumburg Bandshell

Standing at the edge of the Mall, just south of Bethesda Terrace, the Naumburg Bandshell has been home to an eclectic array of popular musical entertainers. Acts as diverse as John Phillip Sousa, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and The Grateful Dead have performed upon its stage to the delight of thousands of park visitors. The Bandshell was originally built in 1923, funded by donations from banker Elkan Naumburg and replaced an earlier ornate cast-iron bandstand that had been designed by Jacob Wrey Mould. It stands at the edge of an area known as The Concert Ground, which was included in Olmsted and Vauxfs 1851 Greensward Plan. In 1922, due to the popularity of the musical diversions, the original Concert Ground was expanded to its current size. This, unfortunately, resulted in the loss of the filigreed metal bird cages, ornamental drinking fountains, display fountains and Vaux designed benches. The current park music series known as Summerstage, which now calls the Rumsey Playfield its home, originated at the Bandshell and moved only when its popularity had outgrown the confines of the Concert Ground. (centralpark.com)

Location : Mid-Park from 66th to 72nd Streets
URL :
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/lake.html
Subway : B/C Line 72nd St

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