Central Park
 

We will be visiting NY for the first time in June. Central Park appears to be huge. Is it even possible to walk through it? What should we not miss there? How long should we allow there?

Is it even possible to walk through it?
<b>Yes</b>

What should we not miss there?
<b>Why don't you decide?</b>
http://www.centralparknyc.org/virtualpark
Typical must sees are:
Bow Bridge
Great Lawn
Strawberry Fields
Boat House/lake
the zoo
Conservatory Gardens (all the way uptown at 104 st)

You might consider taking one of the walking tours.

Don't miss Belvedere Castle on the south end of the Great Lawn.

Approach if from the north -- enter the Park at East 84th Street, for example, passing the Temple of Dendur, then circle around the Great Lawn until you see the castle rising above the Turtle Pond. The view from the castle is excellent, and from there you can easily walk south to the Bow Bridge and Bethesda Fountain.

Enjoy our backyard!

Covering the entire park is not realisitc - just pick the couple of things you really want to see and enjoy the stroll fron one to the other.

Also- you can rent boats in the lake - or bikes. But since bikes must stay on the roads - rather than walking paths - it's faster but you see much less - unless you want to walk the bikes on pedestrian paths.

Don't let yourself look like a tourist! I was mugged in Central Park in 1992! Although there was a lot of people around,it was about 11:00 AM, and we had just seen a park ranger on a horse, we were at gun point!! There is a wooded area &quot;The Rambles&quot;. I'd steer clear. In court later, there were three bullets, and three empty chambers. He had fired at me once and at my mother's head twice. We are lucky to be alive.
I'm sorry to post negative. But, negative is out there! It happened, but we looked like easy targets...a camera, shopping bags, purses...
Enjoy. Be realistic, and cautious. The park is beautiful and a marvel in the city!

The crime rate in NYC has been reduced by about 300% since 1992 also.

Central Park is amazing. One of the greatest experiences of my life was running through the park at the end of the NYC Marathon this past year!

I love Central Park and we walked through it several times on our trip last weekend to the City.

I don't think there are any must sees, for me it's just about wandering through. If you're visiting the Natural History Museum or the Historical Society you could walk across the park to (or vv) the Met, the Guggenheim or one of my favorites the Neue Museum.

I'd wander rather than go looking for particular attractions.

If you're a runner, definitely go for a run around the reservoir. We stayed on the upper east side on 93rd street, right off the entrance to the park and just jogged right in. It's so beautiful up toward the north end of the park. We saw the marathoners last November as they ran mile 24 entering the park at that point. A sight and a feeling I'll NEVER forget.

Also, down near the south end, at sunset, it's really beautiful to stand in the park on the beautiful arched bridges and check out the skyline as the sun sets. The Plaza hotel and other such beautiful buildings in the early evening glow.... ahhhh.... great city.

I walked through the rambles just this past March and thankfully had no problems whatsoever.

I agree that most major cities in the US have changed quite a bit since 1992, New York being one of them.

Central Park is probably one of my favorite city parks out there. I loved the Great Lawn and Strawberry Fields. If I lived in NYC I'd probably spend every saturday there ;)

As far as how much time to explore, I've given myself a few hours the three times I've been to NYC in the past couple years and still feel like I've not seen all that much of it, so I think it would take at the very least a day to explore.

lynn, you should get in the lottery to run the marathon. It is a feeling you'll never forget!

1992?!? Please, give me a break.

Central Park is extremely safe, and I wouldn't hesitate to walk in any part of it before sundown.

Sorry you had a bad experiencein the Rambles - but this can happen anywhere at any time. There are criminals and some are violent. (Look at all the women murdered by that maniac in a park area in one of the western states.)

No place in the world is completely crime free - or safe. You could be hit by a driver running a light - or have an airplane engine fall on your house. You can't live your life worrying about things like that - or you would never go out.

Oh my gosh... NYC is a completely different place than it was in 1992!! &quot;Back then&quot;, the Times Square area was still seedy porn and scary! Look at it now! (still scary but for different reasons... ;) )

Times Square is much more frightening now than it was 15-20 years ago.

At least you could walk through Times Square then.

GoTravel- Why is Times Square scarier now then it was 20 years ago?

just curious.

Gotta love these recs and, of course Rudi Giuliani, (Manhattan '65) who made it all possible.
We easily walked many many miles with great weather 26-30 April.
M (from 6800 ft in SMdA, Gto.)

Because 20 years ago you could walk through Times Square and not get run over by a million tourists (literally) and people that walk five abreast at the speed of dead.

Twenty years ago the grittyness of Times Square was a novelty in itself. Not the Lion King.

Twenty years ago New York institutions were alive and well and not getting pushed out for chain stores that can pay grossly inflated rents.

While it is nice that Times Square is safe, what good is it if you can't get near Times Square?

You now have to make a reservation for The Broadway Bar in the Marriott Marquis. Aside from the fact that they tore down two different theaters to build the MM, twenty years ago you could go sit in the Broadway Bar and rotate around to a glass of wine.

I'm guessing GoTravel is referring to the &quot;scary&quot; crowds of tourists that clog the sidewalks and render Times Square virtually impassable.

One must remember that, for New Yorkers, the sidewalks <i>are</i> our highways. We walk to our jobs, meetings &amp; appointments, and Times Square can add 10 minutes to the commute.

Think about it this way: If you drive to work and you're late and an annoyingly slow driver is blocking your lane, how do you feel? Bingo.

Times Square is now one huge solid mass of humanity, with the Naked Cowboy right in the middle!

You can barely walk there, I have to walk in the street. The tourists are expecially maddening - you can hardly tell who they are - oh yeah, the ones who suddenly stop short right ahead of you to look at the top of a building.

Yes, that is what I am refering to.

Five years ago Times Square wasn't as crowded as it is now.