New York’s Central Park Springs Back to Life

As warm weather swept into the Big Apple on the weekend, the city’s main park came to life, revealing its hidden natural treasures.

Central Park, a vast expanse of grassed covered parkland, ponds, winding paths, and lakes covering 840 acres (or 340 hectares) in the very heart of Manhattan, is flanked by skyscrapers to the south and tall apartment buildings to the north, west and east. After a year of confinement and isolation because of the pandemic, at the first sign of warm Spring weather, the park was teeming with picnickers, bicyclists, skate boarders, children, and even a few tourists enjoying the fresh air and blooming flora.

A walk around the famed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, a billion-dollar renovation project, reveals cherry blossoms, azalea, and a myriad of other varieties of flora. Surrounding the vast reservoir is the one and a half mile Stephanie and Fred Shuman Running Track that teamed with joggers of all ages.

Ducks, geese, swans, egrets, and coots swim freely in the reservoir, overlooked by the high end apartment residences in the upper west and east sides.

Jazz in the Park is a staple of New York life. Many student musicians take the opportunity of good weather to rehearse together in the park and pick up a little change at the same time.

On the lake near Tavern on the Green, one of the old New York restaurants, people rowed in boats and a Venetian gondola could be seen gliding by.

Near a fountain, the bubble man delighted children as he dipped netting into a bucket and wafted big swaths of soapy bubbles for them to chase.

Some things in New York don’t change. With so many people out in the park this first weekend of good weather, trash receptacles were overflowing.

The horse carriages were out in force too, reminiscent of similar sights one might find in Jemaa el Fna in Marrakech.

Bicycles lined up ready to take intrepid cyclists home through the burgeoning city traffic. Although much of Manhattan has separate bike lanes, it still takes a certain amount of courage to counter the increasing traffic, another marker of the city coming to life.

As dusk set in, New York’s famous night lights turned on, reminding that this beloved haven of recreation and nature is at the heart of a city that never sleeps.