A walk in the park - New York's Central Park
Feature by Lizzie Guilfoyle
WHATEVER the weather, we were determined to see as much of New York’s Central Park as we possibly could, even if it meant riding in a horse drawn carriage. As it turned out, the early autumn day we had our disposal was warm and sunny, so we walked.
We entered the park at the south east corner, via Grand Army Plaza with Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ imposing gilded bronze statue of William Tecumseh Sherman, the Union general whose 1864 March to the Sea through the southern states cut the Confederacy in half, thereby effectively ending the Civil War.
The carriages were already out in force but we ignored them and by 10:15am were entranced by the bronze animals on the Delacorte Clock near the entrance to the zoo. If we’d waited just 15 minutes, we would have seen the bear (with tamborine), the hippopotamus (with violin), the goat (with pan pipes), the kangaroo and joey (with horns), and the penguin (with drum) glide round the base of the clock to the music of a nursery rhyme. And at 11 o’clock (as on every hour), the two monkeys on the top of the clock would also have struck a bell.
Instead, we discovered Frederick G.R. Roth’s beautiful life-size bronze sculpture of Balto, the Alaskan sled dog who, in 1925 and during a blizzard, led a team taking emergency medical supplies to Nome in Alaska. Balto subsequently toured the US and was present in Central Park when the statue, located near the Willowdell Arch, was dedicated. He’s a great favourite with children who know his story from a 1995 animated film.
But Balto wasn’t the only bronze statue we came across. By the Conservatory Water, an oval pond used for sailing model boats, we found Alice sitting on a giant mushroom. In this enchanting sculpture by Jose de Creeft, Alice is joined by other characters from Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic, Alice in Wonderland – the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat, Alice’s cat Dinah and the bashful dormouse. Like Balto, it’s loved by children and the patina glows where generations of children have played.
Also by the Conservatory Water is another bronze statue – of Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Sitting with an open book on his lap, he appears to be looking at a little bronze duckling standing just inches from his feet. How lovely!
No visit to the park would be complete without a leisurely stroll along The Mall with its beautiful double row of elms. But keep walking and it brings you to Bethesda Terrace which overlooks the lake and the wooded shores of the Ramble. Considered by many to be the “heart of the park”, it consists of an upper and lower terrace connected by two stone staircases with intricately carved balustrades and end posts. Alternatively, you can walk through the spacious arcade beneath Bethesda Bridge.
The centrepiece of the lower terrace is, of course, the lovely fountain, The Angel of the Waters, which was designed in 1873 by Emma Stebbins. A familiar sight, Bethesda Terrace has featured in numerous films, among them Angels in America, Godspell, Ransom and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. It also became a crime scene in Series 4 of CSI: New York.
The Resevoir apart, the Lake is Central Park’s largest body of water. Not only that, spanning it – from Cherry Hill to the Ramble – is one of the world’s most beautiful cast iron bridges, the elegant 60 foot Bow Bridge. Designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey, it was completed in 1862. Now, it’s one of the park’s most photographed and filmed locations. In turn, it offers visitors lovely views of the lake and the Central Park West skyline, dominated by the twin towers of the San Remo.
The Loeb Boathouse is also as much a part of the Lake as Bow Bridge and it was there, on the outside terrace, that we had lunch – to the strains of violin music provided by a street entertainer. In fact, so accomplished was he, that no-one left without showing their appreciation.
Our final port of call was Strawberry Fields, a two-and-a-half acre, landscaped area the shape of a teardrop, at the centre of which is the famous Imagine mosaic. Dedicated to the memory of former Beatle John Lennon who, in 1980, was shot dead as he entered his home in the Dakota Apartment Building, this beautiful mosaic was a gift from the people of the Italian city of Naples.
Of course, we could have seen much more of Central Park – if we’d hurried. Instead, we chose to linger wherever and whenever it took our fancy, happy to soak up the atmosphere of this incredible place – incredible because it was once just scrubby brush, rocky outcroppings and stagnant swamps. Now as much a part of New York as the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, it’s certainly not to be missed.