Hotel 46 NYC Central Park

Hotel 46 NYC - Central Park

We traveled by train from Rome, New York to New York City (or New Amsterdam as it was originally called).  This was Lisa's first train ride and first trip to NYC. We are enjoying checking so many "firsts" off our bucket list. It was also much easier and cheaper to travel by train rather than attempting to drive our car into the city. With a full afternoon to explore, we walked to Central Park.  We were intercepted by a bicycle rickshaw driver offering a tour of the park.  We had not even considered doing a carriage ride in the park, but it did sound like a fun way to see all of it. Lisa negotiated and haggled with him with him until they agreed upon a price. This woman doesn't easily part with her money. She made him earn it. So off we went for our tour of Central Park.

Between 1821 and 1855, New York City's population nearly quadrupled. As the city expanded northward up Manhattan Island, people were drawn to the few existing open spaces, mainly cemeteries, for passive recreation. These were seen as escapes from the noise and chaotic life in the city, which at the time was almost entirely centered on Lower Manhattan. The Commissioners' Plan of 1811, the outline for Manhattan's modern street grid, included several smaller open spaces but not Central Park.   

 On May 5, 1851, Mayor Ambrose Kingsland, outlined the necessity and benefits of a large new park and proposed the council move to create such a park. Many tracts were presented to the committee for consideration.  The planning process was fairly complex and and often controversial. The committee finally settled on a 750-acre area known as "Central Park", located between 59th and 106th streets. In July 1853, the New York State Legislature passed the Central Park Act, authorizing the purchase of the present-day site of Central Park.

Central Park went through many changes and by the end of the depression, it had become a major eye sore for New York City.  

In 1934, Newly appointed city parks commissioner Robert Moses was given the task of cleaning up the park, and he summarily fired many of the Tammany-era staff. At the time, the park was in a state of neglect and disrepair. The park had not been  maintained and was the victim of crime and vandalism, The once beautiful park was no longer a site to behold. Moses's biographer Robert Caro later said, "The once beautiful Mall looked like a scene of a wild party the morning after. Benches lay on their backs, their legs jabbing at the sky..."

During the following year, the city's parks department replanted lawns and flowers, replaced dead trees and bushes, sandblasted walls, repaired roads and bridges, and restored statues. The park menagerie and Arsenal was transformed into the modern Central Park Zoo, and a rat extermination program was instituted within the zoo. The western part of the Pond at the park's southeast corner became an ice skating rink called Wollman Rink, roads were improved or widened, and twenty-one playgrounds were added. These projects used funds from the New Deal program, and donations from the public. 

Renovations and improvements continued into 1940s and 1950s. Moses held the position of City Parks Commissioner until 1960. Central Park was no longer a disgrace to the city thanks to his efforts and vision. 

This view looks back towards Times Square from the 6th street entrance to the park. Look at that clear blue sky and the brilliant colors that greeted us on our first day in NYC.

Wollman Rink is behind us.  Wollman Rink is the famous ice rink in Central Park.  During warm weather, it is a roller skating rink.  The ice rink is open from November until the end of March. 

The Dairy

The Dairy was constructed in 1870 at the southern end on the park, originally the children's section, to provide much needed milk and snacks for children in the cool and relaxing atmosphere near the Pond.

The Dairy now serves as an information center and gift shop inside the park.

Bethesda Terrace

Located in the heart of the Park, Bethesda Terrace is found at the north end of the long, tree-lined promenade known as the Mall and overlooks the Ramble and the Lake. At the center of the Terrace stands Bethesda Fountain, also known as Angel of the Waters, one of the Park’s most beloved works of art.

Bethesda Terrace was intended as a central gathering space for Park visitors. It was designed by architect and Park co-designer Calvert Vaux as the prominent display of art and architecture. It is home to one of the Park's few formal landscapes, providing a contrast to the more naturalistic design of the rest of the Park.

Vaux’s approach to the buildings in the Park was to design them as subordinate to the design of the landscapes, declaring "Nature first, second, and third—architecture after a while."  The Terrace was the Park’s showpiece and what a showpiece it was!

Angel of the Waters

Bethesda Fountain rises high above Bethesda Terrace as the “heart” of Central Park. The sculpture that tops it, Angel of the Waters, was designed by Emma Stebbins in 1873 and is one of the most recognizable icons in the entire park. 

Our tour guide made a point to bring us to this particular tree. It is his favorite tree in the park and his favorite place to come pray. The canopy of the tree reaches the ground as if it is wrapping its protective arms around you. 

To our left is the:

Beresford

A monumental example of Neo-Renaissance influence can be observed at the Beresford, located at the corner of Central Park West and 81st Street. The massive square structure resembles a 19th century citadel and opens to a courtyard with the fountain at its center. Constructed in 1929 by Emery Roth, it remains one of the finest buildings in the Upper West Side and is home to many celebrities. 

Lisa and Mark playing around as our tour guide utilizes a bit of trick photography. He has obviously done this a few times.

Bow Bridge

Bow Bridge is one of the most iconic and most photographed features of Central Park. Built in 1862, this Victorian-era bridge spans 60 feet across the Central Park Lake and connects Cherry Hill and the Ramble. It is the oldest cast-iron bridge in Central Park and it is the second-oldest cast-iron bridge in the entire United States. 

The skyscraper on the right side is the narrowest Skyscraper in NYC.  

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland was a gift from the philanthropist and publisher George Delacorte. He intended the donation as a gift to the children of the City and a memorial for his recently deceased wife Margarita (1891–1956), an enthusiastic linguist and reader who helped him to establish his publishing empire. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was her favorite book to read to her children.

At the dedication ceremony in May of 1959, 11 of the Delacortes’ grandchildren unveiled Alice. They then promptly climbed up on the statue, as children still do today (despite posted signs asking you not to climb on the statue).

We were so fortunate to have made our first visit to the park when very few people were present. We came back a few days later with Megan and Adrian, and the park was jammed packed with people everywhere.

The Reservoir

A 1.58-mile walking track surrounds the Reservoir. It was built between 1858 and 1862 to provide additional capacity for the City’s first receiving reservoir, which pre-dated the Park. Spanning 106 acres and at 40 feet deep, the Reservoir holds more than one billion gallons of water. At the time of its construction, it was the world’s largest man-made water body. 

Our tour guide had many stops along the park for photo ops and a bit of history. 

Glen Span

Glen Span was originally erected as a wooden trestle but was replaced with stone in 1885.

Belvedere Castle

Designed by Central Park co-designer Calvert Vaux and architect Jacob Wrey Mould, the structure, adjacent terraces and pavilions were all called “the Belvedere,” which means “beautiful view” in Italian. The entire complex was completed in 1872. 

The Castle currently houses one of the Park's visitor centers and a gift shop. When the building is open, it offers a unique vantage point overlooking much of the park and the city.

Turtle Pond

The shores of the Pond offer the best views of one of Central Park’s most iconic features, Belvedere Castle, perched on the dramatic Vista Rock.

Turtle Pond is Central Park’s newest water body, created in 1937 as part of the construction of the Great Lawn. It was referred to as Belvedere Lake until 1987, when it was renamed in honor of its inhabitants. The pond is home to five species of turtles year round.

We were amazed at the number of turtles we saw. We had never seen anything like it. 

Tempest and Romeo and Juliet Statues

These statues grace the front of the Delacorte Theater.  George Delacorte donated the statues and funded the Theater.  Prior to the construction of the Theater, the Shakespeare Festival was held on a portable stage.

Shakespeare Garden

This four-acre garden is densely planted with trees, shrubs, flowers, and herbs mentioned in William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Scattered throughout the Garden are bronze plaques with quotes from Shakespeare that reference plants.

We spotted this racoon exiting from a hole in the tree. Ironically, we were discussing another racoon we had just seen when Mark spotted this fella coming out of his tree. 

Oak/Cabinet/Bank Rock Bridge

This bridge has been known by several names through its history, including Oak Bridge, Cabinet Bridge, and Bank Rock Bridge. It crosses Bank Rock Bay and for this reason is also called Bank Rock Bridge. The original structure was a wooden trestle. After a period of decline, Bank Rock Bridge was completely replaced in 1935, and again in 1982 and 2009. The abutments are all that remains of the original structure. 

Our racoon made it out of the hole and is now resting in his tree.

Statue of Daniel Webster was presented to the city in 1876. He was one of the most prominent lawyers and politicians of the 19th century. 

The rickshaw that transported us around Central Park took us back to Time Square.  Our "Chauffer" was a wealth of information and made our tour very enjoyable. Our one hour tour ended up being about 2.5 hours. It was an awesome introduction to the city. We were so glad we did this tour. 

Megan and Adrian flew up to see us while we were in NYC, making the trip even more special. We walked around Central Park without the assistance of our tour guide this time. The park was VERY crowded on this day which was very different from just a few days prior.  Here they are in front of  Angel of Water Fountain.

The Obelisk ( Cleopatra's Needle)

Central Park is the third home for this 220-ton monolith, a single piece of stone carved out of granite at the quarries of Aswan, a major source of stone for Egyptian antiquities. It was one of two obelisks commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III for the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, near modern-day Cairo. 

When the Romans discovered the two obelisks in 12 BCE, both had toppled and were lying partially buried in the sand. The Romans transported the obelisks to Alexandria and installed them at an entrance to a temple dedicated to Julius Caesar. The temple had been built by Cleopatra, which is one theory of how they came to be called “Cleopatra’s Needles,” a name that still endures. 

In the 1870s, the Egyptian government gave one obelisk to England, and the second obelisk was gifted to the United States  in commemoration of the opening of the Suez Canal. The removal of the Obelisk and its transportation to New York took over a year.  It was a significant feat of logistics, diplomacy, and engineering. It was installed in Central Park in January 1881.

wow.... that is one massive, old hunk of rock....

Lisa, Megan and Adrian watching the turtles at Turtle Pond.  The predominate turtle we saw was the Red Eared Sliders. None of us had ever seen that many turtles before. Countless turtles were no more than a foot from us.  Obviously, they are very used to humans because they were not afraid of us. In fact, they tended to swarm towards us rather than away from us. 

King Jagiello

The Polish sculptor Stanislaw Ostrowski created the monument for the Polish pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens. The monument depicts a scene from the 1410 Battle of Grunwald when the king received two swords from his adversaries, the Teutonic Knights of the Cross. Just six months after the pavilion opened, in September 1939, the Nazis invaded Poland destroying all symbols of Polish nationalism including the original statue of the King.

When the Fair closed in 1940, the contents of the Polish pavilion were unable to return home because of the Nazi occupation. It was decided to find a home for the Monument in NYC, rather than risk them being destroyed by the Nazis in Poland.  On July 15, 1945, the 535th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald and two months after V-E Day, the monument was unveiled in Central Park.

Seeing Central Park is only a small part of this portion of the blog. We decided to break down our visit to NYC into manageable sections. We did do a lot of research and some plagiarism in regards to the information found in this section. We felt sharing a bit of the history of the city and the park was necessary in order to do it justice.  Mark actually ended up writing a very thorough book on the subject. We had to edit it down several times to condense it for our blog. 

 Central Park was an amazing visit and we only saw a small part of it.

Watch for our next installment on NYC.