A Stroll through Central Park
The Weekly long Walk
We take weekly long walks here and they usually end up in one of the larger parks. We have only been venturing out once a week, but I am starting to second guess that descion now, since it’s starting to get to us. Technically you are only “supposed” to go out when you have to, which is why we have kept it at about once a week. It takes about 15-20 minutes for us to get to any of the larger parks around us, so that is also another reason why we don’t do it that frequently. 1.6 million people live in Manhattan, so even though all the tourists are gone, you can imagine what it would look like if everyone tried to get to the parks at the same time.
The Loch
We usually start at the north end of Central Park and walk behind the ice skating rink/swimming pool, and there the Loch starts which is one of my favorite trails in the park. That ice skating rink just melted after the city shut down in March, and unfortunately the swimming pools in the city will be closed this summer. I know it is for the best, but I feel sad for all the kids (and adults) that wont have a place to cool off this summer. The Loch attracts a lot of birders, or people in general who want to get away from the larger crowds. We encountered a group of enthusiastic birders and photographers when we walked by, they had spotted a Virginia Rail. We quickly passed that group of people and continued our long walk. You can go in all different directions from the Loch, of course, and we tend to move towards the west side of the park. To the east you can continue to the Conservatory garden which always have many pretty flowers. There is a small avenue with many benches along both sides there, and public restrooms. You can continue on the Loch until you pop up right by a waterfall (the second waterfall you can see on this walk) and the Pool (the name of the big pond). If you continue straight south though, you’ll reach the tennis court and additional public restrooms.
Cherry Blossoms around the Jackie Kenedy’s Reservoir
We finally arrived by Jackie Kennedy’s Reservoir, and all the cherry blossoms. The Okame cherry trees were blooming already in March (a month early) and they are long gone now. The cherry trees that are blooming now are mainly the Kwanzan, and a couple of Yoshinos are still going strong. Naturally we walk south on the west side of the reservoir, and when we go north we walk along the east side. The northern part of the park is pretty empty now, although everything is relative. The reservoir on the other hand is crowded, like always, and so even now. I mean everything is relative, and I thought it was crowded based on the fact that we technically are not suppose to congregate. I guess my photos are showing the less crowded parts, since that is where we try to walk.
I like the turtle pond and also the Belvedere castle which will guide you towards the Ramble, my second favorite trail in the park. Right behind the castle is also where one of the weather stations in Manhattan sits, if you are into that jam. I really like the architecture of the Belvedere castle. It sits on the top of a hill and you can view the upper east side from here. I have never ever seen the castle so empty, I mean there is a pandemic out there but still. Quite the contrast from the number of people we saw around the reservoir.
The Ramble and Bow Bridge
We continued south, walking along the Ramble which has a ton of different small trails. Eventually you pop out right by the Bow Bridge that will take you over to the Bethesda Terrace. Even though the area around the reservoir was busy, the area around the bow bridge was surprisingly empty. If you have ever been to the Bow Bridge, have you ever seen it empty? An old man was sitting on the other side of the bridge playing some sad songs on his accordion, we gave him some money before continuing. I could see another old man feeding the ducks in the Lake to the west. So many lonely old souls around here.
Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain
It was almost empty by the Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain too. Already in 1868 people were able to enjoy the views of the terrace and the fountain, designed by Olmstedt and Vaux. My favorite part is right underneath the terrace, all the beautiful colors there are amazing. Some small groups of people were sitting with face-masks talking to each other, complaining about people who are not keeping their distance or just about life in general. They were all wondering when this is going to end, and shared information about businesses that are closing and they were all wondering who would still be there when this is all over. You hear random people strike up a conversation, because we are all in this together, and people are getting lonely.
As we walked north again the number of people increased and that uncomfortable feeling arose again, or was that because we were walking by the field hospital, or because 2 hours had passed and more people were out and about? I wonder what it will feel like once everything opens up again. Will we always be scared of being too close to one another or will we forget about how all of this was after a few months. Maybe we should start to go on daily walks, but then again, doesn’t that defeat the purpose in some way? People are starting to move around more, and especially now when the weather is getting nicer I wonder how this will all play out. They are talking about opening up larger streets to make room for more people, but my guess is that more people will still wanna go to the park. I mean who wouldn’t want to sit in the grass on a blanket in Central Park right now? Just like we could do before this pandemic.
