Central Park
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Built between 1858 and 1873, Central Park is the most visited urban park in the nation, attracting more than 20 million visitors a year. In 1858 when construction on Central Park began at 59th Street, Manhattan had only been developed to 38th Street. The Park is 843 acres, 2.5 miles long a half mile wide, 58 miles of pathways, 26 ballfields, 21 playgrounds, 9,000 Park benches, 57 monuments and sculptures and 7 bodies of water. Central Park seems so natural, people may not realize it is entirely man-made.
Since 1908, more than 240 feature films containing scenes in Central Park have been released, making it the most filmed public park in the world. In addition, countless episodes of television series are filmed in Central Park. An alarming number of murders and other unspeakable crimes featured in Law and Order and its various spin-offs seem to take place in the Park. Viewers who are familiar with the Park can often recognize a bridge, a landscape, or a monument. Other shows that like to use the Park include Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street, 30 Rock, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Elimidate, Six Degrees, Kidnapped, The Apprentice, Project Runway, and Will and Grace. The Food Network, Discovery and Animal Planet channels often film in the Park. And, of course, the major networks love the Park; both NBC and ABC have made and aired special series highlighting the Conservancy and its work in the Park. PBS filmed A Walk Through Central Park, featuring David Hartman and historian Barry Lewis. HBO’s mini-series, Angels in America, began and ended with the Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Terrace. Its enormously popular series Sex and the City used Central Park in many episodes. The Park is also one of New York City’s top locations for commercials, documentaries, and photo shoots.
Central Park is a special dog-friendly place where you and your dog can enjoy beautiful walks, trails and play areas. PAWS represents the dog owners of Central Park. Your participation in PAWS can help ensure that you and your dog will always feel welcome in the park and that Central Park will remain beautiful and green – a place you will be able to enjoy for years to come. For more information about PAWS , please visit www.centralparkpaws.net
The Central Park zoo attracts nearly a million visitors a year from all over the world. The zoo is divided into several different sections which provide the animals with homes as close to their natural habitat as possible. These include tropic, temperate and polar zones that house everything from tiny leafcutter ants to the hugely popular polar bears. The zoo is also actively involved the preservation of endangered species, providing a home for rare tamarin monkeys, Wyoming toads, thick-billed parrots, and red pandas.