Central Park is in the summer the place to go for all New Yorkers who stay in the city over the weekend. It’s the place where you go running, cycling, picnicking, having birthday parties and most important, where you meet up with friends and hang out.
When I was visiting NY the first time I wanted to see this vibe and went on a Saturday even though it was more crowded.
Yesterday I was cycling with my friend. We took a break after the first loop, sat down and listened to someone playing guitar. A bridal couple walked by and the musician stroke up a love song for them, they danced and everyone watching was applauding. That was such a lovely scene.
Here is my favorite tour in Central Park with some must-have-seen places:
Start at Columbus Circle and target for the Cherry Hill Fountain. Take the trail that is taking you to the Bow Bridge, one of the favorite spots for marriage proposals. Cross the bridge and head towards the boat house. There are some great dead end trails with lead you to the left side of the Boat House where you can relax your feet while sitting on some rocks, enjoying the sun and watching couples taking a boat tour. The Boat House is great for having a brunch or also just some coffee and cake.
Continue your walk surrounding the boat house and going south towards the Bethesda Fountain and Bethesda Terrace. Walk through the arches and take the stares up to continue walking on The Mall which is home to artists drawing portraits. Also the New York Art Factory is offering paintings from selected NY artists. Keep your walk in the south-east direction, you’ll cross the rocks in the foreground and the skyline in the background. In between is the ice rink in the winter and the carousel in the summer .
You can expand the tour by adding a stop at the Turtle Pond and Belvedere Castle.
My recommendation is, to rent bikes for 2 or rather 4 hours (ask for a lock if they don’t give it to you automatically). You can find good deals on Groupon. Unfortunately the nice areas are only accessible through paths where you need to walk your bike, but it’s worth it and the park is just too big to walk through completely.