Central Park is what provides oxygen to New York, in more than one way. Time runs to a different beat here - A sleepy hollow in the middle of the city that never sleeps. In addition to the fresh air that the 843 acres of greenery provides, Central Park also serves as a daily getaway for New Yorkers fed up with being corraled into a concrete jungle of high rise condos, air conditioned office cubicles and a merciless daily grind, but unable to take that much needed getaway vacation. 

The dense foliage and jogging trails, the restaurants, the zoo, the cheek to cheek tango dances and organized events, the classic architecture of the landmark buildings, the outdoor theatre and concerts, the skating rinks, the walking tours, educational activities and extensive sports facilities with basketball, tennis and handball courts and 26 ballfields all put together are the life and soul of New York, which keeps the Big Apple’s residents fit and ready to battle another day in the mayhem of the subways, the noisy bumper-to-bumper traffic, and all that smoke and grime and the claustrophobia of being locked into a sea of commuter clogged streets.

Central Park Tours:

• Walking Tours - These are pre-designed tours with podcasts, interactive guides and maps designed to allow visitors to experience all the wonders and pleasures of Central Park. The walking tours are available in two formats - The ‘Family tour’ which includes popular attractions like the  children’s zoo and Balto Conservatory Water with minature sailboats, and secondly the more inclusive ‘Arts & Architecture tour’, which features all the attractions of the family tour in addition to detours to the Loeb Boathouse, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, the Mall, the Dairy, the Carousel and Wollman Rink.
• Bike Tours - The Central Park Bike Tours offer a way to go through all of Central Park in a couple of hours. The tour ticket costs $40 ($20 for 15 and below), and includes the bike rental and a tour escort who leads the group. There are three groups each day, at 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm. Call (212) 541-8759 to purchase by phone or reserve online. The bike tour takes you along to  Strawberry Fields, the 3 acre international garden of peace honoring John Lennon, the Belvedere Castle and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the Shakespeare Garden and Paul Simon Concert, in addition to other stopovers along the way.

In addition to these ‘official’ tours, you can also book yourself a spot with one of the many NYC tour companies, such as the Big Onion Walking Tours, who offer guided and themed tours inside Central Park, such as movie tours and picnics.

Central Park Restaurants: Central Park offers many restaurants and concession stands spread across the Park. The most famous of these is the Tavern on the Green (West Side between 66th and 67th Streets ) which serves as a formal restaurant with valet parking which offers lunch, dinner, pre-dinner theatre and a Sunday brunch. 

Also well frequented is the Loeb Boathouse (East 74th Street at the East Drive) which offers a picturesque location with a view of the lake for a romantic date or dinner, with informal snacks additionally available on the outside terrace, a bicycle rental concession, rowboat rentals and a quaint ride in a gondola across the lake. Like I said, it’s a great place to spend half a day, frolicking lakeside in the late afternoon, watch the sunset across the lake and then enjoy a sumptous buffet dinner.

Other dining options include the Wollman Rink, Leaping Frog Café, Kerbs Ice Cream Café, Ferrara Italian Café, Ballplayers House and the Sheep Meadow Café.

Central Park Zoo & Tisch Children’s Zoo: Located on the East Side between 63rd and 66th Streets, the five plus acres of the zoo have been carefully constructed and zoned to recreate the natural habitats of the zoo’s 130 species including the Polar Circle which houses the stars of the zoo - The polar bears Ida and Gus.

Next to the polar bears are the harbor seals and then the Ice Pack building inhabited by  dozens of funny penguins. The Rain Forest is a raucous collection of tropical birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, monkeys and other exotic species which are as fascinating for their oddball behavior as they are for the brlilliant canopy of colors and the incredible din they create. In short, the zoo is the perfect place to let loose cranky kids bored stiff by the Big Apple’s adult pleasures. Admission cost for adults is $8.00, senior citizens $4 and children aged 3 to 12 can get in for $3.00. Free for children under 3.  212-439-6500

Central Park Concerts: Concerts and music at the park include Summerstage, free performances by the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic, and the concert series at Naumberg Bandshell. Central Park SummerStage (Rumsey Playfield, 70^th St. at Mid Park; (212) 360­-2756) is a performing arts festival which promotes a variety of artistic presentations, including readings, one-person theatrical productions and a dance series in outdoor settings. Every summer, both the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic perform for free on the great lawn. In addition, there’s a summer jazz festival near the Dana Discovery Center, at Harlem Meer (Eastside from 106th to 110th Street )

Info: 5th Ave to Central Park W and 59th St to 110th St New York, NY 10024;
(212) 360-3456  Web Links: Central Park - Maps, live webcam, photo gallery. Directions: 1; A, B, C, D at 59th St-Columbus Cir; C at 72nd-110th Sts; 4, 5, 6; N, R at 59th St; 6 at 68th-110th Sts. Hotels near Central Park include the Comfort Inn Central Park West, Belnord, Bentley Hotel, Dream Hotel and the Park Central NY.