Central Park, Manhattan
An urban park in Manhattan, New York City, located between the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side. It is the fifth-largest park in New York City by area, covering 843 acres (3.41 km2). Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated 37.5–38 million visitors annually, as well as one of the most filmed locations in the world.
Following proposals for a large park in Manhattan during the 1840s, Central Park was first approved in 1853 as a 778-acre (3.15 km2) park. In 1857, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect/landscape designer Calvert Vaux won a design competition to construct the park with a plan they titled the "Greensward Plan". Construction began the same year, and the park's first areas were opened to the public in late 1858. Additional land at the northern end of Central Park was purchased in 1859, and the park was completed in 1876. After a period of decline in the early 20th century, New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses started a program to clean up Central Park. Another decline in the late 20th century spurred the creation of the Central Park Conservancy in 1980, which refurbished many parts of the park during the 1980s and 1990s.
The park's main attractions include landscapes such as the Ramble and Lake, Hallett Nature Sanctuary, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, and Sheep Meadow; amusement attractions such as Wollman Rink, Central Park Carousel, and the Central Park Zoo; formal spaces such as the Central Park Mall and Bethesda Terrace; and the Delacorte Theater, which hosts Shakespeare in the Park programs in the summer. The park also contains sports facilities including the North Meadow Recreation Center, basketball courts, and baseball and soccer fields.
Central Park was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and as a New York City scenic landmark in 1974. The park is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) but has been managed by the Central Park Conservancy since 1998, under a contract with the municipal government in a public-private partnership. The Conservancy, a non-profit organization, contributes 75% of Central Park's $65 million annual budget and is responsible for all basic care of the park.
Owned by NYC Parks
Operated by Central Park Conservancy
Visitors about 37–38 million annually:9.
Open 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
-Public transit access and travelings
The New York City Subway's IND Eighth Avenue Line (A, B, C, and D trains) runs along the western edge of the park. While most of the Eighth Avenue Line stations on Central Park West serve only the local B and C trains, the 59th Street–Columbus Circle station is also served by the express A and D trains as well as the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line (1 train). In addition, the IRT Lenox Avenue Line (2 and 3 trains) has a station at Central Park North. From there the line curves southwest under the park and heads west under 104th Street. On the southeastern corner of the park, the BMT Broadway Line (N, R, and W trains) has a station at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. The 63rd Street lines (F, , and Q trains) pass underneath without stopping, and the line contains a single ventilation shaft within the park, west of Fifth Avenue and 63rd Street.
Various bus routes pass through Central Park or stop along its boundaries. The M10 bus stops along Central Park West, while the M5 and part of the M7 runs along Central Park South, and the M2, M3 and M4 run along Central Park North. The M1, M2, M3, and M4 run southbound along Fifth Avenue with corresponding northbound bus service on Madison Avenue. In addition, the M66, M72, M79 SBS (Select Bus Service), M86 SBS, M96 and M106 buses use the transverse roads across Central Park. The M12, M20 and M104 only serve Columbus Circle on the south end of the park, and the M31 and M57 run on 57th Street two blocks from the park's south end but do not stop on the boundaries of the park.
Some of the buses running on the edge of Central Park replaced former streetcar routes that used to travel across Manhattan. These streetcar routes included the Sixth Avenue line, which became the M5, and the Eighth Avenue line, which became the M10.:32 However, only one streetcar line actually traversed Central Park: the 86th Street Crosstown Line, the predecessor to the M86 bus.:65
Transverse roads
Central Park contains four transverse roadways that carry crosstown traffic across the park. From south to north, they are 66th Street, 79th Street, 86th Street, and 97th Street, originally respectively numbered transverse roads 1 through 4. The 66th Street transverse connects the discontinuous sections of 65th and 66th Streets on either side of the park, and the 97th Street transverse likewise joins the disconnected segments of 96th and 97th Streets. On the other hand, the 79th Street transverse links West 81st and East 79th Streets, while the 86th Street transverse links West 86th Street with East 84th and 85th Streets. Each roadway carries two lanes, one in each direction, and is sunken below the level of the rest of the park to minimize the transverses' visual impact on it. The transverse roadways are open even when the park is closed.
The 66th Street transverse was the first to be finished, having opened in December 1859. The 79th Street transverse—which passed under Vista Rock, Central Park's second-highest point—was completed by a railroad contractor because of the difficulty of construction; it opened in December 1860. The 86th and 97th Street transverses opened in late 1862. By the 1890s, maintenance had decreased to the point where the 86th Street transverse handled most crosstown traffic because the other transverse roads had been so poorly maintained. Both ends of the 79th Street transverse were widened in 1964 to accommodate increased traffic, but overall, the transverses were not as frequently scrutinized as the rest of the park, despite being used more frequently than the park proper.
Center Drive
The park has three scenic drives that travel through it vertically. They have multiple traffic lights at the intersections with pedestrian paths, although there are also some arches and bridges where pedestrian and drive traffic can cross without intersection. To discourage park patrons from speeding, the designers incorporated extensive curves in the park drives.
West Drive is the westernmost of the park's three vertical "drives". The road, which carries southbound bicycle and horse-carriage traffic, winds through the western part of Central Park, connecting Lenox Avenue/Central Park North with Seventh Avenue/Central Park South and Central Drive. The drive is dangerous; in 2014, a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) stretch of West Drive was considered to be "the most dangerous section of Central Park" for pedestrians, with bicycle crashes along the drive leaving 15 people injured.
Center Drive (also known as the "Central Park Lower Loop" connects northbound bicycle and carriage traffic from Midtown at Central Park South/Sixth Avenue to East Drive near the 66th Street transverse. The street generally goes east and then north, forming the bottom part of the Central Park loop. The attractions along Center Drive include Victorian Gardens, the Central Park Carousel, and the Central Park Mall.
East Drive, the easternmost of the three drives, connects northbound bicycle and carriage traffic from Midtown to the Upper West Side at Lenox Avenue. The street is renowned for its country scenery and free concerts. It generally straddles the east side of the park along Fifth Avenue. The drive passes by the Central Park Zoo around 63rd Street and the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 80th to 84th Streets. Unlike the rest of the drive system, which is generally serpentine, East Drive is straight between the 86th and 96th Street transverses, because it is located between Fifth Avenue and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. East Drive is known as the "Elite Carriage Parade", because it was where the carriage procession occurred at the time of the park's opening, and because only five percent of the city was able to afford the carriage. In the late 19th century, West and East Drives were popular places for carriage rides.
In addition, there are two other scenic drives that cross the park horizontally. Terrace Drive is located at 72nd Street and connects West and East Drives, passing over Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. The 102nd Street Crossing, located further north near the street of the same name, is a former carriage drive connecting West and East Drives.
Included Locations
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