To me, summer in New York City always meant Central Park, specifically the vintage carousel with its lovely calliope music. On Sundays during the summer, my roommate and I would stroll from the Upper East Side, where we lived, to the Eighty Sixth Street entrance of the park and make our way to a small mound that overlooked the park’s carousel. We’d sit on the little hillock’s grass enjoying the view of the many colorful horses going round and round, listening to the calliopes, and looking at the happy children enjoying the ride. This was a special way to spend a summer day. The area around the carousel has been restored since those days and there are many more visitors than before, but it is still a special place to enjoy.
I have always found that Central Park itself is a perfect spot for tourists and city residents of all ages to visit during summer, especially since 1977 when the series of Art in the Park was begun. This project displays sculptures from a variety of artists at the plaza at Sixtieth Street and Fifth Avenue. There are also several playgrounds in the park, one of which, Alice in Wonderland, is extremely popular with children who can climb all over it if they wish. There is even a place to fish at the Harlem Meer, where a catch and release program is offered, along with bait and poles!
Just enjoying the park’s twenty-five thousand trees and great variety of flowers is a treat. If you are new to the park (or any other New York City park), there are visitor centers to help people who are not familiar with all of the parks offerings.
