I LOVE CENTRAL PARK

I love Central Park in all seasons – to walk, run, and bike in it. I love the park after a fresh snowfall when I’m the first to make footprints on the Great Lawn; and I love the park in the rain when no one’s around and I can wail “I’m Singing in the Rain” at the top of my lungs. In the summer, when it’s hot, there’s always a shady tree; and in autumn, I am mesmerized by the elms and maples cloaked in brilliant hues.

I used to run in the park without really seeing all it has to offer. Now, I rarely stick to the loop. I run on the pathways, under the bridges, through the Ramble and around the pond to the waterfalls in the west 90’s. Sure, I still count mileage. I know that the upper Reservoir track is 1.57 miles and the Bridle Path is 1.66, but I also know that the trees on the eastern side of the Reservoir are Yoshino Cherry trees, and the western side of the reservoir has Kwanzan cherries. My favorite spot is the North Woods where little has changed since the 1850’s and I feel as though I’m somewhere in the Adirondacks. On each run, I find something I’ve never seen before -- the Wisteria Pergola overlooking the Mall or the 13 original colonies engraved into the concrete walk above the fountain of the Conservatory Garden. If it weren’t for Central Park, I’d have no city oasis. I wanted to give back to my park in some way, but I wasn’t sure how. So I endowed a

bench. You can too – or endow a tree or a paving stone near Literary Walk. Just go to www.centralparknyc.org