TOP 8 THINGS to do in CENTRAL PARK | New York City | Central Park walking tour

Hey there everyone my name is Eduardo Arroyo but you can call me Ed and today I am here visiting Central Park here in New York City. Yes you guys you heard that right today we are visiting one of the most popular parks in the entire world but before we walk around I think it would be a great idea for me to give you a little bit of background on this place. Central Park is an 843 acre park located in Manhattan. The goal of this place is to provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and as a leisure space for all New Yorkers and the estimated 42 million visitors that visit each year. The park offers a broad range of activities it doesn't matter if you are traveling with family, kids, loved one or traveling alone there is something for you to do here. And that's where this video comes in. I would like to show you a few places that you should consider if you plan to visit so if that interests you come with me. All right you guys so I'll start by taking two locations out of the way those are the Metropolitan Museum of Art also known as the MET and the Central Park Zoo. I don't know about you guys but if I was visiting Central Park and I only had one day which I actually do I would like to experience the park itself not really activities such as museums or zoos which are activities that you can actually do in most major cities here in the U.S. That being said if you're a fan of those activities there's nothing wrong with that checking those places out might make sense for you. The MET is actually the largest museum in the western hemisphere with its permanent collection containing over 2 million works so there's definitely a lot to see in there. So much in fact that you will need to set aside three to five hours to look at their exhibits at a reasonable pace. My girlfriend did visit this place and she had a good time so at least there's that. The Central Park Zoo has to be one of the most popular zoos in the entire planet. It showcases over a hundred animal species and I'm sure that it offers a lot of family-friendly activities for you to enjoy. Similar to the MET people can spend here a whole day just to check out everything that they have to offer so keep that in mind. Now with those places out of the way let's go over my actual list. The first part of my list are general areas meaning that there can be more than one of these at the park. For me these include green open spaces, bodies of water, and forest areas. And the green open space that I would recommend is the Great Lawn. This location is perfect for those of you who like gathering with family and friends or those of you who just like nice relaxing places. The Great Lawn spans an area of 55 acres and has been the backdrop of multiple movies and concerts that take place here in New York City. The area is perfect for having a picnic, reading a book, walking around, or simply chilling with friends. I know that one of the main reasons why people would make their way over to the park would be to get away from the city but from here you can still see the high-rise buildings in the distance. Check it out. It would seem that you cannot get away from the city. Let's see if the other two places I want to show you today do a better job. For now we are done with the Great Lawn. Definitely a great place to check out. The body of water that I would recommend you visit is simply known as the lake. This is the second largest body of water here at Central Park and it is really popular amongst visitors. That right there you guys is the Lowe Boathouse. They rent boats during the spring and summer months. Today we are visiting during April and check it out there are a lot of people sailing at the moment. The boat rental section of the boathouse is open from 10 a.m till dusk so you have time to get here. However, you will probably have to wait as there's long lines throughout the day. This is how the line looks at 4 p.m. It's kind of long if you ask me. Anyways let's go check it out. Check it out you guys we are here at the lake riding a boat. This is such a cool experience although one thing to note is that it is difficult to get used to the row movement. If you haven't been on a boat ever it can be a little bit complicated at first but once you get used to it it's actually a really cool and relaxing feeling at the same time. I am heading over to this bridge over here. I don't know if you can see it in back of me. That is a really popular activity to do here at the lake going right under that bridge especially if you have a significant other that is considered like a romantic activity of sorts. So let me go ahead and make my way over there. It's weird but as you're rowing you kind of do feel a little bit accomplished like an athlete or something. I know I'm not but that's how I feel. Check it out you guys we're about to go under the bridge. Wow another thing is that you need to be aware of other boats around you. Some people are just there like static so they can be obstacles for you as you are navigating your boat. All right you guys we're going to enjoy our time here but I'll catch you in the next location. All right so the last general area that I want to share with you today is the foresty type areas. There are two locations like this at Central Park that I know of but the one I want to share with you is the North Woods area. The North Woods area is mainly located at the northeast corner of the park. This area is not as popular as the rest of the park so there's usually less people which means that it's going to be more quiet and peaceful. These areas are known for having lots of greenery, plenty of paths, streams, waterfalls, and rustic structures just like this one. As you can see you guys you get a whole different vibe depending on the area that you visit here at Central Park. To me that is just so cool. The second part of my list includes specific and interesting locations that you can find throughout the park. Again there are so many things to see and do here but these are my humble recommendations. The first location I would like to share with you guys is the Central Park carousel that structure that you see in the background. This has been a staple of this place since 1871 and I think the current version of it was installed here in the beginning of the 1950s. So this right here you guys it's an almost 100 year old carousel that you can ride here at Central Park. It's also a great opportunity to take some cool pictures. A single ride is three dollars and fifty cents and you best believe I'm gonna try and ride this. This is so much fun. It's so funny because I am one of the two people riding this carousel at this time which makes it more intimate and cool I would say. And with that you guys we're done with this stop. Let's go ahead and move to our next location. Up next you guys we are visiting the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. I'm just gonna go out and say that if you like architecture this is the place for you. There are two structures that make up this place. This structure right here known as the Arcade and the Bethesda Fountain also known as the Angel of the Waters. The Arcade has two staircases. That is one right there and the other one is right over there. You can use these two to get to the top of the structure and get some really cool views of the area. So check it out you guys. These are the views that you get from the top of the Arcade. You can see right there that is the fountain. I'll promise I'll show it to you closer before we leave but check these views. It's really nice so I strongly recommend you take pictures from up here. You can also go through the Arcade in order to continue your journey around the park. If you choose to do that just don't forget to look up. The ceiling is made out of nearly 16,000 tiles that create this very elaborate geometric pattern right there. And yes that is an opera singer right there. Fun fact for you guys those tiles are commonly used as flooring but here you can actually see them on the ceiling. Last but not least this is the Bethesda Fountain and there you can see the Angel of the Waters. This is definitely a great place to visit. I strongly recommend. Now let's go and head to our next location. Up next you guys we have made it to one of the more interesting areas in my opinion. This right here you guys is the obelisk also known as Cleopatra's Needle. This right here you guys is a legitimate Egyptian obelisk. It was created around 1425 BCE so it is a very old artifact indeed. Now the story of how this obelisk got here to New York City is a very interesting one. I'll give you the short version of it. For a long time the obelisk lived in Alexandria where it was installed at the entrance of a temple dedicated to Julius Caesar. The temple is said to have been conceived by Cleopatra which is one of the theories of how this structure got its current name. This obelisk is one of two from that location. In the 1870s the Egyptian government gave one obelisk to England and the second to the US in commemoration for the opening of the Swiss Canal. The transportation of the obelisk from Egypt to New York City took over a year and it was a significant feat of logistics and engineering. It was finally installed in 1881 and has been here ever since. Definitely a place you cannot miss. Now let's go ahead and move to our next location. If you walk to the left of the obelisk you will make your way to the next two locations that I want to show you today. The first one of those two is Velveteer Castle which you can see right there in the background. Velveteer Castle is a small stone castle located to the south of the Great Lawn. It was built in 1869 and it is situated at the highest point in the park. The name Velveteer in Italian means viewpoint and that is exactly its purpose. Check it out here you can see how it looks from a distance and it is relatively small. If you want a better view you can get a little closer. Let me show you. Check it out you guys. I got to this section right here where you can get an even better view. That is crazy and you can actually also get a different view of the little castle itself. I think the name of the pond is Turtle Pond. I don't know if turtles live there but that would be my guess. Alright you guys now let's go and move to the next location. The last location that I would like to share with you today is the John Lennon Memorial within the area known as Strawberry Fields here at Central Park. If you are a Beatles fan you will know that Strawberry Fields Forever was a very popular song from the Beatles. This is a really nice green space area. I've seen dogs running around. I've seen little paths where people can walk through. There's people having picnics and also live music. I don't know if you can see the musician right there in the background. So this place is really nice on its own but it is known for being the home of the John Lennon Memorial which I'm going to talk about more next. So this right here behind me is the memorial to John Lennon. As you can see it is a mosaic placed on the ground in this area with the word imagine inscribed in it. And as you probably know that is the name of a really popular song that he wrote and performed when he was alive. The mosaic often has flowers around the word imagine which are placed by people who want to pay their respects to John Lennon. So before I made my way here I was like wow people must have really enjoyed his music here in New York City or something for them to want to do something like this right. But then as I kept researching I learned that he was actually shot in a very nearby apartment complex called the Dakota. So this building that you see right across the street you guys is the Dakota. This is where it happened and according to some of the stuff that I've seen online it happened right over there at the entrance of the complex. Very dark and sad at the same time. Lots of people make their way here to pay their respects and also to take a picture with the mosaic. The more you know. And just like that you guys we made it to the end of today's video. Hopefully you guys enjoyed. 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