CITY

Five curiosities you may not know about Central Park, the "green heart" of New York City

Central Park is the largest public park in the borough of Manhattan, New York. It is located in Uptown at the centre between the two residential neighbourhoods, the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side, which take their name from their position in relation to the park.

Central Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, winners of a design competition in 1858. Their design is based on the 'landscaped park' philosophy that creates the illusion of wilderness, despite being entirely built up.

Inside you can find great things, such as a zoo and an entire section dedicated to John Lennon. But the curiosities of Central Park, one of the world's largest urban parks, do not end there.

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Five curiosities you may not know about Central Park, the "green heart" of New York City
Central Park is the largest public park in the borough of Manhattan, New York. It is located in Uptown at the centre between the two residential neighbourhoods, the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side, which take their name from their position in relation to the park. Central Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, winners of a design competition in 1858. Their design is based on the 'landscaped park' philosophy that creates the illusion of wilderness, despite being entirely built up. Inside you can find great things, such as a zoo and an entire section dedicated to John Lennon. But the curiosities of Central Park, one of the world's largest urban parks, do not end there.
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A huge park, but not a natural one
The park has a perimeter of no less than 4 km by 800 metres and stretches from 59th to 110th street. In the 340 hectares of land that make up Central Park, there is actually nothing natural: until the mid-19th century, this area of Manhattan was home to marshy swamps, rocks and shacks, which were transformed into the elegant park it is today thanks to a project by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux
By Elisa Rolle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21195987
One of the most famous film sets ever
Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen confront each other in Sheep Meadow in "Wall Street", Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan fall in love during a thousand chats along the mall in "When Harry Met Sally", Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack meet on the Lasker Rink in the finale of "Serendipity". Incredibly, however, the fountain in 'Friends' is not in Central Park, but was part of a film set recreating the city of Boston.
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An area in honor of John Lennon
Strawberry Fields is an area within Central Park dedicated to John Lennon. It was created in memory of the famous musician and pacifist and contains a mosaic with the inscription 'Imagine', inspired by Lennon's famous song. On 8 December 1980, the former Beatles singer was killed by a madman in front of the Dakota Building on the Upper West Side, a stone's throw from Central Park.
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There is zoo inside the park
The Central Park Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the United States and was opened in 1864. It is home to a wide variety of animal species and offers unique learning experiences for visitors.
Di GreenReaper - Opera propria, Pubblico dominio, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73
Central Park is full of statues
There are numerous statues and monuments in the heart of Central Park. The most famous is the John Lennon memorial in Strawberry fields. The most visited statues are the one of Alice in Wonderland, Balto, the statue of Hans Christian Andersen, the statue of Christopher Columbus, the Cleopatra Needle. There are many other statues in the park and many points of interest.
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