No visit to New York City is complete without a tour of Central Park, one of the most famous parks in the world. Central Park consists of about 843 acres of land and is located in Manhattan. The east side of the park borders along posh Fifth Avenue. The other streets bordering the park are Central Park West, Central Park North (110th Street); and Central Park South (W. 59th Street).

Central Park opened in 1859 but was not always the cultural Mecca it is today. It began as a place where residents could get away from the noise and crowds found in most of the large cities throughout the world. Throughout the years, Central Park underwent many changes, experienced years of neglect followed by several rehabilitative efforts by the various entities that took charge of the park.

Fiorella LaGuardia was the first New York City Mayor to “clean up” the park. He hired one of the world’s most successful urban planners, Robert Moses, for the job. Moses not only saw that the grass was well maintained and flowers were planted, he filled in an existing reservoir to create the “Great Lawn” which is located in the center of the park. It is situated between the now existing reservoir and the home of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, located on the East side of the Great Lawn.

In addition, Moses created baseball fields, handball courts and several playgrounds.  During this time, Tavern on the Green, one of the most famous restaurants in the world, opened within the park. Central Park soon became the outdoor recreational capital of the city.

In the turbulent 1960s, Central Park became a cultural attraction, as still existing programs such as “Shakespeare in the Park” were introduced. It also became a political venue as many demonstrations were staged within the park. Unfortunately, it was during this period that, again, the park began to fall into another period of neglect.

In the late 1970s, under Mayor Edward Koch, the Central Park Task Force was created over a growing concern of crime within the park.  In 1980, a non-profit group, the Central Park Conservency, was created to, again, rehabilitate the park. The Central Park Conservancy still oversees the park and, since its inception in 1980, has invested over 350 million dollars in making Central Park a place of beauty. 

If you enjoy worldwide travel for pennies on the dollar, the Global Resorts Network Luxury Travel Club Membership offers the opportunity for families to do just that.  Additionally, these same families are creating 7 figure incomes from simply referring this membership to others.  Get the details here.