Central Park, New York City: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Central Park is a 341-hectare rectangular public park stretching from 59th to 110th Street between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West in Manhattan, designed by Olmsted and Vaux and opened in stages beginning in 1858. The park’s topography—rocky outcroppings, rolling meadows, and wooded rambles—was almost entirely engineered, requiring 10 million cartloads of relocated soil and stone. The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir covers 43 hectares at the park’s center, surrounded by a 2.5-kilometer running track. Bethesda Terrace and Fountain anchor the formal architectural heart at the 72nd Street transverse. is just one of many options in New York City. Major attractions worth considering include Apollo Theater, Chrysler Building, and Ellis Island.