Central Park is the natural heart of New York City's busiest borough, accounting for 6% of Manhattan's total acreage.
Commissioned by state legislature in 1853, it is the first landscaped public park in the U.S. It now draws around 35 million visitors every year.
We took a day trip and documented some of the things that make Central Park the best — even in a chilly November.
Central Park is a vast oasis in the middle of New York City. (Here's the morning view from Spanish Harlem.)
The Harlem Meer is a beautiful lake beginning at 110th and 5th. The name is a nod to the 17th Century European settlers who first inhabited the village of Harlem.
The wildlife in the park's several bodies of water is outstanding. A 2003 census found 500 species of plants and animals. Another census will be published in a few weeks.
Source: CentralPark.com
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