April Walks in Central Park

After arriving back in the US from my vacation, I had three weekends left in April to go walking and most of those walks were in Central Park. April in Central Park is a magical time, trees bursting with pink and white blossoms, all the colors of flowers you can imagine, and temps just right for a great walk.

The first weekend, I walked from The Pond up to The Reservoir. This was The Pond around the middle of April. You can see the leaves sprouting from the trees and some were already showing off their spring colors.

At the base of Cat Rock, the forsythia were blooming and brightening the area with its brilliant color.

I came upon this drawing class in an area where there were lots of magnolia and cherry trees. I would have loved to paint, too, if I only have the talent, but I could take pics and I hope you enjoy seeing the park through my eyes.

Most of the cherry trees were blooming at the time of my walk, and as I neared the statue of The Pilgrim, I could see he has the best views of the cherry blossoms in the park.

It was also a great day to hang out at the Conservatory Water. The model boats were already out and sailing across the pond.

At the Great Lawn, lots of cherry trees were in bloom, I like the look of this big and pink cherry tree.

I stayed at The Reservoir until evening. The lights on the buildings of midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side were reflected on the Reservoir water as the moon shines down on the city.

The next weekend, I started my walk at the northern side of the park, the Harlem Meer. The geese were already there enjoying the park.

Adjacent to the Harlem Meer is the Conservatory Garden. The English Garden was bursting with pink and white blossoms.

If I had a book and the time to sit down and rest, I would have also done this, and enjoyed the day amidst the colors and scents of spring.

But I had to keep on walking, from the Conservatory Garden, past the North Meadow and on to The Reservoir and the all colorful trees around it.

From the Reservoir, I took the bridle path to walk further south and I'm glad I did as I had this great view. A really beautiful spring day!

From the bridle path, I passed the Great Lawn to visit the Obelisk or Cleopatra's Needle. The magnolia trees were already in full bloom by that time. The Obelisk framed by the magnolia flowers is such a pretty sight, don't you think so?

Then it's on to the Bethesda Terrace. In the late afternoon sun, the flowering trees provided a great back drop to the Bethesda Fountain,

By the time I reached Bow Bridge it was already sundown, and The Lake looked peaceful and calm.

A goose was busy preening at The Lake, oblivious to the reflections all around.

I stayed at the area until early evening and saw that the cherry trees on Cherry Hill were the perfect roosting spot for the robins. All in all, another great walk on a beautiful spring day.

For the last weekend of April, I started my walk at the south end of the park. I've always felt at peace looking at The Pond and Gapstow Bridge, I just love this view.

Up at Cat Rock I saw these young ladies trying to make a big ♥ with their hands. Yes Central Park, we ♥ you!

 
I then proceeded to the Carousel and saw these pretty tulips blooming all around.

I then walked towards The Mall but along the way heard chirping and saw this pretty blue jay. After I took this pic, it flew down but remained in the area occassionally looking up. It was then that I saw another blue jay answering its call.

Just a little bit further, I looked up and saw a very cute sight .. a little squirrel asleep up a tree. It was my first time to see a squirrel sleep and I'm glad I was able to witness and document the moment as a short time later it stirred and scampered away.

The leaves of the American elm trees were starting to appear and provide a great shade while walking in The Mall.

Near the Ladies' Pavilion at The Lake, a lot of people were entertained by these turtles. They were just sitting there and sunning themselves and gained a lot of audience. Or maybe the audience thought the turtles were about to break into some dance?

The Swedish Cottage became more charming with the pink dogwood tree blooming in front.

And it looked like summer at the Great Lawn with all the people lying around enjoying the day.

Look at all the pink and white cherry trees, doesn't the Reservoir look pretty?

I then proceeded to the Conservatory Garden and found a riot of more pink and white. The crabapple trees lining the Center Garden were in full bloom.

It was already late afternoon and I wanted to go to the North Woods so I didn't stay long at the garden. At the North Woods, I chanced upon this chipmunk skipping among the rocks.

By the time I reached The Loch I've been walking the whole afternoon and was getting a little tired, but seeing the pretty waterfall made me forget all the tiredness. A forest in the middle of the city, I love it here!

Are you in pink and white overload yet? I hope not as these flowering trees surely brighten and add color to the park in April. There wasn't much rain during the month but i do hope April, with or without the showers will still bring the May flowers. And i'm looking forward to enjoying these flowers in my walks in the park in May.

For the rest of my pics, here's the album on Flickr - Central Park, April 2013

Late Winter Walk in Central Park

The third weekend of March was the last weekend of winter and also the last weekend before my vacation. It would be a month before I come back to New York so I decided to walk the length of Central Park. The south end of the park, particularly up in Cat Rock has always given me amazing views of midtown Manhattan. Here was my view last Saturday near the tail end of my walk.

I started my walk at the northernmost part of the park, the Harlem Meer. The sky was full of grey clouds but the Meer always look beautiful in whatever weather. This is Harlem Meer with the buildings of 110th Street at the back.

 

The Conservatory Garden is right next to the Meer. There were still no flowers blooming in the French Garden but the crabapple trees at the Center Garden were already starting to bud.

 

At the English Garden, several early spring blooms were already flowering. I was pleasantly surprised to see some iris reticulata. They usually come in blue or purple. Look how pretty they are.

From the Conservatory Garden, I walked west towards the North Woods passing through the East and North Meadows. The North Meadow was still closed for the season.

At the north end of the North Meadow, near the middle part is one of the park's enchanting entrance to the North Woods, the Springbanks Arch.

The North Woods is full of trees but as of the time of my walk they were still bare, but the birds were enjoying flitting through the trees. It was exciting to see them, more so when I was able to get a picture of a downy woodpecker for the first time!

I love walking through the North Woods, it is so peaceful with only the bird songs, the wind on the trees and the sound of the waterfalls to break the silence. I also love the rustic bridges, I think there are three of them in the North Woods. And like the rest of the arches and bridges, all the rustic bridges have different designs.

I came out of the North Woods through the Glen Span Arch which led to the Pool section of the park. There were a lot of waterfowl enjoying the Pool, which included mallards and buffleheads. It was also near the Pool area where I saw the first daffodils of the season, they brightened a very grey day.

I then made my way to the Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir through the bridle path that winds around it. At the north end is Gothic Bridge, looking so graceful and beautiful.

There were lots of waterfowl at the Reservoir like the American coot and the hooded mergansers. I would have stayed a little bit longer to enjoy watching the birds but there were snow flurries so I tried to hurry up with my walk.

I then proceeded to Summit Rock, the highest natural elevation in the Park, hoping to get some good shots of midtown Manhattan. The view wasn't good as the snow flurries were starting to get heavier. When I went down, this was how the Arthur Ross Pinetum looked like with the snow flurries.

I still walked on and was relieved when I saw Winterdale Arch. It provided shelter from the snow flurries which didn't seem to abate.

Since it was past noon, I decided to get some lunch from one of the stores along Central Park West and also bought an umbrella so I could continue my walk inspite of the snow. After lunch, I went back to the park at the 81st street entrance and this was the scene that greeted me. Central Park has turned into a winter wonderland!

I then proceeded to Belvedere Castle and, from its upper balcony, saw that the Great Lawn was already blanketed in white.

From there, I turned east and passed by the pine trees in Cedar Hill. The view looked like a postcard sent during the Christmas holidays.

From across the Conservatory Water, Hans Christian Andersen can still be seen sitting at his usual place.

I then proceeded back inward to go to Bethesda Terrace. There were still some people braving the snow, and the arcade, with its beautiful Minton tiles ceiling, is always a welcoming place.

The graceful Bow Bridge, as always, was a sight to see no matter the weather. You could almost see the early spring flowers decorating the giant urns at the end of the bridge.

I then made my way back south, walking along the Mall. In summer, these American elm trees bring much needed shade to the park. During winter, the snow clinging on the trees make the place look magical.

I am nearly at the end of my walk but passed by Sheep Meadow, which was still closed for the season.

After climbing Cat Rock and taking the first pic posted above, I've finally reached the southern edge of Central Park, The Pond. Crossing the Pond is Gapstow Bridge which also gives you great views of midtown Manhattan on ground level.

I started this blog post on the plane on my way to my vacation place, the very warm and sunny Philippines. When I left New York, it snowed the day before and I think winter didn't want to leave the city. Spring has officially started and I'm looking forward to walking again in the park that I love, amidst the budding trees and blooming flowers. See you in April Central Park!

For the rest of my pics taken during this walk, here's the album on Flickr - Central Park, 03.16.13