The Haunted Tales of Central Park
Ghosts, witches and other strange tales of the macabre
Like any good city landmark, Central Park has absorbed many secrets, myths and mysteries in its century and a half of existence. Since it was meticulously designed and planned by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the 19th century, the park has become a repository for local lore. Many swear they’ve seen ghosts. A man peddles access to a scavenger hunt with an ominous origin. Even steadfast historians point to spooky elements of the park.
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Striking Workers and Boathouse Fire Torpedoes
The normally bustling outdoor tables at the idyllic Boathouse Restaurant stood empty during lunch hour last week. Tourists and locals alike headed for the iconic Central Park dining spot, but many were driven away by incessant drum beats, shouts and angry signs toted by striking workers who claim the restaurant’s management engages in unfair and illegal practices with its busboys, servers and banquet staff.
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Digging into Central Park’s Past
The past and present came together in Central Park last week.
While sunbathers lounged on a nearby hill and dog walkers traipsed into the undergrowth to find a remote spot to play fetch, a group of archeologists, public historians and college students excavated the remains of an African-American village that dominated the area from the 1820s until its destruction to make way for the building of the park in the mid-1850s.
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CB 8 Gives Emphatic “No” to Sharing Park Paths
Last week Community Board 8′s Parks & Environment committee voted on (and defeated) a resolution to support sharing select pedestrian paths with cyclists in Central Park. Last night, the full board took their disproval a step further and approved a resolution specifically against sharing the paths.
Board member Elizabeth Ashby introduced a lengthy resolution laying out the opposition to sharing the crosstown paths. Other members spoke up to support it and reiterated many of the points made at the committee meeting, stating that the path is too narrow to share and that bikers are too dangerous to ride in close proximity to pedestrians. The resolution passed by a relatively narrow margin, however, making it clear that the debate on where and how to allow cyclists in the park will continue to rage on the Upper East Side.
Give Bikes a Chance
To The Editor:
I attended this meeting (“Get Your Bike Out Of My Park,” June 9) and was shocked by the rude behavior of many of the CB8 members. The Conservancy politely pointed out that there has been a shared path for walkers and cyclists connecting Central Park West and the loop drive at 106th Street and that there have been no complaints and everyone gets along. Such facts are irrelevant to those who unilaterally declared “sharing doesn’t work” (one can just imagine them teaching children this bad lesson!).
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Keep Your Bike Out of My Park
East Side slams crosstown path. West Side says build it
The Parks Committee of Community Board 8 isn’t interested in sharing.
Last week, Caroline Greenleaf, community relations manager for the Central Park Conservancy, attended the committee meeting to explain impending changes to some of the park’s crosstown paths. The park is planning to allow cyclists to ride at slow speeds on some of the paths that currently only allow pedestrians in an effort to provide safer and faster methods for biking commuters to cross the park.
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Central Park Water World
For streams, swimming and solitude: north of the park can’t be beat
In summer, we turn to water to cool, to refresh and to play—and there’s no better place to do that than the northern section of Central Park.
Start your day with a relaxing stroll by the placid waters of the Pool, located at Central Park West between West 100th and West 103rd streets. This lovely water body, ringed by Red Maple, Bald Cypress and American Gum trees, was not included in Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s original plan for the Park.
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A Healthy Central Park Means a Healthy City
What’s New York’s number one attraction? The city has a long list of contenders: the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square, Broadway theaters, museums—the list goes on. But the answer isn’t one many New Yorkers would think of first: Central Park.
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ADOPT A TREE
CIVITAS presents a Street Tree Stewardship workshop. Learn how to report and care for sick street trees, maintain healthy trees and how to advocate for new trees on your block. Attend this event to tell CIVITAS where you would like to see new trees planted, and sign up to “Adopt a Tree.” Thursday, May 26, 6 p.m., The Arsenal in Central Park (Fifth Avenue at 64th Street), RSVP required: info@civitasnyc.org or 212-996-0745.
CENTRAL PARK REPORT
The Central Park Conservancy recently released their “Report on the Public Use of Central Park,” showing the immense popularity of this urban oasis. According to Scott Johnson, director of communications and branding at Central Park Conservatory, “the usage of the park is at an all-time high,” with 37–38 million visits annually. The report maps out where the most people travel so that the Conservatory can track the stress on various areas of the park.
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