Central Park
Approx. Time: 2 hoursActivity Level: Moderate
Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. Wealthy merchants and landowners admired public grounds of London and Paris, and wanted New York to have similar grounds. In 1853 state legislature authorized the City of New York to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the center of Manhattan. The city had to relocate roughly 1,600 poor residents, including Irish pig farmers and German gardeners, who lived on the site. The park makes up 6% (843 acres) of Manhattan Island and includes; 150 acres in 7 water bodies, 250 acres of lawns, and 136 acres of woodlands containing 26,000 trees.
