Central Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Parks’ Summer Interns Tour Central Park

Photo by Alphonse Ramsey

On July 9, Parks’ Gary Rozman led 25 summer interns on a tour of the southern end of Central Park. Over the course of the morning, Gary demonstrated his "Parkie" knowledge through stories on the park's history in addition to the geology and ecology that define the park. The tour started with a look at the original plan for Central Park, located in the Commissioner's conference room. From the conference room, Gary worked his way out of the building, noting that the planned use of the Arsenal as an armory is shown in its designs-- from the muskets in the railing to the outdoor drum lights.

After the Arsenal, the interns worked their way around the southern area, stopping to learn just how the park co-existed with the city around the time of its creation. There are rock formations seen in the park which paved the way for buildings all over Manhattan. Additionally, before the Central Park Zoo, wealthy families in the neighborhood would leave their exotic animals from tropical vacations in the park- making the phrase concrete jungle a little too literal. The next stop was Balto, the statue in honor of the famous Siberian Husky who saved Nome, Alaska by delivering antibiotics. Balto is now equally famous as one of the most climbed monuments in the park-- even the interns couldn't resist!

Walking down Literary Row, the group made their way towards the Bethesda Terrace, stopping to check out the famous writers that were to their left and right. This tour was not all about history, because the interns also got to see an area of the park where the final scene of "The Avengers" was filmed. Past Bethesda Fountain, the tour went on a walk which showcased the ecological life of the park: from birds, bees, and mammals that serve their part in keeping the park blooming and fresh.

Keeping cool in the shade, Gary led the group to Strawberry Fields, a shrine in honor of John Lennon. All Beatles fans appreciated this stop, and from there the group went by Sheep Meadow, a designated quiet area at the park with large, beautiful greens.

The tour ended with a focus on the Parks Department itself. Learning that the Parks logo is a London planetree leaf and signing the hidden book on the Arsenal Roof area were only two of many memories the interns will take away from this tour.

This event is one of many amazing opportunities that are given to the interns here at the Parks Department. Thanks to Leslie Nusblatt and Elyse Mason, Internship Coordinators, interns are lucky enough to have weekly seminars from important Parks employees in addition to fun, active events like the tour. Don't worry, they also get plenty of work!

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center