One of my favorite places to go in New York was Central Park. One of the very few perks of COVID was that our program moved to different dorms located in the Upper East Side. This made Central Park only a short walk away from home, and I’m so grateful for that. Whenever I didn’t know what to do with my day or if I had an extra hour to spend between work and school, I would speed walk to the park. Especially after a long day of work staring at the computer for seven hours straight, I would book it to the park to spend some time there before the sun went down. The park was like an escape for me. An escape from all the hustle and bustle of the city and a nice change of scenery. In addition, the dorms we lived in offered zero privacy, so it was the perfect place to go when I needed some alone time.
Hugging Balto goodbye on my last night 
View of the Upper West Side 
Cherry blossoms! 
On a beautiful day you could rent a paddle boat to take out on the lake 
Shakespeare’s Garden 
One of the many plaques throughout Shakespeare’s Garden 
The park was beautiful even at night 
People out in the park enjoying a beautiful day 
Snow meant sledding down the hills in the park all day long 
The view from Belvedere Castle within the park 
A rainy walk through the park 
The fountain outside the Bethesda Terrace 
Artwork under the Bethesda Terrace
One of my favorite parts of the park was how quiet it was. As soon as you entered the park, it was like the city around you melted away. It was like stepping into another world. All the sounds of cars and honking, suddenly disappeared and you were surrounded by nature. And the park is much bigger than you think that it would be. I was constantly discovering new things about the park every time I entered. One time on my way back from the Upper West Side, I somehow stumbled upon a beautiful rock archway in what felt like the middle of the woods. The paths of the park had turned to dirt and the trees were thick, making the air cool and dense. No matter the season too, the park was gorgeous. I got to witness the transition from winter to spring and I was shocked with how quickly everything bloomed and turned green. For being such an urban city, New York does a great job at making sure their green areas bloom.