Exploring Central Park with On Location Tours

Of all the times I have been to Central Park while living in New York City, I never knew just how many movies and television shows have filmed there. So when I had the opportunity to do the Central Park TV & Movie Sites tour with On Location Tours, I knew it would be a great photo opp as well!

I joined the tour group led by Paige, who clued us in on the fact that we were about to make our way through the most filmed location in all of Manhattan. It turns out over 200 TV series and movies have filmed here, making it the ultimate location to experience these iconic sites up close.

We had about 843 acres to cover—well not quite! We navigated through the main spots of Central Park to view the many recognizable landmarks and landscapes.

Duck Pond

We started at the most picturesque section of the park and my personal favorite, the Duck Pond, set against the Midtown skyline along 5th Avenue and 59th Street. Our On Location Tours guide pointed out the familiar setting of the Gapstow Bridge where you may remember scenes from King Kong, Gossip Girl, Enchanted, Home Alone 2 and more. To be standing on the same ground that famous actors like Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway and Macaulay Culkin once professionally covered seemed too magical to be true. Hence the magic behind that dance sequence from Enchanted and the imaginary portal from Smurf world into NYC in last year's Smurf 3D movie.

Duck Pond and Gapstow Bridge


Wollman Skating Rink

Our Central Park tour was just getting started, and it seemed to spark the imaginations of many members of the group. We were lead towards our next stop: Wollman Skating Rink. Once I saw it I remembered the scene from Serendipity where Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack's character first meet then reunite some time later thanks to fate. Our tour guide Paige went into detail about this location and the seasonal changes that take place in this section of the park.

Playmate's Arch

From there we were led to The Dairy and Gift Shop, located in an area that has been dubbed the "Children's District." I can see why: playgrounds and family picnics abound in this area, providing a friendly atmosphere and the perfect spot to film a TV or movie scene. We wander underneath Playmates Arch toward the Carousel where we learn of several more famous TV and movie scenes.

The Mall: Literary Walk

The next stop was another favorite of mine: Central Park's Literary Walk, a.k.a The Mall. We've seen Vanilla Sky, The Producers and Maid in Manhattan set here, as well as classics like Breakfast at Tiffany's and new favorites like Glee. Those recognizable American Elm trees that lean in towards a busy central walkway provide an iconic setting in all of these movies and shows.

The group being led to Bethesda Terrace




The group gathered at Bethesda Fountain


It turns out Elf filmed here, with Will Ferrell flying over the Bethesda Fountain with his reindeer and sleigh on Christmas Eve. And just across the lake from Bethesda Terrace is the popular Boathouse Restaurant. Paige told us about a scene from Sex and the City and some insider facts from the day they filmed that only On Location Tours would know!

Paige shared with us a lot of key facts about filming and production in New York. This is the type of excitement that leads out-of-towners here. Why merely watch it on TV when you can experience it in real life!?

That's when we made an interesting stop at the Imagine Mosaic in Strawberry Fields. We learned some interesting facts about this section of the park and of the nearby Dakota Building where John Lennon once lived.

The tour ended at the site of Tavern on the Green where Paige described to us the former restaurant's appeal, success and what ultimately led to it shutting down.

From there we were free to explore Sheep Meadow where many famous scenes have taken place. With all of locations the Central Park TV & Movie Sites tour highlighted, it brought more meaning to the spots I've been frequenting over the years. It would be a fun tour to take whether you're visiting, just moved here, or have lived in the city for several years like I have! 

Central Park, Spring 2012

Midtown Backdrop


In the 'Children's District"


The Carousel


Spring Trees



Towards Strawberry Fields


The Imagine Mosaic


Toward Columbus Circle 

Walking through Central Park in Spring time

I thought Fall was the best time to be in the park, to see the trees in bright yellows and greens. But it can be nice in the Springtime as well. The trees are covered with pink and white flowers. Shakespeare's Garden is blooming. The Great Lawn is green. The turtles come to the surface in Turtle Pond. People take over the fields and couples ask for pictures by The Lake.

My favorite benches inside the Arthur Ross Pinetum


Lovers on the Great Lawn


Trees over the Great Lawn


Bow Bridge and The Lake
(with a view toward The Dakota and The San Remo on Central Park West)


Sundial in Shakespeare's Garden (and it tells accurate time!)


Random banana hanging on a tree by Turtle Pond


Belvedere Castle


The Mall before the elm trees turn all green!

Central Park: Mom in town Edition

My Mom came to visit me in New York City the weekend of April 15th. We visited my favorite spot in Central Park - The Arthur Ross Pinetum located by the 86th Street and Central Park West entrance. While in Central Park we took fun pictures of each other inside the Pinetum and eventually made our way to the Reservoir, The Great Lawn, The Lake, Shakespeare's Garden and Bethesda Terrace.


Inside the Arthur Ross Pinetum, surrounded by pine trees!




My Mom on the Reservoir Bridge by 86th Street


Bow Bridge, The Lake with The Dakota, The San Remo in the background


Inside Shakespeare's Garden under a Magnolia Tree


Looking out over The Great Lawn and Turtle Pond from the top of Belvedere Castle


Bethesda Terrace


Spring tree on the Great Lawn

Around the Reservoir

My new favorite place to visit in Central Park is the Jacquelin Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, near the entrances of 86th Street at Central Park West and 90th Street at 5th Avenue, right by the Guggenheim Museum. I can walk from my apartment in the Upper West Side over to this large body of water set against the many neighborhood skylines that surround it.

It is just 1.58 miles to walk the full length around the reservoir—my friends and I go all the time now that it is getting warmer!



View toward Midtown East


View of the Eldorado in the Upper West Side 90's

Stopping by the park on a snowy evening

Not a cold nor icy wind could keep me from stopping by Central Park on a clear winter evening. Just before dusk, I ventured down a path at 86th Street and Central Park West toward the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir where I stopped to look out over the iced-over lake and admire the frosty white pieces of snow covering everything within view. The view out over the 106 acres of ice was quite chilling so I headed toward the Arthur Ross Pinetum, the northwestern playground of the Great Lawn of Central Park.

This is also my favorite spot in Central Park, where my two favorite benches sit inside an arboretum amid a collection of pine trees. I even spotted a lone cone on a lone pine!

From there I should have gone somewhere warm to nurse my cold back to health, not make it worse, but I decided to stay in the park a little longer and then found my way to Cleopatra's Needle, aka 'The Obelisk'. It looked amazing surrounded by snow-covered magnolias and crabapple trees. The Central Park conservancy was in the middle of giving a tour there so I listened in on a bit of the history of this sculpture, then eventually did leave the park for a trip downtown to get a warm drink and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Benches in the Arthur Ross Pinetum by 85th & CPW

The same two benches in summertime

Tree by The Great Lawn, surrounded by snow and the NYC skyline


The ballfields covered in a blanket of snow on The Great Lawn


A friend looking out over the reservoir




Footsteps on the ice?

The same spot in the summertime

The Obelisk in wintertime

Literary Walk in The Mall

Literary Walk in Central Park is considered the park's main thoroughfare or gateway. It is one section of "The Mall", which is comprised of the Bethesda Fountain, Terrace Bridge, the Naumberg Bandshell, The Lake and the the Olmstead Flower Bed. There is always a mix of tourists and locals here, enjoying the views, entertainment and scenery.

Literary Walk is most recognized for its pathway of American elm trees that form a canopy overhead. This is the type of area that's so unique and scenic all throughout the year—whether it's sunny and leafy or coated in snow.

Additionally, there are statues of prominent literary figures along the walkway, including everyone's favorite, William Shakespeare!

Literary Walk in the Fall

To the right of Literary Walk, a little more green
(picture taken same day as the above)

The Shakespeare Statue in Central Park's Literary Walk

The Olmstead Flower Bed, named after Frederick Law Olmstead, one of the creators of the park,

 located at the south end of The Mall

Boating on The Lake

Last fall my friends and I went boating on The Lake on a cool October day. I think it was warmer this time around when we went in mid-November! It was the perfect weekend to be in the park, and the same weekend as the 3 tours I went on with the Central Park Conservancy.

It's been getting colder but I will continue to visit the park just as often because I plan on getting a new digital camera to take nature shots with. I'm thinking of purchasing a Canon Rebel T2i so that I can start learning more technical skills and have more features to work with.

The Boathouse


View toward Bow Bridge and the west side of the Park


After passing under Bow Bridge


A turtle sunning himself on a nearby rock


Paddling around The Lake


About to row through a nearby tunnel


One of 4 wedding photo shoots we saw taking place around The Lake