doc w/ Pen

The 843-acre Central Park is nestled among New York City skyscrapers, which peek out above the trees. Inside the park though, you almost forget you’re in a city at all.

It was gorgeous yesterday—sunny but not too hot or humid; just right for exploring my new surroundings on foot. The famed Central Park is less than a mile from my dorm, so that was my first destination. According to Wikipedia and the travel blog EF Explore America (and we know everything on the Internet is accurate, right?), this 843-acre park boasts:

• 29 sculptures
• 7 bodies of water
• 25,000 trees
• 235 species of birds
• 136 acres of woodlands
• 250 acres of lawns
• 58 miles of walkways

Walking in Central Park …

Whether these numbers are completely accurate, the takeaway is this: Central Park is a big place, with lots of cool stuff to see and do. For example, I’m hoping to take in one of the free movies in the park before the close of summer—the perfect activity for a broke medical student.

And the truth is, facts can’t capture Central Park. As I walked along the paths, I was awed by the park’s enormity. In the midst of the largest city in the United States, people have a place where they can share a picnic lunch under the shade of a century-old tree, bird-watch, read a favorite book on a sunny bench, and play frisbee. When I need a break from the hustle and bustle, this will be a great place to unwind.

One of the mini lakes in Central Park, where people were sailing small boats on the Saturday afternoon I visited.