Central Park Spring Tour 2023 – Part 2

Hi friends, welcome back! Today I’m taking you on part two of my Central Park spring tour featuring the southern half of the park. If you missed part one you can catch up here. The pictures from part one of my tour were taken on April 11th and when I came back for part two on April 21st, I was amazed at how much growth there was in 10 days. The park looked very green like it does all summer!

The pond is a beautiful spot to photograph with the contrast of the skyscrapers in the background. This area is also very popular with the hundreds of turtles that live in the park.

On April 11th I took some pictures of the cherry blossoms near Bow Bridge, and by the time I made it back they were done blooming.

These are from April 21st and you’d think this was a different area of the park.

Bethesda Fountain is turned on for the year and is always a popular spot to sit and take a rest.

Conservatory Water, also known as Model Boat Pond, is a relaxing spot to sit and people watch.

The Mall now offers plenty of shade for the patrons.

Wollman Rink is now home to fourteen pickleball courts, but they’ll cost you $80/hour Monday-Thursday 10am-5pm or $120/ hour during peak time.

I’ll end the tour at the beautiful Gapstow Bridge.

I hope you enjoyed my spring tours of Central Park! It’s always a good day when time is spent in this beautiful park.

31 thoughts on “Central Park Spring Tour 2023 – Part 2

  1. So beautifully green. It is sad to see the tulips and cherry blossoms fade away, but spring green is the reward. Leaves are doing their best to pop here. Maybe this week as we are supposed to get to +30C (86 F). We need rain though. Have a great week Lyssy. Allan

    1. I agree it is sad seeing them fade away, but necessary. I wish I could have sent you the rain from this weekend. They said we got a months worth in 3 days. Have a great week!

  2. Very nice Rose! Your Spring pics have have got me in the mood for warmer weather!

  3. What I find striking about your photos is the lack of surfaces to attract graffiti. Olmsted wouldn’t have anticipated graffiti back when he designed the park anyway, but maybe his intent was to limit the man-made aspects. Speaking of man-made, fourteen pickleball courts – whoa! That’s a lot of pop-pop-popping in the park. I’d rather go for a (free) run than pay those crazy rental rates. But I’m sure courts are few and far between in NYC.

    1. That is true! There are a few bridges that might have a little graffiti, but the park is well taken care of. You can’t beat the views of those courts, but the prices are pretty steep. There are more courts by the reservoir that might be more affordable, but you’re right, we don’t have big rec centers that can convert their gym space to courts.

  4. I can’t beleive how expensive the pickle ball courts are! Seeing the difference in just 10 days you really did time the cherry blossoms well on your first trip. Maggie

    1. I guess you pay for the views, but I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of all the on lookers haha. I got very lucky with my timing for sure.

  5. Gorgeous photography, Lyssy, I love cherry blossoms and their transience. The price of the pickle ball courts is horrendous, how can people get away with it!?

    1. Thank you! Cherry blossoms are so pretty, I just wish they stayed blooming longer. It is crazy how much they charge, near my parents in Michigan it’s like 15 or 20 bucks.

    1. Thank you! I guess that is NYC for you and why most of the courts were open haha

    1. Thank you! It is amazing how much it changes in such a short time, I would’ve thought that was a months difference.

  6. You have some great pics in your post! As someone who has never been to Central Park, it was nice to see some closeups.

    Cherry trees always blossom so fast, it’s a pity they don’t last longer.

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