You can't beat Central Park for beating the heat

By Roy Rydell

The recent heat wave here in New York City really had the people suffering. Everyone who could, beat it out to the beach - the Rockaways - Coney Island, Orchard Beach were all loaded with folks looking to cool off.

The streets designated as play streets had special spray fittings on the fire hydrants and the kids who were able to cool off were joined by their fathers and mothers.

This heat wave really brought home the importance of Central Park to the people who live in Manhattan. Suppose it wasn't there, or just think what would happen if New York City's money-hungry real estate interests got hold of this strip of land, which runs between 59th and 110th Street and from 5th Avenue on the East Side to Central Park West on the west side.

If this piece of land were developed, the least that would happen would be that the temperature of Manhattan would rise considerably and the city would swelter even more.

Frederick Law Olmsted, who lived from 1822 to 1903, was an American landscape architect responsible for planning the Central Park. His son was also an advocate of city planning and from 1910 to 1919 was chairman of the National Conference on City Planning.

Sometimes I take a hike up 8th Ave. to Columbus Circle where there's a statue of Christopher Columbus who is supposed to have discovered America - despite the fact that America had been discovered, was inhabited by Native Americans a long time before Columbus got there.

At the entrance to the park there's another statue dedicated to the seamen of the U.S.S. Maine, which exploded in Havana Harbor Feb. 15, 1898.

This sinking of the Maine was the excuse for Teddy Roosevelt's declaration of war on Spain and led to the invasion of Cuba. Recent research in Havana tends to show that this explosion was due to the ship's ammunition being stored too close to the fire room - not to the ship being blown up by people onshore.

A plaque giving this information is on the base of the statue and is made of metal recovered from the Maine. Once you get past these two monuments, the atmosphere changes. Even in the very warm weather and on weekdays there are hundreds of runners, bicycle riders, in-line skaters, fast walkers and slow walkers working out. On weekends the park roads are closed to traffic and there's an endless stream of athletes having their version of fun.

As you continue north on the west side of the park, you come to the baseball fields. There are four diamonds with bleachers. Softball teams made up of casts of many of Broadway shows play here.

Close to the baseball fields there's an area where a group of Frenchmen play a game called boule, which is a bowling game something like the Italians' bocce. The balls are smaller but everyone seems to have a good time. The softball game is fast and some of the teams are co-ed.

Further north is the Sheep Meadow. That's 15 acres of manicured lawn where folks are stretched out sunbathing. A sign notifies the public that this area is reserved for "quiet enjoyment." Team sports, ball playing and unleashed dogs are not allowed.

On the other side of the road is the Tavern on the Green, a swanky restaurant, which gives a hint of what could happen to the park if private interests got control of it.

Close to the Tavern on the Green there's a statue to Guiseppe Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary who lived from 1805-1872. An inscription says the statue was presented to the city by Italians in the United States in 1878.

In cooler weather on weekends there's a stretch of the road that is a favorite spot for skaters who line the road with empty cans and skate through them, zig-zagging around the cans.

North of the Sheep Meadow is the Central Park Lawn Sports Center, where groups of old folks bowl, dressed in white. It all seems a little out of character for a public park in New York City.

A little to the south on the west side of the road, there's a statue erected to honor 58 soldiers killed in the Civil War, members of the 7th Regiment of the New York State National Guard, in defense of the Union.

Near the 72nd Street entrance to the park there's still another statue, this one of Daniel Webster who said "Liberty and union now and forever; one and inseparable."

On the west side of the lake there are three gazebos where you can sit and read, relax and watch some of the rowboats go by.

Up the hill across from the lake are the Strawberry Fields in memory of John Lennon of Beatles fame. A plaque, sponsored by 72 members of the United Nations, reads, "Imagine the People Living in Peace." A short distance from the 72nd and Central Park West entrance to the park there's an inscribed circle dedicated to Lennon. It says, "Imagine," and is covered by flowers left by visitors.

At 79th Street you'll find the Marionette Theater where there are shows for kids. The theater is housed in the Swedish Cottage, which was built in Sweden in 1875. It was dismantled, shipped to New York and reassembled here after being exhibited at the U.S. Centennial Expo in Philadelphia.

In this same area you'll find the Delacorte Theater. It was here that Joseph Papp founded "Shakespeare in the Park," which stages the Bard of Avon's plays free of charge. Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.

On the Great Lawn you'll find baseball diamonds and one of the oldest pick-up soccer games in the city. A short distance from the southeast corner of the Great Lawn, there's a spot where folk dancers gather every Sunday in front of a statue of Jagiello, a king of Poland.

At the northwest corner of the Lawn you'll find the Pine Trees - a big stand of pine trees where there's always good shade even in the hottest weather.

Near the 96th St. entrance to the Park you'll find the Reservoir which holds an emergency supply of drinking water for the City. The reservoir is a great place for a walk or a run. When professional boxing was a big thing in the city, the reservoir was a favorite spot for boxers to get their roadwork in.

A short walk uptown from here you'll find the tennis courts. You need a permit to play here, but the permit is a whole lot cheaper than for private courts.

At the 100th Street entrance there are playgrounds and half-way across the park you'll find handball courts and a club house which is a great hang out for local retirees especially in the winter time.

At the north end of the Park you'll find the Meer - an artificial lake which was restored a couple of years ago. The Meer has been stocked with fish - kids can fish here, but the fish have to be returned to the lake.

Well, that's a tour of the west side of the park, but if you want to kill a couple of hours in one of the most peaceful spots in the city, visit the Conservatory Gardens at 5th Ave. and 100th St. That's really a beautiful spot.

That park belongs to us and we should use it and protect it. But one thing I don't like about the park is that most of the Parks Department jobs have been farmed out to the Central Park Conservancy and most of the unionized Department of Parks workers' jobs have been eliminated.