Photo Diary: Central Park in Winter

A few weeks back, I met up with a friend for a walk in Central Park.

January in New York City can be quite cold, especially if there’s wind. Walking around midtown or downtown in the Financial District turns people into urban icicles—the blocks of steel skyscrapers create mean wind tunnels for pedestrians.

Central Park gives residents and tourists alike a reprieve from New York City’s severity and swift pace. There’s a relief walking through the park and seeing the skyscrapers at a distance. It’s a place to take a real pause.

The Bethesda Walk is my favorite part of the park—this includes the Bethesda Terrace, the Bethesda Fountain, and the Bow Bridge.

I’m used to doing this walk in the summer, but there was something refreshing about seeing it all quietly frozen in January.

If you continue to walk south of the Bethesda Walk and advance towards the skyscrapers, you’ll eventually empty out by the Plaza Hotel. You will find yourself amidst the sounds of blaring taxi horns and fast-moving footsteps. You will have greatly enjoyed your walk through Central Park, but you’ll be ready to join the crowd and move on—because being a real New Yorker means never looking back.

Have you been to Central Park before? What did you think?