5th Ave Between 62nd St and 60th St

The last stretch of Central Park before midtown takes hold can be found along this increasingly crowded bit of 5th Avenue. While north of here is relatively calm (with the odd exception of the Met, etc), the echos of people can be heard clamoring just a few blocks downtown as the main shopping drag picks up. Around here however, there are still vestiges of serenity – complete with tree-lined sidewalks and marble-clad mansions.

The views of the various buildings surrounding the southern half of the park are quite good – especially in the winter when you don't have any greenery in the way. The cobblestones may trip some people up, but it's all part of the charms (and hazards) of Central Park. 

Towards the south, the park loses it's final bit of solitude as 60th Street cuts inwards to meet up with East Drive to create Grand Army Plaza (not the Prospect park one). Even though there are a few trees, the plaza is pretty much the death knell for the park. Vendors of all sorts setup shop here (while the nearby Stand Annex remains unfortunately shuttered in the cold weather) amongst the currently-standing art installation.

Comments

[Aurthor]

If you scroll down to just above "The Strand" stands in that photo, it almost looks like a satellite image of Manhattan island, Jersey on the left and Queens on the right.