Responses to ruthless emails that meet emergency deadlines can be exhausting. The offices, apartments and concrete grids surrounding us can feel like cages that need to escape. A few years ago I realized I was craving a vacation somewhere, anywhere, but I couldn’t afford a day or half a day off. So, to improve my fatigue and correct my sense of confinement, I began taking an hour to two hour mini vacation in Central Park, just 10 minutes from my apartment. They cheered me up and sent me back to work, preparing me for the next task.
Below is a short sample tour of the park. In an hour, you will travel through the wilderness, climb a castle above a rocky outcrop and place it next to the shaking water. Let’s get to that.
Rumble
Head southeast from 77th Avenue and Central Park West, then north along the west to two east-facing alcoves with views of the lake. This span makes you want to throw a tenor at a couple who are always floating in a hand row boat. From there, you will be swiftly swaying northeast past the London plane and taken to the rustic Oak Bridge. Cross it and you’ll be in the Rumble, which is most snugly packed into the forest environment of the park. The black cherries and the Chinese scholar tree brightens instantly.
When I first visited the Rumble, I was surprised to discover that Manhattan, one of the world’s most dense urban areas, has such a ramp-stretched flora in its mind. I always feel like I’m teleporting somewhere. It’s difficult to disorient yourself while following the patrol path under the foliage that blocks the sun. The labyrinth layout intentionally immerses visitors in mystery and surprise.
My advice is to accept the feeling of being lost and surrender to what you are experiencing. Rumble is the perfect park to practice Japanese “Forest Bombs” (Shinrin-Yoku). Focus one by one on the details your five senses incorporates. There is a repeated rise trill of whip call will. It has the sweet honeysuckle scent of black locust trees. Also, there is a sharp outcrop, a small piece of Manhattan bedrock that actually protrudes from the topsoil. Plus, there are all the underlayers, including clematis and hyssop, sage and button brushes. New Yorkers are fortunate to persuade the wilderness in the middle of a big city.
Belvedere Castle
Consult a compass, weave north and cross the bridge that spans the side of 79th Avenue. From there, take a stroll through Lilac and Wisteria Vista Rock until you reach the walls of Belvedere Castle. Its architecture evokes the love of Disneyland and the court. The walls are made of the same local shist as the rocks that support them, so they do not seem to be built as they are naturally grown. The two protruding turrets rival the skyscrapers around the edge of the park. We all need more romance in our lives.
Parapet has an observation deck facing north. Looking at the queue, you will learn why this attraction is called “Belvedere” (“beautiful scenery”). You can admire one drastic view, ponds, great lawns, vast reservoirs, and Harlem cityscape beyond the northern edge of the park. I come here when I want to reflect on the whole park.
Turtle Pond
Down from Vista Rock, the northwest journey, passes between the decorative cherry and yew trees. It then turns northeasterly past the newly renovated Dela Corte Theater. It has a small wooden dock leading to a turtle pond hidden behind Willow Oaks emerald leaves, and white cypress fir-like leaves. Walk to that edge and lose yourself in the many shades of green you encounter in and around the water.
Initially, you will usually see a painted turtle, a red ear slider, with just a leash and a nitera blooming. There are some surfaces, rock-like ones on top of the rocks, some are on the hunt for the dragonflies. Many of the people who live here were previously pets. Until the kids keep it in a cardboard box, parents say that little turtles have to go home. That “home” is here. After a rigorous ritual on the coast, they tilt and tilt, and then kel splash! Goodbye. It’s soothing to see these lacking reptiles living without deadlines, emails, or responsibility. They don’t know how to hurry. Furthermore, water gives its own comfort. Its locking and wrapping is especially good for refilling exhausted things.
Obesis
As you head off the northeastern trail, you cross the grass, pass through Elm and Linden, and eventually reach a magnolia grove offering white, pink and purple flowers. They are relatively short shrub-like trees and cannot compete with red granite pillars that rise 70 feet behind them. Officially called the obelisk, it is commonly known as the “Cleopatra needle.” This Egyptian pride is 3,005 years. Hieroglyphs bring to mind Pharaoh Oramses with titles like “Ra’s Chosen One,” “Son of the Sun,” “Life of Life,” and “Treasure of Osiris.” His conquest was too brilliant for Papyrus, claiming the permanence of the stone.
We are lucky to have it. In 1877, Egyptian ruler Ismail Pasha offered it as a gift to the United States, and the railroad massive William H. Vanderbilt donated the money needed to ship from Alexandria to Manhattan and set it up in the park. My visit here always moves me to look back at the temporality of human success. Ramses ruled a vast empire that had fallen apart thousand years ago. Now, the inscription listing his conquest declares domination to the indifference of the Picnickers, Joggers and Canadian geese. Winning goes back and forth. What we always have is the richness of the sights, sounds, aromas, tastes and textures around us.
This is just a sample of the endless variety that Central Park offers. The next job and other requests in your life will leave the need for a holiday, but take it, open the park map, select three or four attractions, and unscrew the grid to visit with gear for an hour. The richness and tranquility of the park will bring you back to your desk.
Author’s Bio
Aaron Pouchsian is a poet, classical scholar and translator living and writing in New York City. His translations include Stung with Love (Penguin UK) and Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditation” (coming soon from WW Norton). His works have been featured in newspapers and magazines like the Financial Times, The New York Review of Books, and Poetry Magazine. His new book is four walks in Central Park. A poetic guide to the park. For more information, please visit aaronpoochigian.com.
