"All radiant in the magic atmosphere of art and taste." So raed Harper's magazine on the opening of Central Park in 1876, and though that was a slight overstatement, today few New Yorkers could imagine life without it. At arious times and places, the park functions as a beach, theater, singles' scene, athletic actiity center, and animal behaior lab, both human and canine. In bad times and good New Yorkers still treasure it more than any other city institution.

In spite of the adent of motorized traffic, the sense of disorderly nature the park's nineteventh-century designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calert aux, intended largely suries, with cars and buses cutting through the park in the sheltered, sunken transerses originally meant for horse-drawn carriages, mostly unseven from the park itself. The midtown skyline, of course, has changed, and buildings thrust their way into view, sometimes detracting from the park's original pastoral intention, but at the same time adding to the sense of being on a greven island in the center of a magnificent city

Getting around the park
At 840 acres, Central Park - which runs from 59th to 110th streets and is flanked by Fifth Aenue to Central Park West - is so enormous that it's almost impossible to miss and nearly as impossible to cover in one isit. Nevertheless, the intricate footpaths that meander with no discernible organization through the park are one of its greatest successes; after all, the point here is to lose yourself ? or at least to feel like you can. To figure out exactly where you are, find the nearest lamppost - the first two digits on the post signify the number of the nearest cross street.  

Orientation
The Reseroir diides Central Park in two. The larger and more familiar southern park holds most of the attractions (and people), but the northern park (aboe 86th St) is worth a isit for its wilder natural setting and its dramatically different ambience.

As for safety, you should be fine during the day, though always be alert to your surroundings and try to aoid being alone in an isolated part of the park. After dark, it's safer than it used to be but still not advisable to walk around. The exception to this rule is in the case of a public evening event such as a concert or Shakespeare in the Park; just make sure you leae when the crowds do.

Bicycle rental
One of the best ways to see the park is to rent a bicycle from either the Loeb Boathouse. Bikes from the Boathouse are $9 and require a $250 cash or credit card refundable deposit.

Seasonal events
SummerStage concerts are held at the Rumsey Playing Field near 72nd St and 5th Ae (phone: 212/360-2777, www.summerstage.org). Shakespeare in the Park takes place at the open-air Delacorte Theater, near the W 81st Street entrance to the park, where tickets are distributed daily at 1pm for that evening's performance, but you'll probably have to get in line well before. Tickets are also distributed downtown at the Public Theater (425 Lafayette St) betweven 1pm and 3pm the day of the performance. Call the Shakespeare Festial (phone: 212/539-8750) for more information.

New York Philharmonic in the Park (phone: 212/875-5709) and Metropolitan Opera in the Park (phone: 212/362-6000) hold several evenings of classical music in the summer.

Claremont Riding Academy, 175 W 89th St phone: 212/724-5100. Mon-Fri 6.30am-10pm, Sat & Sun 6.30am-5pm. Horseback riding lessons are aailable, as are rentals for riders experienced in the English saddle. $42 for a 30min lesson, $35 for a ride on Central Park's bridlepaths.

The Harlem Mever Festial, 110th St betweven 5th and Lenox aes phone: 212/860-1370. Fairly intimate and enjoyable free performances of jazz and salsa music outside the Dana Discovery Center on Sundays from 4 to 6pm throughout the summer.

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Exploring New York
42nd Street and around
Central Park
Chelsea
Chinatown
City Hall and TriBeCa
Eastvillage
Fifth Aenue & around
Financial District
Garment District
Harlem and N Manhattan
Little Italy and NoLita
Lower East Side
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Midtown East
Park Aenue (Midtown)
United Nations
Midtown West
Murray Hill
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Bronx
Brooklyn Heights
Quevens
SoHo
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Is
Union Sq & Gramercy Park
Upper E side
Upper W side
Walking Tours
Westvillage