Walk Olmsted and Vaux's 1858 masterpiece from 59th Street to the Great Lawn. The Mall's straight allée, Bethesda Terrace's Angel of the Waters, Bow Bridge over The Lake, Strawberry Fields, and Belvedere Castle's view from the turret. Olmsted moved ten million cartloads of earth to build this — the rest of Manhattan sits on bedrock, but the park is engineered ground.

Stops on This Tour (8)

1. 1
   The Pond (59th St Entrance) Start at the southeast corner. Olmsted and Vaux designed the park in 1858 — they moved 10 million cartloads of earth.
2. 2
   The Dairy Originally a place where children could get fresh milk. Now the park's visitor center. Victorian Gothic architecture.
3. 3
   Literary Walk (The Mall) The only planned straight line in the entire park. Statues of Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Fitz-Greene Halleck.
4. 4
   Bethesda Fountain The Angel of the Waters sculpture by Emma Stebbins — the first major public artwork by a woman in NYC. Commemorates the opening of the Croton Aqueduct.
5. 5
   Bow Bridge Cast-iron bridge over The Lake. 87 feet long. Designed as a "bow" because it arcs like an archer's bow.
6. 6
   Strawberry Fields John Lennon memorial. The "Imagine" mosaic was a gift from Naples, Italy. Lennon was shot outside the Dakota building, visible from here.
7. 7
   Belvedere Castle Built in 1869 as a Victorian folly. Now houses weather instruments. Best panoramic view in the park from the turret.
8. 8
   The Great Lawn 55 acres. Simon & Garfunkel played here for 500,000 people in 1981. The lawn was a reservoir until 1930.

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