Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
until it was transformed into a relief center after September 11,
2001; it returned to its former duties in mid-2002. Built by Thomas
McBean, with a temple-like portico and Ionic columns supporting a
massive pediment, the chapel resembles London's St. Martin-in-the-
Fields. In the graveyard, 18th- and 19th-century notables rest in
peace and modern businesspeople sit for lunch.
At Broadway & Wall St.
&
212/602-0800
or 212/602-0872 for concert information.
www.trinitywallstreet.org. Free admission and free tours; $2 suggested donation for
noonday concerts. Museum Mon-Fri 9-11:45am; Sun-Fri 1-3:45pm; Sat
10am-3:45pm. Services Mon-Fri 8:15am, 12:05, and 5:15pm (additional Healing
Service Thurs at 12:30pm); Sat 8:45am; Sun 9 and 11:15am (also 8am Eucharist
service at St. Paul's Chapel, between Vesey and Fulton sts.). Subway: 4, 5 to Wall St.
5 Central Park & Other Places to Play
CENTRAL PARK
Without the miracle of civic planning that is
Central Park
,
Manhattan might be an unbroken block of buildings. Instead, smack
in the middle of Gotham, an 843-acre natural retreat provides a daily
escape valve and tranquilizer for millions.
While you're in the city, be sure to take advantage of the park's
many charms—not the least of which is its sublime layout. Freder-
ick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a competition with a plan
that marries flowing paths with sinewy bridges, integrating them
into the rolling landscape with its rocky outcroppings, man-made
lakes, and wooded pockets. Designers hid traffic from the eyes and
ears of park-goers by building roads that are largely hidden from the
bucolic view.
GETTING THERE
To reach the southernmost entrance on the
west side, take the A, B, C, D, 1 to 59th Street/Columbus Circle. To
reach the southeast corner entrance, take the N, R, W to Fifth
Avenue; from here, it's an easy walk into the park to the Information
Center in the
Dairy
(
&
212/794-6564;
daily 11am-5pm, to 4pm
in winter), midpark at about 65th Street. Here you can ask ques-
tions, pick up park information, and purchase a good park map.
If your time for exploring is limited, I suggest entering the park at
72nd or 79th street for maximum exposure (subway: B, C to 72nd
St. or 81st St./Museum of Natural History). From here, you can pick
up park information at the visitor center at
Belvedere Castle
(
&
212/772-0210;
Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, to 4pm in winter), mid-
park at 79th Street. There's also a third visitor center at the
Charles
A. Dana Discovery Center
(
&
212/860-1370;
daily 11am-5pm,
to 4pm in winter), at the northeast corner of the park at Harlem
