A Stroll Through Central Park

As the schoolwork stacks up, I have a hobby, as well as a place, I consider as a form of release from studying countless chapters or writer’s block before a deadline. Once a week, I take the R train, which runs from Queens to Brooklyn, to 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. From there, I walk about a block to Central Park. There’s a particular spot, or as I like to call it “the Rock,” which overlooks a picturesque view of Wollman Rink, a famous ice rink on the southern part of Central Park, and Time Warner Center, which consists of two well-crafted glass towers on the West Side of New York. Since high school this has been a place where I can do some quality reading, writing, and reflecting. I wondered about where others like to read and reflect and what made them love those spots. So I asked a few people in the park.

Kelly Turner, 22, from the Bronx, was sitting on a bench near Wollman Rink, reading a paperback of Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. She described Gruen’s book as a story about an elderly man wallowing in a nursing home, but recounts his dramatic life in the circus during the Great Depression. Kelly is a huge fan of romantic novels such as books by Nicholas Sparks and Susan Wiggs. She said she enjoys sitting in various parks around New York, but she mostly prefers reading in coffeehouses.

“I usually like reading at Starbucks,” said Kelly, who was falling in love with Jacob Jankowski, the main character of Gruen’s book. “I like pairing my latte with a novel I’m reading. But it was such a beautiful day, so I couldn’t waste it indoors. I come here more often during the springtime to read.”

I walked further north of the park, and reached Bethesda Fountain. It is a spot where people, mostly couples, can sit by the fountain and watch the row boats glide by on the tranquil waters on one of several lakes in Central Park. I found Benjamin Lucas, 24, reading a sports book on his Kindle called, When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Earvin Johnson. Benjamin started reading to get his mind off being stood up by a woman who told him by text message earlier in the day. He was supposed to meet her at Central Park, a place he comes to one in awhile. But he prefers to read in the comfort of his Brooklyn home.

“You can catch me doing most of my reading in bed or the bathroom,” said Benjamin. “I also love places with free Internet. Sometimes I go to Barnes & Noble to read a couple pages of a book I might like, and download it while sitting at their Starbucks.”

Later that day, I took the No. 6 train uptown, which runs on the East Side of New York to 77th Street, and went to Belvedere Castle, which means literally, “beautiful view” in Italian. It's an urban building located in Central Park, and it resembles something out of the medieval times. I met Melanie Cordain, 34, from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, who was reading a paperback of Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. While she was reading a novel about lives of American troops during the Vietnam War, her two kids were running around the castle.

“It’s tough to find time with books with these kids,” said Melanie, who struggles to balances work and family. “I read in the playgrounds where I bring my kids after school, as well as the breaks I get during my nights shifts.”

I then went to a spot at the north end of Central Park called the Conservatory Garden, and found a young man walking around the Garden reading Suzanne Collins’ novel about survival, called Catching Fire. It is the second book in the Hunger Games series, and was named as the fourth top fiction book of 2009. Jeff Riley, 16, who attends Regis in the Upper East Side, was finishing up his hardcover book before meeting his family for dinner.

“I like to come to the park to read and listen to R&B music,” said Riley, who had his Dre Beats headphones resting on his shoulders. “It relaxes me before I go home to finish up homework or chores. Sometimes I trick my parents into thinking I’m studying at the school library, but I’m usually here (Central Park) or at Barnes & Noble.”

Do you have any special reading spots? Is it a comfortable seat at home or at a coffeehouse such as Starbucks? Do you like to read in silence or do you have your headphones on?

I’d like to hear suggestions or comments on my journey throughout the park.