Central Park is a beautiful place! Perfectly planned amidst the urban jungle of NYC, the park is an oasis. Sometimes I need to get from the east side of the city to the west, and while taking a bus across town is the most efficient route, I'll use any excuse to walk through the park instead!
Yesterday was one of those fateful days when I got the chance to trek through
Frederick Law Olmsted's handiwork. And wouldn't you know it, I saw something I hadn't noticed before: The Pilgrim.
Here is some information from the
Central Park website about The Pilgrim:
On the occasion of the New England Society’s 75th year, the association commissioned the statue to honor the early colonists. The pilgrim grasps the muzzle of a flintlock musket in his right hand. The pedestal comprises four bas-reliefs depicting Crossbow and Arrows, the ship Mayflower, Commerce, and Bible and Sword. The inscription on the pedestal reads “To commemorate the Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth Rock: December 21, 1620.” The statue stands at the bottom of Pilgrim Hill, Central Park’s favorite sledding area.
Sculptor: John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910)
Pedestal: Richard Morris Hunt
Date: 1884
Placed in Park: 1885
Material: Bronze on granite pedestal
After that quick stop, I had to hurry up and get going. But as I walked, I couldn't help but check out all the amazing trees throughout the park. Without the layers of leaves that will start to bud in a few weeks (I hope), I was able to truly appreciate the beauty of the trunks and branch structures.
For instance, check out the bark on these trees- isn't it cool?
And the ivy crawling along this trunk was a welcome spot of green among the mostly browns and greys of a post-winter world.
And this tremendous burl caught my eye as I wandered by... isn't it incredible? (I wish I could have touched it, but it was pretty far up the trunk.)
I can't tell you how happy I was as I walked through the park... what a great way to spend a half an hour in the middle of the day!
Thanks for visiting- feel free to stop by tomorrow for more photos from my stroll through the park!
