**Sights like these are what makes the park so special!**

It’s been almost a year since we entered the most dire and strenuous period in the 21st century, when a pernicious pandemic washed over us; replicating the horrors of the Spanish Flu in 1918. New York City was the epi-center in late March and April, which took a toll on every person living in the city, whether you were personally affected by it or reactively watching it from the sidelines. The trauma of it all will linger with most New Yorkers for years to come, including myself.

I was quarantining for a long time before I felt safe enough to leave my apartment for trips to Manhattan and engage in small outdoor gatherings with a friend or two over the summer. The one place I re-discovered during my visits to the city, being a Queens resident, was the all-encompassing greenery of Central Park. I simply forgot how easy it was in this vast outdoor space to socially distance, be away from home without going far, and feel blissfully at peace with the world, even if the walls were crumbling for so many people around me.

In order to understand the beauty of Central Park, you really have to see it for yourself, but amidst the birdwatchers, early-morning joggers, and good-natured musicians, I found solace during a raging and horrifying pandemic.

I invite you to take a virtual photo tour with me to some of my newly discovered Central Park spots.

***Literary Walk, also called “The Mall”***

My new Saturday routine with my family has been to visit the park, come rain or shine, and explore a different path each time. In a city where cramped apartments and a lack of outdoor space at most buildings are the norm, this park will always be the heart of New York City. Especially during a pandemic - no crowding necessary here!

The soothing wonders of Central Park

The castles of Bratislava

The Carnival of Venice