The Mall, the Elms and the Ramble of Central Park

14th July 2019



Another morning walk in Central Park - this time the lower part of the Park, near the Mall.  I got a ride from Harlem down 5th Avenue to 67th from where I entered the park.  A sparrow on one of the benches greeted me with a chirp and was off in a trice.

The row of park benches were donated by various people in memory of their loved ones.  It reminded me of the cement benches on our Thiruvanmyur beach - similarly donated.

I saw this interesting statue and walked up to it.  Turned out to be a 1925 statue of a Siberian Husky called Balto, who was used to transport diphtheria vaccine in Alaska that year, thus saving many lives.  Good old Balto was present when the statue was erected - seems to be the only statue that came up when the person was alive!  Some celebrity indeed!  In the background is one of the old arches - Willowdell Arch

I meandered onto the Literary Walk or the Mall, lined by beautiful Elms as also statues of novelists and writers.  I did not stop to see the statues.  

But I did stop to stare at the Red-Tailed Hawk, high up in an American Elm!  There was much ado  in the bird world, as they flew around agitatedly trying to shoo the hawk off, but (s)he just sat unfazed and almost bored by all the commotion around.  It was obviously not Pale Male the celebrity Red Hawk, but could it be one of his female partners??

The American Elms (Ulmus americana) with their twisting branches were a beautiful sight.  

I learnt that they have shallow root systems that get get damaged with people walking around their roots, or if the soil is compacted.  So the trees were all fenced off.  Wonderful to see the trees regarded as "Living Treasures".  

As I wandered along trying to make my way to the Ramble, I was a bit bemused by the sudden appearance of this somewhat old-world European fountain in the middle of all those trees and arches.   I learned that I had wandered into the Bethesda Terrace.

I wondered why this was called "Bethesda"?  After the biblical pool?

At the centre of the fountain, was one of those angel statues I did not pay much attention to.  But the Central Park Conservancy page has some interesting historical jottings on it.

More importantly and more regretfully, I seem to have walked above the Arcade area below, which had beautiful Minton tiles, all restored now.  I did not see them.

Instead, I made my way across Bow Bridge, that crosses the Lake.  It was a lovely sunny day, and the bridge was filled with people taking in the view and the sunshine.

Oh and wait, a bunch of birders as well.  Seems like I had run into a tour with Birding Bob.  We had a brief chat, (about India, the Himalayas and the Western Ghats if you please), and he was off like a whirlwind with his group.

And how appropriate was it for the wanderer from Madras Ramblings to be at the Ramble?!  36 acres of tree-lined paths winding this way and that.  

Quite easy to lose your way, and of course yours truly was lost many a time. But it just meant some extra wandering which was quite alright.

A Canada goose also wandered and rambled and foraged around.

Up and down roughly hewn steps, via a little stream....it seemed that one could explore endlessly here.

Turning a corner, I stopped abruptly.  An American Robin was enjoying the peace and quiet.

And then was the chap who sat and fed the birds. Looks like he does it every day.  He had settled himself under one of those large umbrellas and armed with bird seed spends many an hour, he said.  Birders come and go, watching the sparrows and Blue Jays and Catbirds.  He said I had just missed the cardinals and blackbirds.

It was close to noon, and definitely time to head back.

Past the beautiful trees of Harlem Meer...

... and a sunbathing turtle.... 

....a squirrel in the shadows, and then out onto the Duke Ellington circle.

And a blaze of pinks from the apartment flower bed, their pink reminding me of the bougainvillea of Chennai.