A City Refuge: The Southwest Tip of The Pond in Central Park

Okay, so 59th Street isn't technically downtown, but I like this spot and I was in the area. Besides, if you live uptown, then wouldn't this still be downtown to you?

This little stretch of The Pond, and the path and woods that run along it, are remarkable for being so serene and practically bucolic while being just feet away from 59th Street, one of the busiest and most bustling streets in the city. It is hidden in the back area of The Pond and yet right there for anyone to find, connected by several paths to nearby busier park areas and stairs leading to the street.

The 'front' area of The Pond is bigger and attracts more crowds and tourists, with lawns nearby and a beautiful bridge to walk over. Here are some looks at this area, first at the southeast corner near 59th Street and 5th Avenue:

And then facing north from a path along the southern edge, just between The Pond and 59th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues:

Along this southern edge, The Pond remains wide to the west until it is about even with 6th Avenue:

Walking along the southern trail towards this western area, we see some ducks and The Pond's turn to the right as it becomes much narrower.

You can see a small spillway in the above photo. I saw a couple of ducks go up and over that current to the next little pool area beyond it. It just took a few flaps of their wings.

While following the pathway to the smaller western area of The Pond, there is this plaque:

 Here's a look back east across the pond from this area:

And then more of the trail as it continues along the western edge of The Pond:

Seating is somewhat limited but even on a beautiful spring afternoon there were places to sit and enjoy. 

Continuing along this path, we're now in the beautiful and quiet back area that was shown in the first two photos of this post. Here are some more looks:

The above photo shows the end of this side of The Pond, with a beautiful cascade that has a gentle waterfall sound, a pool area, and another spillway. 

The water in the pools along this back edge are a bit greener and more stale-looking than in other parts of The Pond, I guess because of less overall flow. In the pool next to the cascade I saw lots of tadpoles. Or were they just little fish? I wasn't sure. My tadpole studies are a bit rusty.

Along the western part of The Pond were some beautiful plants and a nice bird too.

I also saw a rat in the area between the path and the water, but he was moving too fast in between hiding spots for me to get a photo. Oh well. 

This quiet back area of The Pond, and especially the spot right in front of the cascade, is really the refuge I was talking about in the post's title. Except for occasional conversations of people walking by, the only sounds to be heard are the gentle waterfall and birds chirping, which again is remarkable considering how close it is to 59th Street. And in my experiences it's very rare that all the benches are taken back there, so it's really a guaranteed great spot to seek out. Here's a look back along the path we just walked:

Let's check out a little more of the surrounding area. Beyond the cascade and pool, the walking path continues to other parts of the park:

However, before this path intersects with other paths up ahead, there is some more beautiful, fairly secluded nature to walk through. 

The sign at the bottom of the photo was labelled 'flowering dogwood,' which seemed to be referring to that red tree.

I also saw a bunch of spilled food on the ground that looked like bird seed and was being feasted upon.

I didn't see any bird or animal feeder in the trees overhead that could have spilled, but wherever the food came from it was nice seeing different animals peacefully eating together. I didn't even notice the beautiful bluejay until I looked at the photo later. 

The path soon leads to an intersection, including a walkway that leads up and behind the area we were just in. That path is to the right in the photo below, and the path we just came from is on the left:

Turning 180 in this area, you can see more paths and the area that is Wollman Rink during ice skating season:

I walked up the path that goes above and behind our original route. It had more beautiful nature and some nice views of the western Pond from higher up.

Plus a great big rock along the other side of the path:

There are many connecting paths that lead in all different directions, but following the path that goes along the west Pond area leads to a middle ground below street level and above the Pond.

The stairs going down lead straight to the western Pond area and the plaque that we saw earlier.

While I was momentarily standing in this middle ground, a raccoon walked along the stairway area that leads up to the streets. There were actually a handful of people standing along the stairs but it walked right among them and across to the other side, then along the wall that separates the park from the adjacent plaza and streets. 

There were two members of the Parks Security Service standing nearby, and one said that seeing a raccoon out in the daytime could mean that it was sick. Hopefully he's okay. Here's the raccoon after crossing the stairs and being in the area along the park wall.

Taking the stairs up to street level leads to Bolivar Plaza and 59th Street at 6th Avenue.

Here's some of the south and east of The Pond from the plaza. Our western part would be further to the left from what this photo shows.

There are many nearby subway options, but the closest is the NQR, which has a station on 59th between 5th and 6th Avenues, right up against the park's southern border and just feet from The Pond.

That's all from this little area along part of The Pond in Central Park. It may not be a downtown location, but I hope you thought it was still worth it.