Elderly couples walk hand in hand, looking at one of the park's 25,000 trees. Bird watchers dart furtively through the Bird Sanctuary, binoculars at the ready, looking for some avian rarity. Dogs and their masters frolic on special dog runs. Nannies with toddlers visit the Children's Zoo while tourists wander through the one for adults. Homeless persons try to find a bench to rest on, and perhaps something to eat.
Couples marry in Central Park.
Babies have been conceived in the park, and a few have been born there. People have died there, too. Office workers come to play baseball on four diamonds in the Great Lawn. Nearby, in the park's Belvedere Castle, the official New York City temperature is recorded. It is the most pastoral part of the park, even though a forest of skyscrapers stands at attention just beyond the treeline.