Throughout the time I was at Central Park I stopped by Heckscher Playground. It is the largest playground in Central Park at nearly three acres and is also the oldest playground in which opened in 1926. This playground was named after August Heckscher Sr., a real estate magnate, financier, philanthropist and also grandfather of August Heckscher III, who was Parks Commissioner under Mayor John V. Lindsay. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Heckscher studied in Switzerland and then moved to New York in 1867. The purpose of the development of the Heckscher Park has always been debated. Some said it was made to display the formal aspects of traditional parks in Europe. Others say it was made to be a “pastoral retreat from bustling city around the park,” Another common purpose was that it was created for recreational use. So what was the real reason for the creation of this playground? As stated in Central Park’s website, “it benefits all the users of the park.” Which means if you use this as a “get-away” from the loud city then that was the purpose of the park and if you use it as a recreational center then that was the purpose as well. Every time I visit Central Park I always come across playgrounds, landscapes, sculptures etc. that I’ve never seen before and after visiting Heckscher Park for the first time today I actually appreciated it more than everything else I saw in this park. Not only because I brought my baby nephew along and played with him in the playground but also because of the structure of the playground. It’s not like your ordinary park with slides and swings. One side of the park had a rock that kids could climb and on the other end of the rock there was a slide that ended in a sand box. Also, on the top of the rock the kids could climb down through the middle and go through a tunnel inside of the rock!  What I like the most about this park is that it allows for kids to expand their imagination and to have so much free space to do whatever their hearts desire. I would like to thank August Heckscher III for opening this park and for making it the largest playground in Central Park!

Source: http://centralpark.org/attractions/heckscher-playground

As I was walking down “The Mall” at Central Park (a literary walk in Central Park with the most horticultural features) I came across a statute of a man sitting on a tree stump. As I read the panel next to the sculpture I learned that this man was Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. Surprisingly, being Scotland’s national poet, he did not make much money off of his poems but they did bring him fame. Poems such as “Scots. Wha Hae”, “Tam O’Shanter” and “To a Mouse.” What intrigued me the most about this sculpture was Robert Burns pose. He was sitting on a tree stump and on his feet is a poem he dedicated to his lost love, Mary Campbell. He also had a quill pen in his hand and was facing upwards. As if he was looking up towards something in the sense of admiration. I thought it was cute, because if you put everything together you can tell he was looking at his lover at the moment and was writing a beautiful poem about her. It’s like they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, well so is a sculpture. It’s all about how you interpret it. I looked it as he treasured her and was in love with her since in the podium next to the sculpture they stated that he was looking up with “admiration”.

Source: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/197

Christopher Columbus, also known as “the man who discovered America” or “the man who DID NOT discover America” is commemorated in Central Park for his arrival in the Americas. This sculpture/statute was made for people ”to gain religious and imperialist imagery as the explorer holds in his right hand the Spanish flag with a cross on top.” As we were taught in grammar school, Christopher Columbus discovered America. But once we reached High School we learned this was all false, he didn’t discover America. He landed in many different Caribbean islands which are now known as the Bahamas and Hispaniola. Columbus explored much of Central and South America but never reached North America. Not to mention, the Native Americans were already settled in North America. So how could he have “discovered” America if he wasn’t the first one here? My thoughts on this commemoration are negative. I personally do not think Columbus should be “praised” for coming to Central America and claiming he discovered it when that was clearly not the case.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/14/christopher-columbus-3-things-you-think-he-did-that-he-didnt/

In the course of me roaming around Central Park, I came across a sculpture of Walter Scott. Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. He is known as “the inventor” and “the greatest practitioner” of the historical novel. As a child, Scott enjoyed listening to his elderly relatives’ stories about the Scottish Border. Since he grew up in the countryside of Scotland he valued and appreciated the historic struggles of his Scottish neighbors. The purpose for his sculpture being placed in the “Literary Walk” was to admire the anniversary of the beginning of Scott’s fantastic publications. What I found interesting about this sculpture was how the pose related to the actual purpose of the creation of the sculpture. Scott was sitting down and was holding what looked to be a novel and a quill pen that many use to use to write. (By dipping the tip of the feather in ink of course) Most sculptures just have the commemorators either standing, sitting on a bench or riding a horse.

Source: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/1411

During the summer I visited Yankee Stadium and toured Monument Park. As I toured the park, I came across a plaque of a former Yankee which was Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle, a “Hall of Famer” and also a former Yankee player from 1951-1968 was commemorated for his great works such as being the winner of Triple Crown in 1956, selected to all-star games twenty times, and won MVP award in 1956, 1957 and 1962. Unfortunately, in 1995, he died from Liver Cancer and is now remembered as an “outsized hero/ iconic idol”. I have heard of Mickey Mantle prior to going to Monument Park but I wasn’t aware of his many achievements until I saw his plaque. By the looks of it, he was a “legend”. Despite the fact that many people resented him for taking Joe Dimaggio’s place, I think he is a unique baseball player because he had military experience prior to becoming a Yankee. You don’t hear about baseball players having military experience now a days. It’s like what Spencer Fordin, a reporter for the MLB website said “a good story is something that somebody is going to listen to, and when their friend gets back from eating a hot dog or whatever, they’re going to re-tell it.”

Source: http://m.yankees.mlb.com/news/article/32983708/