Maneuvering your way around Central Park can be tricky for visitors…and native New Yorkers too! I personally can only tell east from west solely by what side of Fifth Avenue I’m on. I needed a way to navigate Central Park like the local I am.
The secret to navigating the Park
So when I read about this secret little tip in Mental Floss, (a really fun magazine, by the way) my geek side joined forces with my always-hopelessly-lost side and let out a big fat yelp!
If you’re in Central Park and want to find out where you are, here’s how to do it:
- Head to a lamp post
- Each lamp post has four numbers at its base
- The first 2 will tell you the nearest street
- The second 2 point out if you’re nearer the east side or the west
- Even numbers = east. Odd numbers = west
Got it? So if you’re stumbling around the park trying to figure out where to find SummerStage to catch the Beach Boys next week, or searching out the boat pond to show to the kids, just stop at a lamp post. There are 1600 of them.
Decipher the code and you’ll know instantly whether you’re heading in the right direction. No more getting lost!
I know, I know…you can use your phone. But isn’t this little bit of detective work a lot more fun?
Image via Markus Tacker/Flickr
