Tourists heading to Central Park in New York will have a new attraction to tick off this summer – and they should pack swimwear.
The Big Apple’s green lung is one of the most loved – and visited – destinations for tourists heading to the city and this weekend sees the opening of a project that has been years in the making.
The new 11-acre Davis Center complex, which officially opens on April 26th, will bring more visitors to the less visited north end of Central Park.
The $160 million project sits at the Harlem end of the park and will invite tourists and locals alike to take a dip in a brand new swimming pool, which will be New York’s eighth-largest when it opens in early summer.
And in winter, the space will transform into a sizeable ice rink – rivalling Bryant Park and the Rockefeller Center when Christmas rolls into the city.
In the autumn and spring, the space will be a green lawn, say the project’s designers.
While the pool, known as the Gottesman Pool, won’t be in action until June, the rest of the revamped green space, which also includes a multi-use turf field and fitness and wellness facilities, opens tomorrow in the park’s northeast corner.
The project was designed by architect Susan T Rodriguez in collaboration with Mitchell Giurgola and renovates the Lasker Rink and pool that had been on the site previously.
843-acre Central Park attracts millions of tourists every year, thanks to its nature, horse and cart rides and chance to escape the urbanity of Manhattan – and now there’s a new attraction to enjoy
The revamped Davis Center at the Harlem end of the New York park opens on April 26th and will feature the city’s eighth-largest swimming pool, giving tourists the chance to cool off in the summer months
Designed by architect Susan T Rodriguez, the pool will be multi-purpose, becoming a lawned space in spring and autumn and an ice rink in winter
The Harlem end of the park is often overlooked by tourists because it’s further from Manhattan – an hour on foot but just 20 minutes by bike, and it boasts some of the prettiest natural space in Central Park, say those in the know.
The new Davis Center has been designed to hide subtly within the hillier scenery at the Harlem Meer end of Central Park; the building keeps a low profile, carved into the slope and sporting a green roof.
The building is home to changing rooms, restrooms and places to hire sporting equipment, as well as a compact cafe.
Central Park stretches between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West and spans 843 acres.
It’s 2.5 miles long by 0.5miles wide and attracts over 40 millions tourists seeking respite from the urbanity of Manhattan every year.
Last week, research carried out by experts at CasiMonka, used AI to analyse Reddit posts, Tripadvisor reviews and Google Reviews to see which global tourist attractions received the most negative feedback.
And top of the list was a Big Apple attraction that gets around 50million visitors every year.
Times Square in New York which has 1,151 one-star Tripadvisor reviews and 934 negative comments on Reddit.
The famous square is known for its huge billboards and street entertainers but unfortunately it seems that not everyone is having the time of their life there.
Magical: The pool will become an ice skating rink in the winter, rivalling The Rink at Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park’s iceskating space
The pool won’t be open until June but the rest of the complex will allow visitors from April 26th
The design sees the Davis Center building congruous to the natural landscape
From Manhattan’s tourist heavy West 59th Street – the bottom of Central Park – the area is around an hour on foot or 20 minutes by bike
In a one-star review on Tripadvisor, ‘elf fine’ wrote: ‘It’s the worst part of all things touristy in New York. If you must go, then just get your selfie and get out.’
Second on the list is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which had 49 negative comments on Reddit and 1,180 one-star reviews on Tripadvisor.
The star-studded pavement has tributes to a huge range of celebrities from Fred Astaire to Lady Gaga.
But it’s failed to impress many tourists with one describing it on Tripadvisor as a ‘complete disappointment’. The visitor added: ‘It is an absolutely filthy place, unloved and uncared for by the authorities.’
A new ranking has revealed the world’s biggest tourist letdowns. Top of the list is Times Square in New York which has 1,151 one-star Tripadvisor reviews and 934 negative comments on Reddit
Second on the list is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which had 49 negative comments on Reddit and 1,180 one-star reviews on Tripadvisor
Meanwhile, third on the ranking and topping the list in Europe is Stonehenge which has 342 negative references on Reddit and 577 one-star Tripadvisor reviews.
The ancient Neolithic monument is an UNESCO World Heritage site and attracts more than a million visitors a year.
However, it hasn’t impressed everyone with one tourist writing on Tripadvisor that the attraction is ‘grossly overpriced’. Other negative comments described the attraction as ‘expensive’ and ‘touristy’.
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