Redwood Creek: Top 25 Picnic Destinations

		CENTRAL PARK: Urban Oasis
		THE SETTING Families lounging on the grassy knolls. Street vendors peddling everything from ice cream to art. Well-toned men and women gliding by on rollerblades. The perfect refuge from the stresses of city life, Central Park sprawls across 843 acres of Manhattan, from 59th Street to 110th Street, and from Central Park West to Fifth Avenue. There are many ideal places for a picnic, from wide-open spaces to shady nooks and crannies. Two popular locations for alfresco dining are Sheep Meadow and the Great Lawn, especially on summer nights before one of the summer Metropolitan Opera or New York Philharmonic concerts on the Great Lawn. If you're seeking a more secluded spot, try the landscaped area around the Harlem Meer, off Fifth Avenue and 110th Street, or the Great Hill, near Central Park West and 105th Street. Some New Yorkers love spreading their blanket near the shoreline of Turtle Pond or in Strawberry Fields, a memorial dedicated to the late Beatle John Lennon.
		WHAT TO SEE AND DO The first landscaped public park in the United States, Central Park offers something for everyone. Here you can jog, bike or rollerblade during the warm months, or use one of the public basketball, handball, baseball or tennis courts. You can ride a horse on the six-mile bridle path, which loops the reservoir, or stop to have a street artist paint your portrait. If you have kids, they'll love the playgrounds, boat pond, carousel and Central Park Wildlife Center, which houses more than 100 species including sea lions, penguins and polar bears. In the summer, purchase tickets to one of the free performances at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air venue for the Joseph Papp Shakespeare Theater Company. For the perfect end to a romantic New York evening, take a hansom carriage ride around the park's perimeter.
		HOT TIPS In the middle of summer the Great Lawn fills up fast, so get out early to snag a prime picnic spot. If you still haven't filled your wicker basket, stop by the Boathouse, where you can rent a rowboat or grab a sandwich wrap from the storefront outside the Boathouse Café. If you're a tourist or unfamiliar with the park, it's easy to get lost in this huge outdoor refuge, so pick up a park map or stop by one of the visitor's signs to get oriented.
		PHOTO OPS Local art students love to hang out on the park bridges and sketch everything from the trees to the tourists. Photographers have plenty to capture, from the colorful landscapes and the small children sailing toy boats in the pond, to the hordes of beautiful people lounging on the grass. Take a picture of the monkeys in the zoo, the local craftsman selling folk art - and, of course, the beautiful Manhattan skyline towering over the Great Lawn.
		LOCAL SPECIALTIES You're in New York, the culinary capital of the world, so what isn't there to eat? From pastrami sandwiches to pastries, there's something for every picnic basket. Cap off your meal with an Italian ice or giant pretzel from one of Manhattan's infamous street vendors.