Great Lawn

Located between 79th and 85th Sts, this massive emerald carpet at the center of Central Park is many a New Yorker's unofficial backyard. Created in 1931 by filling in an ungainly water reservoir, the Lawn is often host to free outdoor concerts – Diana Ross and Simon & Garfunkel famously played here – and the New York Philharmonic orchestra appears every summer. Its 55 acres are also home to eight softball fields, basketball courts and a canopy of London plane trees.