Central Park Obelisk Wander

I found out that there is 3500 year old Egyptian obelisk in Central Park. The obelisk was put up in Heliopolis around 1500 BC, and was given to the US in 1881 as a gift from the Egyptian government with the hopes of establishing economic ties. It's the oldest thing in the park, and it's tucked away just behind the MET. I'd walked right past it a couple of times and never noticed it, so the purpose of this wander was to have a look.


Click here for the wander map.


I Started the wander outside the MET at 82nd and 5th.

  

We went into the park at 80th. There's a nice bear statue in the playground just as you enter. No kids were climbing on this one.

  

We walked west through this tunnel under East Drive:

  

Look to the left, and there it is:

  

   

   

   

Its pretty cool to think that its 3500 years old. The heilogriphics are almost worn off, but still beautiful.

John Purroy Mitchel memorial by the Reservoir at 90th street. Mitchel was mayor of NYC from 1914 to 1917 - the youngest ever. I'm not sure what he did for the park to get such a nice memorial:

  

 The Reservoir looking west: