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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
86th St (B, C)
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
17 reviews for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
Well... Being from Brooklyn.. many of my "nature" runs take me to prospect park.. little did i know that this even existed ( I am a horrible NYC runner). But now that I have discovered this little oasis I will be sure to make the 35 min trek back!
The thought of running in central park is a bit intimidating to me, mainly because I don't know the grounds well. But finding this little faux track made it so much better, I only ran around it once, because i wanted to make the best of my run through the park, but was glad that I did so that I at least had an idea about mileage, and wasn;' running into who know where..
I highly recommend The reservoir if you are a newbie to running in Central Park! Just run in the right directions.. they look at you funny if you don't..
I just call it The Res (pronounced "Rez"). That's how close the Jacky Onassis Reservoir and I have become over the years.
This is near where I live, and often when I feel like going for a faux NYC nature walk, this is where my feet take me. Alas, my feet abhor running, so I will not be using the path around the lake in such a manner as many others do. I just come to admire the vast expanse of water, which is the largest body of water in Central Park (file that one away in your trivia memory banks children). I also enjoy watching the ducks and ducklings swimming around and I live vicariously through other people's cute dogs, which are plentiful around this section of the park.
The northernmost point of the Res makes for perhaps one of the most beautiful photo ops in all of Manhattan, a gorgeous paneramic of the midtown skyline, complete with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building. I have a remarkable picture of the skyline reflecting back into the water at dusk, which is now and forever shall be the wallpaper on my cellphone. If I werent so lazy, I'd upload it so you could see, because it really is rather impressive, just like the Res.
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dear mother nature,
thank you for the beautifully mild days youve been gracing us with lately, which allows me to go for runs around the inner 1.6 mile jackie o loop in central park. (bikes, dogs, and carriages are prohibited from the loop, so the path is designated only for real runners*). i also thank you for the beautiful view of the sun setting behind the skyline above the trees that helps to distract me during my run.
i appreciate your cooperation, mn - keep it up!
xoxo,
pk
*or fake runners that try to be real runners, like yours truly.
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The most scenic run in NYC, hands down. If only tourists (weekends) wouldn't take up the entire path and then stop you to ask questions when you're on mile 6...or when affectionate couples walk hand in hand and make you go roller derby on their asses...if only. Just watch out for post rain potholes that can hurt an ankle or muddy conditions. Other than that it is a serene 1.58 mile loop that gives a gives you a real disconnect from the city and lets you unwind from a stressful day. Just watch out for weekends!
If you haven't noticed, I love to give the parkland treasures of new york their due...
And the Reservoir is no exception...it is as picturesque as Jackie O herself. It is a great place to walk and gather your own thoughts, jog or stroll with someone...
If you are wondering off, dont step in horse doo doo..(trust me, you need to know this).
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The best thing to run around in Central Park. Granted this was the only place I ran outside of my hotel gym.
The view was perfect. A huge reservoir with a nice background around the whole thing. Makes for great running with the sun bouncing right off of the water.
The only thing is beware of bicyclists. They can run you over.
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i lived in the upper east side for a month before moving downtown. this is what i miss most from living up there.
if you love jogging on paths, this is the place, emphasis on 'the'.
breathtaking. serene.
Oh, Central Park reservoir.
What a blessing on days when I can' t be *in* the water, but want to at least run *next to* water. And when my ass just doesn't want to deal with hills. Or my knees with paved road.
A few loops around you, and NYC seems like a better place.
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I have somewhat mixed feelings about the Reservoir, but that's mostly due to lingering memories of all the times my gym class in Middle/Upper School would relocate to its perimeter to either run our brains out or play what can only be described as sadistically competitive games on the horse path.
Regardless of those times, the Reservoir is a wonderful resource for the NYC jogger/runner. It is a place within the trees of Central Park where you can exercise on something other than pavement with buildings next to you. Running with trees on one side and water on the other is a much more pleasant experience if I'm turning my face beet red from exertion. Plus, you can keep track of how far you run if you know the circumference of the reservoir (about 1.6 miles).
The path is unfortunately really narrow, only two people can fit side by side, but there is the larger horse path (where people do ride horses on occasion) next to it but lower down so you can't see the reservoir water. The best time to go is right as the sun is setting, when the air is slightly cooler and the still reservoir water reflects the changing color of the sky.
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1. you don't have to be a runner to love the reservoir
2. you don't have to be a tourist to love the reservoir.
3. even though runners and tourists are constantly buzzing around the reservoir, you can tune them out (either with your iPod, or by looking over to the West Side skyline, or by looking at the little ducks floating along on the water).
4. even if you have no iPod, hate skylines and ducks, the ripples in the water at the reservoir will have a mellowing effect on you.
5. give it a try.
I went for a solo run this weekend and wandered around the city. I eventually made it over to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park. As I entered through the 90th Street entrace, I knew it was going to be a good run.
Chicago's Lakefront Path is pretty much my favorite place to run. I'd have to say the Reservoir is tied! A few things specifically make it especially awesome.
- There are no cyclers. No disrepect, but runners and cyclers have beef on the road. It's just better that we are seperate.
- The dirt path is gentler on the knees than pavement.
- The loop is really flat. Great for days you just want to zen out and run.
- The reservoir is very scenic and beautiful!
- The course is too narrow to accommodate group runs, but great for running solo or with a partner or two.
The loop is 1.58 miles. I would normally not like shorter loops of that distance, but the JKO Reservoir doesn't feel like you're running the same loop over and over again.
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I must agree with Caroline A. that the Reservoir is a kinder, gentler path to take while running in in Central Park!
It is no exaggeration to say I live in Central Park. I have run there as early as 4am and as late as 10pm and all the hours in between. I even do all my long training runs/20-milers there, which usually consist of three loops of the park and finishes with a couple of laps around the Reservoir. After all that asphalt, the Reservoir is like a little Christmas gift I give to my knees.
I wish I could say that the people with bikes obey the rules to STAY OFF the reservoir. Alas, they DO NOT. Not only will you find bikes on the reservoir, you also get moms and tourists pushing baby strollers (strollers are also against the rules). The flouting of the rules is particularly egregious after 3pm and almost any time during the summer. I grit my teeth and dodge the strollers (because I don't want to be a hater against the wee ones), but admittedly I have stopped to trade some testy words with those who ride their bikes up there. Runners have so few places where we do not have to contend with bikes, cars, roller bladers and baby strollers; the reservoir is supposed to our only refuge! I think they need bigger signage at the entrances to show that wheels are not allowed up there and all would be well.
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Do not go alone!
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Hey, this is right by where I live for the next 3 weeks or so! It's really pretty, and I've heard it's the only place in NYC really worth jogging, except I don't do that jogging thing, so it's all hearsay.
Also, the reservoir plays prominently in any law and Order featuring a murdered jogger, in Devil's Advocate, and plenty of other places.
Very pretty, very nice, but I'd recommend waiting til it gets a bit warmer out to head over and check it out!
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Even if you aren't a runner this is a place to be appreciated. I think this is one of the most serene parts of Central Park. This is a place to go where you really want to get away from the hustle and bustle of New York but don't want to ride on metro north to get away from it all.
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Christina had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It involved fighting with a mother on Staten Island, heart attack scares from a grandmother, traffic coming back over the Verrzzano bridge on the express bus to Manhattan and the sad reality that after a teacher's week long spring break, school does indeed start tomorrow.
Enter Reservoir at dusk in the middle of Central Park on a fine April evening. As I walked up 91st street past the pot belly brownstones covered in Ivy, I was already pulled by the tide out deep into the New York evening's waters. Then, I got to the park and went up the ramp to the reservoir's path...it was gorgeous! Green speckled with pink cherry blossoms, joggers, walkers, dogs enjoying themselves. I walked southwest and saw the spurts of water spritzing up and falling back, making waves in the otherwise placid water. There was a beautiful, old fashioned white wooden bridge leading further into the park. Of course I started fantasizing about my future wedding pictures being taken on said bridge (without present boyfriend or fiance in picture). Needless to say, as the sun set and I made my way around the track, I really started to let things go and relax...even smile to myself about how lucky I am to live here. The old fashioned lampposts were beacons of sanity, highlighting the beautiful pink and white trees. I picked up a fallen cherry blossom, brushed off the dust and held it with me for the rest of my meandering.
Of course other people were focused, running to get exercise done. I believe it's 1.6 (or 1.4) miles around the reservoir once... and I've definitely done that before with the same soothing result. But tonight, I needed a walk. I was inspired to even wake up early mornings for the rest of the week to do it again and start the day right (yet another fantasy I've concocted). No matter what hellions irk me tomorrow in the classroom (not that they'd ever do that, of course...ahem), at least I know that tomorrow at the end of the day, for at least thirty minutes, I can try to forget about it by retreating to this oasis in the middle of the urban chaos...though still connected to it. You are reminded of where you are by the beautiful skyline views around the park: the buildings shine from Columbus Circle and the West Side residences look down upon you. As the sky darkened tonight, watercolored with deep blue, violet and pink, the building lights went on and were reflected in the serene waters...and I fell in love with New York all over again.
I know this can read as an extreme cheesefest, but this is really how I felt tonight after a trip to the Reservoir...maybe it'll do the same for you =)
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I just went for my first solo evening run- I will admit I was a little nervous to be doing it alone- but this is the perfect place to do it. Not only were there plenty of other runners and people out, but the lights along the path are helpful and the skyline views are lovely. I can't wait to go do it again. This is such a great oasis in the city and really the perfect place to run outside- no hard concrete, interesting scenery and lots of other runners to help push you to run that much faster and harder- passing people is fun! :)
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