Old Croton Aqueduct 2: Harlem to Bryant Park

Part two of the OCA walk begins where we left off the week before, at the Hispanic Museum and Library. You do not have to have walked part one to join this walk. We will walk through Manhattan streets and Central Park, where we will see parts of the aqueduct wall and three gatehouses, and now that we know it’s there learn to see the dividing wall below the surface of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, rebuilt from the original receiving reservoir in what became Central Park. The walk will be mostly on city sidewalks but switch to park paths for a while in Central Park and back out to the city streets. The last stretch of the walk is on Fifth Avenue, so we can decide as a group to navigate the crowds or walk down a parallel street. If we choose Fifth, we will necessarily get split up from time to time, so we will agree to a few meet-up points, the last being on the library's main steps. We will still end up at the hidden reservoir and wall end at the main branch of the New York Public Library and the iconic Bryant Park.

When: Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 9:30 AM (ending time approximate)
Where to meet: In the courtyard of the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, on Broadway between 155th Street and 156th Street.
How to get there: Take the #1 train to 157th Street in Manhattan and walk two blocks down Broadway. Or Take the C train to 155th and walk two blocks west up to Broadway. If you come by Metro North, get off at Marble Hill and catch the #1 train downtown. Be sure to get a local MN train for Marble Hill and be in one of the first five cars. Walk down Broadway two blocks.
Security: The library was built over the reservoir and maintains a section of the original reservoir wall. If you want to see it, you will have to pass through security and may have your packs checked, so pack with this in mind. I have had art students refused entry because of scissors.

Good to know:

• Walking conditions: Mostly pavement with a very gradual decline.
• Pace and distance: Distance is about seven miles. Most of the active walking will be at about 2 to 2 1/2 MPH with frequent information and photo breaks, ending around 2:30 or so depending on stops.
• The walk ends at the main library at Fifth and 42nd. You can catch pretty much any train between Times Square and Grand Central.
• This is not a pet-friendly event.
• You can buy food and drinks as we walk down Amsterdam before we reach the park and at our last bathroom stop there is coffee and.
• There will be two or three bathroom breaks, the first at the Forum at 127th Street about a mile and a half from the start, one at the tennis courts in Central Park, and another in midtown.
• We can decide to have a short lunch break in Central Park or at a midtown plaza that also has coffee, so bring snacks.
• Dropout points are frequent to catch the #1 or #6 trains.
• In case of rain, I will let you know any plan changes the evening before.

BONUS: The Hike ends at the Library and Bryant Park, which always makes a nice picnic area with your own or purchased snacks. Or we might decide to find a midtown eatery to toast off the two days.

Hike Leader: Gina Miller DAY OF ONLY text (347)842-5452 with your name. Sweep Carmen D.