Most of East Harlem is located within walking distance of Central Park,the East River Promenade and Roosevelt Island.

First, on the list of places I like to walk my dogs is the Harlem Meer and Conservatory Garden. You can enter the Park at 110th & 5th Avenue or use one of entrances to the park on the east side 5th Avenue btwn 110th and 106th. Depending on where you enter the park you can walk around the Harlem Meer, then go to the Conservatory Garden, or enter in the Garden then walk around the Meer.

The southern most English Garden is my personal favorite place to sit and reflect (although my husband prefers the Pergola in the Italian Garden). In the English Garden you’ll find Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s lovely Burnett Memorial fountain (pictured above). Beneath the fountain is coy fish pond filled with blossoming lotus flowers (seasonal). Weekdays are best to visit the gardens but weekends usually aren’t too crowded.

One of the best things about going to the gardens with your dogs is that there is no running or bicycling and dogs have to be leashed. So if your dogs are like mine there is a lot less stress about how they are going to react to those situations. There also flower beds, fountains and grassy fields, providing ample opportunities to take priceless photos of your pets.

You can read more about the themes of each of the gardens on the Central Park Conservancy website.

After checking out the garden, make your way to the Harlem Meer, which is filled with birds, turtles and other wildlife. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center hosts a variety of activities around the Meer, as well as, a catch and release fishing program (that’s right fishing in Manhattan!). The meer definitely attracts a lot of dogs and joggers, so depending on your dogs temperament this walk may engage more of their senses.

You can read more about the Harlem Meer on the Conservatory Garden website.

This walk really makes you feel like your living in the best city on earth. We are so lucky to have such a beautifully maintained landscape like Central Park at our fingertips in East Harlem. I definitely suggest making the most of it and exploring all of the walking paths in Central Park.

The next post in this series will be on walking in the North Woods

Below are two of my favorite pictures of the boys posing in the Conservatory Garden.

Maxwell looking handsome in the Conservatory Garden

Mickey looking handsome in the Conservatory Garden