Journeys›Photograph

A Winter Day Walking The Gates in Central Park

·Central Park·#winter#public-art#new-york-city#central-park#the-gates
Bright orange fabric panels on frames stand among dark trees with a lamppost in the foreground.

Came to New York for the two weeks the Gates exist — Christo and Jeanne-Claude's project, up February 12 through the 27th and then gone. 7,503 saffron gates along about 23 miles of Central Park path, each one 16 feet high with a fabric panel hanging from the crossbar. The full title is *The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979–2005*, which tells you how long they were arguing with the city about it.

We went in at the south end near the pond and followed the paths from there, past the rock outcrops with the midtown towers behind everything. Where the paths run parallel you see rows of gates stacked behind the bare trees, and the wind kept catching the panels — some hung straight, some flipped up over their own frames and stayed there.

Millions of visitors are supposed to come through before it closes; midweek it was steady but you could still walk under the fabric without stopping. We followed one line of gates downhill until it ran straight through a stone underpass and kept going out the other side.

Orange fabric panels line a paved park path with bare trees, distant buildings, and a lamppost.Multiple bright orange fabric panels stand on frames in a park with bare trees and distant buildings.Numerous saffron-colored fabric gates stretch through a park with bare trees and a distant building, with people walking among them.Orange fabric panels line a path in a park with a lamppost and bare trees.Orange fabric panels hang between orange frames along a park path with bare trees under a clear blue sky.Orange fabric gates line a path through a park with bare trees, large rock formations, and distant city buildings.Orange fabric panels hang above a walkway with people strolling beneath orange support poles in a park.Orange fabric gates line a paved park path with bare trees and distant buildings, a person walks a dog.

More Entries