So, you might know, it gets cold in NYC in the winter, and so, the park closes the water fountains because the water will freeze and that will make the pipes burst. Or something like that.
There is usually 3 water fountains that stay open throughout the winter, aka NOW.
Side note: bathrooms start opening at different times through the park, some at 6 am, some at 7 am, some at 8 am. If in dire thirst, you can always go to a bathroom and drink from the sink. It seems gross. Sometimes it looks/is gross. But the water is safe. Or at least, I haven’t suffered any special side effects.
I just want to point out my new gorgeous adidas kit. The trefoil monogram track jacket and the striped shorts are the cutest and so comfy. I am loving all this new adidas gear and I wear them all the time, not just for running, ooooops!
Here are the details to find the water fountains.
The first one is always trustworthy and my favorite. It always works, ALWAYS.
She is not easy to find at first but then you’ll always see her.
We’ll call her East 102.
When you are running in Central Park, on the East Drive, you’ll see the E0002 lamppost (that means East 102th street so look for the lamposts/streets to get there).
Right there is also a set of traffic lights right 101th street. That is the spot.
Go east (towards Fifth Avenue) on the path right under the traffic lights and you’ll see the water fountain on your left. She is about 20 meters East of the East Drive and 101th street, but she’s right off the E102 lamppost so we’ll go with 102 for her official name. These are her coordinates if that is easier for you: 40°47’29.9″N 73°57’19.7″W
Next!
Then there is the ResLoop/Tennis Court fountains (there’s two)
The good thing about this one is that you can easily access from the West side of Central Park (about 400 meters from the West Drive), but also from the bridal path and the reservoir loop.
The easiest way to find her is to know where the Bridge #28 is.
Bridge #28 is in front of the tennis court. The bridge intersects with the reservoir track, and right there are the fountains. You have to get (on the bridge towards) the reservoir path.
This one is harder to get to sometimes when it’s early or late (as it’ll be dark) or snowy (snow!) or raining (because mud, etc). But it’s very convenient sometimes, plus usually the bathrooms in the tennis courts are open after 6 am, so it can be a good spot for other things.
There’s two fountains, yesterday one wasn’t working but they’re usually trustworthy.
And you get a great view for pictures too if you’re in the mood after the drink!
Their coordinates: 40°47’19.7″N 73°57’42.7″W
Next!
No name, let’s call her 61st? better ideas?
There is one more, that is usually open. WAY trickier to describe and find but very useful sometimes. It was NOT working yesterday, but I’ll update you. I did take pics anyway so you can find it if you need to. If you look at the map, this is hard to describe, but just look for the crosswalk, the traffic light.
The traffic light across the street read W60X but it was hard to read, so around W6something.
The water fountain is on the south side of the road, a bit moved in towards Central Park south. But again, let’s hope it’s working again. Just use this: 40°46’01.8″N 73°58’37.9″W
Hope this helps! Questions? Let me know!
runningandthecity 