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The Wonderful World of Completely Random Facts — Issue 60
How Not to Get Lost in New York City’s Central Park
There is an easy way not to get lost in New York City’s Central Park. Just look for a lamppost. Lampposts in the city’s 843-acre park have a four-digit number on a placard near the base that tells the approximate location of the lamppost to the nearest street and what side of the park it is on, something that would be helpful in an emergency.
The first two digits of the four-digit number indicate the nearest street. Central Park runs from 59th street to 110th street, so if the first two numbers were 67, the nearest street would be 67th street, or if the numbers were 08, it would be 108th street. The last two digits indicate if the lamppost is on the east or west side of the park. Even numbers are on the east side, and odd numbers are on the west. A lamppost with the number 6702 would mean you were near East 67th street, which is on the east side of the park.
There are tags on all 1,863 lampposts in the park, and they are maintained by the city’s Department of Transportation. There isn’t a record of when or who came up with the plan to tag the park’s lampposts, however. While they can be used for navigation or an emergency, their purpose may be more as markers for maintenance personnel to respond to service…
