Once upon a time, on a freezing winter afternoon, whilst strolling through Central Park, I stumbled on a beautiful castle.
It's quite amazing how many interesting and surprising things you'll see in Central Park. Belvedere Castle was originally designed in 1865 as a 'decorative' attraction, but not intended to serve any real purpose. However, its strong stone façade, and grand turret make the castle a photographer's fantasy come true. Since its original construction, the castle has served many useful purposes. In 1919 the National Weather Service began taking measurements from the castle's tower with scientific instruments that determine wind speed and direction. It is also a wildlife museum and an excellent vantage point for sight seeing, and bird watching.
