Central Park

Commended Entry: "Central Park" by Felix Anderson-Materka from New Zealand

This poem was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Writing Competition 2026 in the Junior Category.

Central Park

I really like Central Park in New York City because one can explore bits and pieces of the entire world there. I was born in New York City in 2017 and spent a part of the Covid pandemic there.

We lived in Midtown East, close to the United Nations. When everything was closed down and we had to wear masks, my parents would take me almost every single day with my little sister Margaux to Central Park. There, we could take off our masks, breathe freely, and just be kids. I like Central Park because it has many different playgrounds where I got to play with kids from all over the world, speaking so many languages. There was one boy whose name was also Felix! We played together for a while. My favorite playground was this really fun wooden playground with like fifty slides. One part of it was steep and I would jump off of the slide at the end.

During Fall, next to the playground, we would gather leaves, pile them up into mountains, and jump into them with my parents and grandmother Maya. I liked walking with my family along the paths, and climbing the massive boulders across the park. I felt on top of the world.

We loved walking and listening to Jamaican musicians playing the steel drums. The paths would lead to places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we saw Egyptian mummies, tombs, and relics from Ancient Greece and Rome. It was like going back in time. Near the Met, we would venture into the French Consulate’s children’s bookshop where we saw a beautiful mural of the cosmos painted in blue and gold on the ceiling. On the other side of the park was the Museum of Natural History where we learned about Native American history and saw gigantic dinosaurs.

Central Park Zoo had a lot of interesting pathways to get to the exhibits. My favorite exhibit were the Japanese macaques soaking in the water. My second favorite exhibit were the crocodiles from the Amazon and my third-favorite were the red-tailed pandas from China. I remember the big waterfall, as big as two houses stacked on top of one another! One exhibit was filled with tropical birds and tropical plants from all over South America.

I liked celebrating Christmas in Central Park. When it snowed, my mom and grandmother Baba took us to sled down the hills filled with other kids and families having fun. One time, I made a mistake and accidentally took someone else’s sled but the family was nice and let me use it a couple of times. I remember mommy and daddy holding my hands and me learning how to ice-skate. We also played snowball fights and built snowmen with daddy and Margaux.

That is why Central Park is one of my favorite places ever. Even though we left New York City to travel the world, Central Park will always feel like home to me.

Congratulations on your powerful story, Felix! Thank you so much for sharing your memories of your favorite spot in the world with us! Stay safe wherever your travels take you - and keep exploring! Well done!

Felix, 9 years, attends Green School in New Zealand. English as home language.