With its span of 20 acres, The Lake rivals the Reservoir as sheer size. It is the heart and soul of
the rowing community of New York City – this is the place to go when you want to rent a boat or
go for a trip with a gondola in Central Park. You can rent them from the Loeb Boathouse.
The Lake, along with the Ramble, were vital centerpieces of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert
Vaux’s plan for the park. It used to be a swamp before the Greensward plan for the building of
Central Park was placed in action.