In my story, “The Bicycle,” Garret has an extraordinary experience on the running loop surrounding New York’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park. It is early spring, the sun is shining, the cherry trees are blossoming, and the wind is blowing vigorously. Let’s acquaint ourselves with this unique and scenic locale as we imagine it through Garret’s eyes.

The JKO Reservoir covers 106 acres in New York’s Central Park, which is about an eighth of the area of the park. It contains over a billion gallons of water. When it was built, back in 1862, it was one of two receiving reservoirs of the Croton Aqueduct system inside Central Park. The other, smaller, reservoir was decommissioned in the 1930s and covered with grass; the area is now known as the Great Lawn.

A new main under 79th Street ultimately rendered the larger reservoir obsolete. In 1992, amid news of the impending decommissioning of the main reservoir, people began to express their concerns that the reservoir would be covered over, as the smaller reservoir had been. A flurry of letters of protest from residents and advocates to the city government and the Central Park Conservancy successfully rescued the beloved reservoir. It was allowed to remain untouched, even after it was decommissioned in 1993.

Originally known as the Central Park Reservoir, it was renamed the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in 1994, in recognition of Jacqueline’s contributions to New York City. She served as a board member of the Municipal Art Society of New York. She was admired for saving the Grand Central Terminal from demolition and encouraging its restoration as an architectural landmark. And she protested against the proposed building of structures that would have hindered Central Park’s natural beauty, something she clearly appreciated on a personal level.

Mrs. Onassis, who had a view of the water from her Fifth Avenue–residence windows, enjoyed jogging on the path surrounding the reservoir. This 1.58-mile jogging path is variously known as the Central Park Reservoir Loop and the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Running Track. In springtime, it is lined with blossoming cherry trees and rhododendrons.

The reservoir area is an important ecological sanctuary. It attracts numerous species of waterbirds, including ruddy ducks, coots, loons, cormorants, herons, and egrets. It is also a favorite watering place for various species of gulls, in addition to the familiar mallards and Canada geese. Beloved by birdwatchers, locals, and tourists, the area has also found a prominent place in popular culture. The iconic trail and reservoir have been featured in several films, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Marathon Man, and Hannah and Her Sisters.

Of course, it is also featured in my story, “The Bicycle,” where we find Garret making his way along the reservoir’s running track as he resolutely clings to Annie’s old bicycle against the raging wind. Safeguarding the old bike, he feels the jolt of the path he must follow to an unknown future.

Sources:
“New York,” TripTins, January 6, 2023
“Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir,” Wikipedia
“Restoration: Stephanie and Fred Shuman Reservoir Running Track,” Central Park Conservancy