"Neighborhood Gym and Cocktail Parties"

Today, I received a 3-page fundraiser for the Central Park Conservancy in the mail.

Depending upon the amount of money donated, I can enjoy everything from "Special invitations to Tours, Skating Party, Cocktail Parties, Garden Parties, Film Festival, Jazz Fest, New York Philharmonic, Marathon Breakfast, lectures, discounts on merchandise" and more.

 "26 ballfields, 21 playgrounds," Central Park is my "neighborhood gym for running, biking, hiking, or just strolling."

 "Everywhere you look, birds are singing," the fliers proclaim. But that is actually more true of city streets than within Central Park.
Most pigeons, sparrows, grackles and other birds scavenge city gutters and sidewalks for nourishment rather than seeking it in what would seem the more natural areas of city parks.

Other than the "birds singing," there is no mention of Central Park wildlife at all.

 In fact, except for description of trees, flowers and lawns, I wouldn't know this 3-page fundraiser was about a park at all.

 Emphasis is on all the "fun," entertaining and sporting activities over any tranquil enjoyment of nature or animals.

Nowhere in the 3-page fundraiser are nature or wildlife alluded to at all.

So how exactly is the "neighborhood gym" the "escape from city life?"

I might think that this is a fundraiser for Carnegie Hall or Madison Square Garden.

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