Conservatory Water in Central Park

7. Conservatory Water – With sailboats gliding by in miniature regattas, Hans Christian Andersen reading to his friend the duckling and Alice holding court with the Cheshire Cat, Conservatory Water offers scenic accents both romantic and literary. Surrounded by a group of trees that survive from the original planting, the stately pond lends a sense of serenity to the urban activities being carried out a few yards away. On the western edge, you can usually find representatives of one of New York’s most dedicated fan clubs. They are the birdwatchers that chronicle events in the lives of one of the Upper Eastside’s most celebrated couples, Pale Male and Lola, a pair of red-tail hawks that nest on one of Manhattan’s classic apartment buildings on nearby 5th Ave. They are not the only lovebirds in the area, as the almost constant sight of couples strolling hand in hand will attest to.