X-files and Scully are here again, and a UFO is floating above Central Park, NYC. Maybe a wee bit of an exaggeration. The round thingy floating 30 stories above Central Park in New York City is a baloon, the City’s latest gimmick to keep New Yorkers happy and the tourist dollars flowing in. The baloon rides are meant to be part of the 150th year anniversary celebrations of the Greensward plan, which was the original Central Park plan designed in 1858.

Have to hand it to NYC. They sure know how to keep visitors interested in planning New York vacations. Just when the media bedlam over Olafur Eliasson’s Waterfalls was dying out, they come up with this new hot air stunt. The whole kerfuffle was appropriately named by the NY Post as ‘Central Air’. Photo copyrights - AeroBaloon/AeroScape LLC

Anyway, here’s the low-down on the Central Park baloon rides, which is a 10 minute ride up and down 300 feet in a wicker basket supported by a tethered 45 foot wide helium baloon with 4 passengers and a pilot. The company operating the baloon is AeroBaloon.

When: From 7 am to 10 pm, July 25th to August 22, 2008.

Where: Cherry Hill, Central Park, west of Bethesda Fountain, near to the 72nd St entrance to the park.

Cost & Reservations: $25 for adults and $17.50 for children. Children under 16 must be accompanied by adults. Reservations available at location for ‘flights’ between 7 to 10 am. After that you stand in line, and wait for your turn.

Oh, and don’t be dismayed if you miss out on baloons over Central Park. There’s plenty of baloon operators like AeroBaloon and  AbovetheCloudsInc.com in the NY-NJ area who offer baloon rides.

Posted on July 27th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: NYC