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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Regina Peruggi

Aired July 19, 2003 - 07:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And now, speaking of the big park, in Midtown Manhattan, we have Jacqui Jeras standing by in Central Park this morning.
So, nice to see you Jacqui. Lovely day, yes?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thank you.

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Where's the birthday cake?

JERAS: It is unbelievable. The birthday cake doesn't come until 11 o'clock, I think, Thomas.

ROBERTS: OK.

JERAS: I'll try to bring you a piece back, maybe, for tomorrow.

ROBERTS: Perfect, perfect.

JERAS: But can you believe how big Central Park is? It is 843 acres.

COLLINS: That's hard to imagine, isn't it?

JERAS: Enormous.

COLLINS: I'm thinking of the lake, and the park area where they have the merry-go-round and all of that? I mean, yes, it's huge.

ROBERTS: It's huge urban retreat for everybody, that's for sure.

JERAS: There is a lot here. And I'll let you in on a little secret. It is that this is only my second time being in Central Park. Yesterday was actually my first day here, so I was kind of overwhelmed with the size of it.

I don't think a lot of people realize that there is so much to see here. We've got the whole mall area behind me. And, of course, we're celebrating 150 years of the park and that's why so many people are out here this morning. You can see them in their jogging clothes, there is going to be a race here at 8:30, later on this morning.

Off to my left, we have the famous Bethesda Fountain, over here. And it is just an absolutely beautiful day, 67 degrees, right now in Central Park. And what a lot of people may not realize here, is that most of this was man-made, the trees were planted, the lakes were planned. And yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to the president of the Central Park Conservancy. And that's Regina Peruggi, and she tell us how this all came to be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REGINA PERUGGI, PRESIDENT, CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY: In the 1840s, New York had grown from a city of about 60,000 people to a city of 310,000 people. And in about 1844, the editor of the "New York Evening Post," William Cohen Bryant (ph), almost demanded that a public park be built. In 1853, the legislation actually deciding that the park was going to be purchased, was signed.

Mr. Olmstead, Frederick Law Olmstead (ph), was appointed the Central Park administrator. And a year later, a design competition was held. And there were many entries, one of which was Olmstead and his partner Calvert Voxx (ph).

JERAS: How different is it today, than it was back in the 1800s?

PERUGGI: Well, it isn't very different. There has been enormous energy spent on restoring the park to the original vision of Olmstead (ph) and Voxx (ph).

JERAS: What do you think Central Park means to New Yorkers?

PERUGGI: I think that Central Park is part of the heart and soul of every New Yorker. It is the playground for our children, the exercise space for the workforce. I think that everybody who lives in New York knows Central Park, uses the park, and really loves it. It's a place that in people's soul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: And festivities go on throughout the day today, we've got the Run/Walk this morning. We have cake late this morning. And things will be topped off this evening at 8 o'clock with "Duetto" (ph). And so there will be a concert here in the park.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired July 19, 2003 - 07:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And now, speaking of the big park, in Midtown Manhattan, we have Jacqui Jeras standing by in Central Park this morning.
So, nice to see you Jacqui. Lovely day, yes?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thank you.

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Where's the birthday cake?

JERAS: It is unbelievable. The birthday cake doesn't come until 11 o'clock, I think, Thomas.

ROBERTS: OK.

JERAS: I'll try to bring you a piece back, maybe, for tomorrow.

ROBERTS: Perfect, perfect.

JERAS: But can you believe how big Central Park is? It is 843 acres.

COLLINS: That's hard to imagine, isn't it?

JERAS: Enormous.

COLLINS: I'm thinking of the lake, and the park area where they have the merry-go-round and all of that? I mean, yes, it's huge.

ROBERTS: It's huge urban retreat for everybody, that's for sure.

JERAS: There is a lot here. And I'll let you in on a little secret. It is that this is only my second time being in Central Park. Yesterday was actually my first day here, so I was kind of overwhelmed with the size of it.

I don't think a lot of people realize that there is so much to see here. We've got the whole mall area behind me. And, of course, we're celebrating 150 years of the park and that's why so many people are out here this morning. You can see them in their jogging clothes, there is going to be a race here at 8:30, later on this morning.

Off to my left, we have the famous Bethesda Fountain, over here. And it is just an absolutely beautiful day, 67 degrees, right now in Central Park. And what a lot of people may not realize here, is that most of this was man-made, the trees were planted, the lakes were planned. And yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to the president of the Central Park Conservancy. And that's Regina Peruggi, and she tell us how this all came to be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REGINA PERUGGI, PRESIDENT, CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY: In the 1840s, New York had grown from a city of about 60,000 people to a city of 310,000 people. And in about 1844, the editor of the "New York Evening Post," William Cohen Bryant (ph), almost demanded that a public park be built. In 1853, the legislation actually deciding that the park was going to be purchased, was signed.

Mr. Olmstead, Frederick Law Olmstead (ph), was appointed the Central Park administrator. And a year later, a design competition was held. And there were many entries, one of which was Olmstead and his partner Calvert Voxx (ph).

JERAS: How different is it today, than it was back in the 1800s?

PERUGGI: Well, it isn't very different. There has been enormous energy spent on restoring the park to the original vision of Olmstead (ph) and Voxx (ph).

JERAS: What do you think Central Park means to New Yorkers?

PERUGGI: I think that Central Park is part of the heart and soul of every New Yorker. It is the playground for our children, the exercise space for the workforce. I think that everybody who lives in New York knows Central Park, uses the park, and really loves it. It's a place that in people's soul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: And festivities go on throughout the day today, we've got the Run/Walk this morning. We have cake late this morning. And things will be topped off this evening at 8 o'clock with "Duetto" (ph). And so there will be a concert here in the park.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com