I Got Fined $50 for Taking These Pictures

Disclaimer: I do not endorse partaking in any unlawful or dangerous activity, including those mentioned in this post. Let this serve as a lesson as what not to do during your visit to Central Park.

It's been exceptionally cold these last 12 days in the eastern half of the United States, with arctic air bringing well below average temperatures. Here in New York City it's actually been cold enough to create ice thick enough to safely walk on over some lakes of Central Park, which is a rare event.

By next week this will probably no longer be the case, with temperatures well above freezing and rain in the forecast. So today I decided to go out in temperatures about 25°F below average (14°C below average) and witness these rare conditions for myself, and take some smartphone pictures to document it.

Well before I topped off my brief picture section with a photo sphere, I heard someone yelling at me to get off of the ice. I looked over and it was a park ranger. I decided to walk back onto dry land and see what the big deal was. I was met with 2 officers who issued me a $50 summons.

As it turns out, I broke a park rule by disobeying signage.

Notice anything? Well there's no indication of a fine on the sign! You'd have to check Central Park's website to see the penalty. It would be nice if it were included, similar to how signs in cabs warn about the consequences of assaulting drivers for example.

Image Credit: Steven Depolo https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/28315424660

I figured I was just doing this at my own risk, which I was able to judge wasn't very high, seeing footprints on the lake in the snow that fell two days ago. Temperatures had not gotten above freezing since then; so no thawing would have taken place.

To add insult to injury I walked over to another frozen pond and noticed people happily walking on the ice, with no fine given to them. There was a sign on the side of this pond as well.

Ultimately it's not worth my time to go fight this, as I could trade crypto or something in the meantime and earn enough to pay the fine that way. What I'm most salty about at this point is not being able to capture a nice photo sphere.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to go back and try again next time!