Hedge Fund Manager John Paulson Donates $100 Million To Central Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - If you're one of those who likes to get away from it all without leaving the island of Manhattan, then you'll love today's news.
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Hedge fund manager John Paulson has given $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy.
It's the largest gift ever to the 843-acre park and it's believed to be the largest gift to any park in the world.
Paulson said his grandparents had their first date in Central Park, as a baby he was pushed in a stroller there, and he used to rollerblade in it.
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"I enjoy Central Park almost everyday - walking, cycling, running - and with my children enjoy the carousel, the zoo, the rowboat and the playgrounds," he told reporters on Tuesday.
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Paulson said it was on walks through the park in various seasons that he made up his mind to give the $100 million.
"At those moments when I'm walking through the park and admiring the beauty and the different seasons, it kept coming back that Central Park is really, in my mind, the most deserving of all New York's cultural institutions," he said.
He calls the park an urban oasis and a magnificent space that does so much for so many every day.
He also referred to it as a democratic paradise.
"It's open to people of all ages, all income levels, every race, religion, and nationality. It's open every day and all day. It's enjoyed by millions of New Yorkers every year and it's free," he said.
What's your favorite place in or memory of Central Park? Please sound off below.
