This is one of the coolest photographic images I have ever seen, and it makes me miss New York City in a big, big way (must be clicked on and enlarged!):

This really captures what a precious jewel the park is, an oasis of nature in a desert of concrete and steel and glass. I can’t imagine Manhattanites surviving without it.

About the photo (via The Atlantic):

Sergey Semonov, a Russian photographer, submitted the image to the Epson International Photographic Pano Awards, and took first prize in the amateur category.

Semonov works on a small noncommercial team called AirPano, which travels the globe creating these 3D aerial panoramas. They shoot from helicopters and then stitch the images together. Mostly, they produce these spherical panoramas that I find confusing to navigate, but clearly this one has been flattened for our viewing pleasure.