Umpire Rock (Central Park)

 
 
Wikipedia: Rat Rock (Central Park)
Rat Rock, also known as Umpire Rock, is an outcrop of Manhattan schist which protrudes from the bedrock in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City. It is named after the rats that used to swarm there at night. It is located near the southwest corner of the park, south of the Heckscher Ballfields near the alignments of 62nd Street and Seventh Avenue. It measures 55 feet (17 m) wide and 15 feet (4.6 m) tall with different east, west, and north faces, each of which present differing climbing challenges. The rock has striations caused by glaciation.[3]
 
Boulderers congregate there, sometimes as many as fifty per day. Some are regulars such as Yukihiko Ikumori, a gardener from the West Village who is known as the spiritual godfather of the rock.
     
Central Park Conservancy
UMPIRE ROCK
LOCATION West Side at 63rd
Located in the southwest corner of the Park, Umpire Rock is named for its location in what was Central Park’s first playground, a large open meadow where children could play games such as baseball. The rock now forms the backdrop to Heckscher Playground and still provides views of Heckscher Ballfields, just to the north. The rock is a destination for climbing, exploring, and picnicking as well as enjoying views of the surrounding scenery, including the Midtown skyline.

Umpire Rock is also a place to explore the geology of the island of Manhattan. Central Park is home to innumerable rock outcrops, making it one of the few places in the City with visible evidence of the island’s ancient bedrock. Known as Manhattan schist, this bedrock was formed around 500 million years ago and contains other minerals, including quartz, mica, and feldspar