Solar Eclipse 2017: Crowds Flock To Central Park For Prime Views

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Central Park proved a popular location for eclipse watching Monday, as hundreds of people posted up on the park's Great Lawn to take in views of the astrological wonder.

All was relatively quiet in the park as crowds readied their special eclipse glasses, welding helmets, pasta strainers and makeshift cardboard viewers until the moon covered just more than 70 percent of the sun. Bicyclists dismounted, softball games were halted and frisbees were grounded as the peak approached. When it hit, cheers and applause broke out on the Great Lawn.

"I just thought it was a pretty incredible experience. It's awesome, makes you feel very small, which is very refreshing with all the turmoil in the world today," Brad Ascalon, 40 told Patch.

Ascalon headed to Central Park without a pair of glasses to watch the eclipse, but found that people were more than willing to share their eclipse-viewing materials.

"We didn't even have glasses, we just came to Central Park to be around people watching it," Amy Ascalon, 38, told Patch. Some nice people from Boston lent us their pair. There was a nice sense of community in Central Park."

Astrologer Alice Bolen and her friend Jeff Le sat on the Great Lawn in front of a sign reading "Free Eclipse Readings." Bolen told Patch that a few people approached her for readings but that more people walking by took pictures of her.

"We aren't in the path of totality, so I was less interested in seeing the eclipse and more interested in feeling it," Bolen told Patch.

Check out photos of people watching the eclipse in Central Park below:

Photos by Patch