There are other considerations:
1) Even if the mission is to relieve oneself of the second cup of coffee, when I arrive at the Park it's still well before dawn and, though the roadway is fairly well lit, stepping off onto the paths puts you in pitchy darkness, but not necessarily solitude. Don't tell my wife but early on last fall I thought I was completely alone as I quickly watered the side of a big tree, but the sound of a shuffling step and the snap of a twig down the path told me I was not and that the maker of the sounds was bigger than a squirrel. I stood very still behind the tree as two figures walked past me hauling a couple of knapsacks. They did not appear to be the local Scoutmasters and I haven't been back to that tree again.
2) Then there is the suppose everyone did it view. Central Park is big but attracts 25,000,000 visitors a year. Twenty five million times a half cup and those lakes you see in the photo wouldn't be the only lakes you would have in the park and there would be considerably less grass.
And finally, there are those friendly guys and gals down at the Precinct who seem (thankfully) to be everywhere in the early mornings. Whether in cruisers, (full-sized autos), or the speedy little motorcarts marked NYPD, they are more than happy to write out a $186.00 ticket to anyone caught mis-using the foliage.
Persons receiving such can be banned from participating in any New York Road Runners events and yes, the arrests are sometimes published in the local media. With my luck it would be a slow news day and I'd make the cover of the Daily News
Joe(
"Runner Turns Out to Be a Whiz.")Nation
