That is what my area looked like yesterday morning about 7am. It was gone by 8, so you actually might have had the same thing yesterday but if you didn't look out side early, you missed it.
I have never seen the site in Central Park but I wonder if they want to keep it somewhat hidden because of possible vandalism. Of course they still can keep it reasonably under control with the overgrowth.
It looks like much of the far north winter has started. Snow on the ground and temps in the teens and 20s. By far north in our part of the country I mean the Adirondack region east to northern Maine. Winter from Thanksgiving to April is just to long.
Quite a range in temperatures on Long Island. Recording stations on Weatherlink show temperatures at the Long Island Sound stations and the south shore water locations in the low to mid 40s while the middle of the Island has temps in the 20s to mid 30s. Central Park appears to be the only major city from Boston to D.C. that stayed at 40 degrees.