  New VLA images of NH3 (1,1), (2,2), and (3,3) emission in the central 10
parsecs of the Galaxy trace filamentary streams of gas, several of which appear
to feed the circumnuclear disk (CND). The NH3 images have a spatial resolution
of 16.5''x14.5'' and have better spatial sampling than previous NH3
observations. The images show the ``southern streamer,'' ``50 km/s cloud,'' and
new features including a ``western streamer'', 6 parsecs in length, and a
``northern ridge'' which connects to the CND. NH3(3,3) emission is very similar
to 1.2 mm dust emission indicating that NH3 traces column density well. Ratios
of the NH3(2,2) to (1,1) line intensities give an estimate of the temperature
of the gas and indicate high temperatures close to the nucleus and CND. The new
data cover a velocity range of 270 km/s, including all velocities observed in
the CND, with a resolution of 9.8 km/s. Previous NH3 observations with higher
resolution did not cover the entire range of velocities seen in the CND. The
large-scale kinematics of the CND do not resemble a coherent ring or disk. We
see evidence for a high velocity cloud within a projected distance of 50'' (2
pc) which is only seen in NH3(3,3) and is likely to be hot. Comparison to 6 cm
continuum emission reveals that much of the NH3 emission traces the outer edges
of Sgr A East and was probably pushed outward by this expanding shell. The
connection between the northern ridge (which appears to be swept up by Sgr A
East) and the CND indicates that Sgr A East and the CND are in close proximity
to each other. Kinematic evidence for these connections is presented in this
paper, while the full kinematic analysis of the central 10 pc will be presented
in Paper II.
