Thursday, March 13, 2014

Adventures in Central Park

     So I'm not sure how many times I have been to New York city. Maybe 5 or 6? But I have never done the touristy stuff. My boyfriend suggested I go walk through central park...it was a beautiful day. I only had about a half an hour before rush hour would set  in and getting a taxi driver for the airport would prove challenging. So I decided to take a bike tour. I negotiated with Abdul for a 30 minute ride.
          He is a transplant from Zimbabwe, and he has this park down. He shared with me the history of this grand park and some of it's hilights.  It's funny because the stuff he shares about the park is not on their website. It's definitely more urban culture. Created in the 1850's by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux this now 843 acre park is a national treasure.

Balto
This sculpture honors the sled dog who saved Alaska's children from a diphtheria epidemic by delivering medicine over the frozen tundra.We actually saw him at the Natural History Museum in Cleveland. After his death in 1933, his remains were mounted by a taxidermist, and donated to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
 Photo: Dairy house
Dairy Visitor Center and Gift Shop
As one of the Conservancy's five visitor centers, Parkgoers can find information on Park events and programs at the Dairy. Maps, guides, and gifts are also available, all of which support the Conservancy's mission.

Old money

 New money




 I think this is where the worlds most expensive apartment is?




 Who you gonna call?

One of the ice rinks, Serendipity filmed here? Love that movie!
 The mall

 He painstakingly set this up :)
 The first cast-iron bridge in the Park (and the second oldest in America) Bow Bridge

 Cherry Hill Fountain
   This is the "Friends" fountain. He was singing I'll be there for you the whole time...too funny. He made me pose a bunch of different ways.
 Daniel Webster
 I think strawberry fields are down that path..





It's fun to stay at the YMCA


I think Mohammid Ali lives there or Beyonce..
 CNN


He pointed out what movies were filmed at what sites, and who lives is what apartments...but I can't remember all of them now..lol. Should have kept better notes. All in all it was a fantastic side trip I am so glad I made :) Oh and at the end of the trip I had told him in the beginning I did not have cash and he said oh no problem. When we were finished he started walking me toward what I thought might be a Kiosk with payment area. No he walked me right to Chase bank ATM..lol I told him I wanted to give him 45 and I only had twenties and he had no change, so I walked back into the bank now(which I should have done in the first place instead of paying the 3 dollar ATM fee...ridiculous!)
Gave him the money and asked him where a good spot to land a taxi was so he led me to a spot and said goodbye. About 5 minutes later he came back and showed me I gave him 55 instead of 45 and wanted to give me the10 back. I took the five back and said thank you for your honesty. That's a nice New York story to end my trip for sure.

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