Well I am exhausted. This past weekend has just been jam packed with parks, shows, parks, food, parks, walking, and parks. (You may be noticing a trend right about now...). Although I'd much rather curl up and drown myself in the incest and underhanded plots of Game of Thrones until my eyelids droop beyond saving and I snuggle up to get my much needed eight hours of rest before work in the morning, I have made a commitment to update this blog regularly. I will not flake on my duties. Just a warning, this is a long post. It is mostly pictures, though, so it shouldn't be too onerous for all you readers.
After work this Friday (and what an hectic and busy day it was) I donned my backpack and set off for the train station. Into the city once more! A short subway ride uptown and a brisk walk in the cool night air and I arrived at my sister's apartment in the city. I was crashing at her place for the weekend so that we could have a good old fashioned visit. I walked into the apartment to find dinner already cooked, ready for me to begin stuffing it in my mouth. Wonderful! I've been having an urge to bake lately, so naturally I stole a box of cookie mix from my mother's pantry (sorry mom) and made them at my sister's place. Although my sister and her roommates ate some cookies over the course of the weekend, suffice it to say that I did the most severe damage on the plate of cookies. I. Regret. Nothing.
Saturday was quite the grueling journey. We were out bright and early (and by early, I mean 11:00), and after a much needed Starbucks stop, we headed down to the strangely named Meat Packing District. While such nomenclature would suggest that this area was a slum of sorts with blood running down the streets, it's apparently quite the ritzy area. Our destination was Highline Park, an abandoned railroad track turned city park than spanned roughly fifteen blocks of the Big Apple. Being the environmentalist that I am, I could not have been more satisfied with the City's latest environmental rehabilitation project. Only a few years old, the park is a new and thrilling addition to the greatest city on Earth. You heard me correctly; Boston has nothing on the City that Never Sleeps.
I was in my element. With plants and flowers everywhere, I was snapping pics left and right. Here are just a select few of the park. I don't want to spoil this gem if you haven't been there yet, so I'll hold back on my pictures!
Modern. Chic. Environmentally friendly. It's easy to forget that you're in one of the busiest and most highly populated cities in the world when you're walking in this partially secluded haven of pure, unadulterated glory.
Following our adventure on the Highline, my sister (Lauren) and I headed off to the Little Schubert Theatre to grab tickets for the show we had planned on seeing later that night. Once the precious tickets were securely in our hands, we headed up to Central Park. Somehow I've lived a mere hour and a half from NYC for twenty years and yet I had never been to the famous park until yesterday. Better later than never....
Central Park is huge! It's also incredibly beautiful and serene once you get away from the hustle and bustle of the entrance way. There's a large rock formation that Lauren and I chose to sit on for a while. With my required geology course from last semester still fresh in my mind, I began trying to identify the rock upon which I was standing. Let's just say that there is a reason that I didn't get an A in that class. I did however notice a granitic intrusion (see below). Note the apparent banding (folliation?) of the rock. Oh rocks! They just get my heart racing....
Parting with my rocks was difficult, but upon prevailing Lauren and I headed farther into the mysterious world the locals call Central Park. We ended up at Strawberry Fields, a tribute to John Lennon. Everyone was lined up around a circular memorial to the legend. Being as impatient as I am, I just snapped a shot as quickly as I could without waiting in line to be in the photo myself.
Once we tired of Central Park, we traveled back to the apartment to change for the show. I should say that by this point I was essentially an expert in navigating the subway. A quick foot bath because my poor feet were the worse for the wear after two parks, and then we headed off. In case you're planning a similar trip anytime in the near future, keep in mind that flip flops are not the most desirable foot wear in Central Park-just trust me, you'll wind up with sooty feet.
Potted Potter was our show of choice for the evening and it was a fantastic addition to the weekend. An unauthorized parody of the seven Harry Potter books, it was quite hilarious. There were only two actors; one played Harry and the other played every other character in the books. There were some prime comedic moments due to the play in general, one overly excited child, and a quirky usher. If you're looking for something to do in city, you can't go wrong with this splendid show! Here's a sneaky shot of the set before the show started (I got this even though there was absolutely no photography allowed inside the theatre, even of yourself- that rule is 'just bananas' according to one quirky usher).
Hungry after the show, we headed to Chevy's, a lovely Mexican restaurant in Times Square for dinner, after which somehow got stuck in the revolving door of Toys R Us. Long story short: my sister wanted a minion. Toys R Us being a total bust, she's going to have to give in and get a Happy Meal to get her much needed minion. Walking, shopping, walking, shopping. Unfortunately, the HBO store was closed, so any hope of getting sick Game of Thrones t-shirts will always remain a dream just out of reach. We then headed over to Bryant Park after our Times Square shenanigans and enjoyed a beautiful and clear night. It's funny that not one of the three parks we went to was like any of the others.
Sunday! Up and out early once again, we headed off to the Museum of Natural History! There is so much history and nature in the museum that it is just divine. I'm getting awfully tired so I'm just going to show you a bunch of pictures from today so that I don't have to think very much.
Incontrovertibly, the best find of the trip was the set of posters I discovered in the museum's gift shop. I'm not going put any pictures up because the posters will be making an appearance in my room at school next year. I'm sure you're all at the edge of your seats, but you'll just have to come visit me at some point in the coming year to see the bitchin posters.
That is all I can do for you right now. I'm completely wiped. You've been berated by photos for the entirety of this post, but a couple more couldn't hurt. Here's my garden as usual!
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