A later start for us today to accommodate a much needed sleep in. All of this walking and sightseeing can be exhausting.
This morning we headed off on the subway for 72nd Street station. The subway was very busy with people rushing everywhere.
I was very excited when we climbed the stairs and emerged from the subway station to find Grays Papaya. Although the thought of a hot dog so early in the day wasn't a pleasing one, I was excited to take a photo of the iconic NY hotdog store.
We continued on down 72nd Street pulling our beanies down around our ears and shoving our hands deep into our pockets to avoid the bitter cold air. As we pushed on toward Central Park we found ourselves behind a rather well decked out little dog. The tiny dog was wearing a coat (that I'm sure was warmer than mine) and following behind its very own pram complete with blankets and a pillow. Only in America!
As we approached the park we noticed a large building to our left, it's entrance flanked by two giant torches. The Dakota building is best known as the location of John Lennon's assassination.
Across the street I caught my first proper view of Central Park. I had a momentary feeling of disappointment as I looked out across the park, the only patches of green to be found on the grass beneath the trees. As I looked a moment longer I discovered that the trees being void of leaves gave the park a rather whimsical feel. My disappointed was replaced by an eagerness to explore all the corners of the park.
I briefly entered the park to view the Imagine memorial and look across Strawberry Fields before returning to Central Park West.
Strolling down Central Park West I had the opportunity to gaze at the ornate facades of the many buildings and take a number of interesting photographs. I made sure to take a moment to stare into the San Remo building, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bono, Tiger Woods or Steven Spielberg. No such luck.
A brief photo stop at the New York Historical Society before joining the large crowd waiting to enter the American Museum of Natural History.
I was pretty excited about this museum for the simple fact that its the museum on which 'Night at the Museum' was based. I only had to watch that movie about 60 times while working on the unit.
The museum totally exceeded my expectations and I was completely overwhelmed by the size of the museum and the intricacy of each exhibit. We were able to get through most of the museum but by
3 o'clock we'd decided that having done most levels of the museum and spending the best part of 5 hours there was good enough. I was particularly impressed by the planetarium (it was huge) and the T-rex skeleton (which looked identical to the one running around the museum in the movie).
We returned to Central Park a little tired but keen to explore, this left us wide open to being lurched upon by a group of cyclo drivers. A bit of bartering and 10 minutes later we were perched in the trailer on the back of a bike and being pedaled around the park. The wind was freezing and I could no longer feel my legs but I was really enjoying the ride. I managed to see a good deal of the park with lots of photo opportunities. A particular highlight for me was stopping at the Alice in Wonderland statue. I also enjoyed the area near 'the mall' although the fountain was switched off due to the filming of a tv show.
I topped off the cyclo experience through Central Park with a bag of warm cashew nuts and a wander around the 'Friends' fountain.
On the way back to the apartment we had a brief look at the Lincoln Centre and inhaled a delicious burger from 'Colisium'.
Now back at the apartment and planning another busy day. '
