A Stroll in the Park

 One of my favorite things about visiting New York is the opportunity to walk and take in the scenery around you.  At home in Florida I walk each morning  at 6:15  for an hour. As I walk out my door I see the night sky with the stars and hear the sounds of the owls and crickets.  Within a few minutes as dawn is approaching the sounds change to birds chirping and the beautiful sun rises. It is truly a beautiful way to start each day.
My daughter Stephanie's apartment is close to Central Park and each morning after she leaves for work I head over to the park for my walk. It is usually after 8:00 so the sun is up, but the sounds are so different. As I step out her door you hear the sounds of traffic and the sights of the cars, taxi's and trucks creeping along Columbus Avenue. One block away is the Park and as you walk in immediately you'll notice how quiet it is. Despite the city sounds you hear the birds and depending on the time of day you'll hear music from the street players. I love the  saxophone players as well as those with violins, cello's and one time a Harpist was there.

Over by the Boathouse cafe usually stands a man playing a harmonica . I sit there with a cup of soup and enjoy his performance of french inspired songs. It is fun watching all the people happily taking in the moment. On one of my first visits to the park last week I met a Bride and her new Husband taking pictures. I stopped to congratulate them and ended up taking a picture with her as well. She was a beautiful Bride and so happy that I asked to take a photo with her.
I continued along and stopped to take a picture of a man feeding the pigeons. It was so sweet to see them sitting on the back of a bench patiently waiting their turn for the bread he was offering them. I then watched the people in the row boats and of course the children around the water playing with remote controlled boats. 

I spotted a little girl pushing her baby carriage while her Dad pushed her empty stroller along side of her. They looked absolutely adorable together and I asked if I could take a picture. I introduced myself and learned the little girls name was Lea. I took the picture and then asked if she would like to see it. She really made me laugh as I showed her the phone she started scrolling looking at other pictures I had taken. Here she was only two and handled an iPhone better than I do.

​I next walked by the Carousel and listened to the music while the children happily waved to their families.  I was just about to head back to the apartment when I noticed that an artist I had met over the summer was set up on Sheep's Meadow.  I walked over to see her progress on the picture she was doing of the skyline. She has huge rolls of paper that she rolls out to 12 ft long . It is so cool to watch her as she uses paint brushes that have handles 3 feet long so she can stand and paint. I enjoyed talking with her for a few minutes and then headed home.

​ Later that night as I talked with Stephanie I explained my feelings of gratitude for that day. Sometimes the best New York City moments occur off theater stages. A stroll in the park can make  ordinary moments  have depth without expectations and  become a thoughtful memory.