Tom had another business trip to New York City this week so I tagged along again. This time we stayed at the W on Lexington, which is closer to Central Park than last time. Thankfully tom had most of Monday to hang out with me. We strolled through Central Park together, found The Boat House which is a restaurant and a bar, and had a drink while watching families boat around the small lake. Then we had dinner at Mint, and Indian restaurant that that had fabulous lamp chops. Tom won the award for “best dinner”.
On Tuesday, I walked over thirty blocks to Highline Park. Everyone talked about how beautiful it was but I was not very impressed. It was an old elevated train track turned into a sidewalk with plants lining it. It seemed similar to something I would see in Charlotte. I decided that I would brave the subway again in order to get back to the hotel so as not to have to walk more miles. It was a piece of cake. Lesson learned: don’t try to get on subway from Time Square – get on at a small corner many blocks away from it. I found a park on my way back to the hotel, ate a sandwich and finished the book I was reading. Very relaxing. Grand Central Terminal was on my way back to the hotel as well so I stopped by. It was beautiful. The ceiling was very high and was painted a brilliant blue with constellations on it. Everything was white marble and very clean. I wanted to stay and simply watch the people and the building, but happy hour was calling me back to the hotel to meet with Tom and his coworkers.
I do love New York city. There is so much to do and see. I love being right in the middle of all the people and then two blocks later being able to relax in a park. The building architecture is amazing as well. The older buildings have such intricate designs and sculptures around the outside of the them. One building had child-like faces rimming the top of one of the floors. Amazing.
I could write about all of the things that I did and saw during my time in NYC, but what I enjoyed the most was the things I didn’t do. I didn’t do anything that required work or servitude. I loved the peace and quite of doing nothing. I loved riding my bike through Central Park , stopping to sit under a tree and doing nothing. I just stared out at the scenery for a while before deciding to read a book. I rarely read at home now that the tv is back on at night. I finished one short book and started into another. I loved having four hours in which to do nothing but ride my bike around the park and sit in various locations. I loved being able to buy a banana on a street corner so that I could sit and eat it in peace while under one of those trees in the park. I did see many of the sights in NYC which fulfilled my need for adventure and knowledge. But relaxation is what my mind and body also needed in order to replenish what it has been giving out at home. I feel like the Becca that I used to know before kids …this is what makes going home difficult. I see her only in glimpses throughout the year, but it sure is nice to have three full days to be her. This will probably be my last vacation alone for a while. School starts soon and I will be back to work. Going to NYC was a great way to wrap up the summer.
