We did choose to sleep in a little later this day knowing we'd be up late into the night and that our feet needed to recuperate as much as possible before we walked them several miles for yet another day. We took our time getting our backpacks together and even chilled out on the couch for a bit. Then we set out for another NYC bagel at another place around the corner and we made our way to spend a good portion of the day in Central Park.
This was the first time we'd really gotten into the heart of the park and enjoyed all the lovely landscapes. As we were walking through the different parts, we heard the song, "Fat Bottom Girls" playing off in the distance. We decided to walk towards the music wondering what was going on. Well, it happened to be Queen and Adam Lambert doing a soundcheck for a concert they'd be playing later that night. They even belted out a little "Bohemian Rhapsody" as we stood in awe of the fact we just basically ran into our own personal concert.
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| Around every corner was a picturesque view like this! |
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| And this... |
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| Us just chilling out on a park bench in Central Park. I also had my feet up cause OUCH! |
We then made our way Bethesda Fountain where I rested my VERY achy feet for a bit while D decided to reenact a scene from John Wick. We stopped for a little while under the little bridge to listen to a group of guys singing "My Girl" and then walked along another place in the park that was in "When Harry Met Sally".
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| Bethesda Fountain...where my husband became John Wick. |
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| That is pain on my face. |
We then made our way to the New York Public Library where we saw the original stuffed animals that inspired the Winnie the Pooh and friends characters. We also saw the study area and the incredibly ornate architecture.
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| And that's just the ceiling! |
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| They had a payphone (no...it wasn't a working one). |
That afternoon, D took me by the apartment that was featured on the intro of Friends (which was just really cool to stand in front of). Then, not far from there, we got to see Carrie Bradshaw's apartment from Sex and the City (and before many of you get too judgy, I watched in syndication so most of the questionable parts were not present...and I liked her because she was a writer with a fantastic taste in shoes...and she lived in NYC).
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| The Friends apartment!!!!! I was so excited! |
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| Carrie Bradsaw's apartment. |
We then made our way back to Washington Square Park after grabbing a bit of food to go from Mamoun's Falafel (delicious) and sat there watching all the street performers. We sat there for quite a while both because our feet were hurting, but also because it was just a neat atmosphere. We then made our way to Chelsea Market hoping to do a little shopping. Though, most of the shops were closing just as we got there. The restaurants, on the other hand, seemed to stay open for much longer.
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| Chelsea Market...bet the shopping was extraordinary. Memo: get there earlier than we did! |
We then wanted to catch one more site before leaving Manhattan...the NYC skyline at night. So, we made our way to The High Line. The High Line was an old train platform that was renovated into a walking trail and garden. We caught so much of the skyline including the Empire State Building. There were even little places along the walk where we would stop and just stare into the lighted sky and listen to the traffic passing by below. We walked about 2 miles on that before getting off right before the subway station that would lead us out of Manhattan. However, we didn't miss the opportunity to duck into Little Spain and grab some churros and a Coke.
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| From the High Line... |
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| What the path looked like on the High Line...can still see the train tracks. |
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| More of the NYC lights from the High Line. |
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| Little Spain Churros and Coke...perfect way to end our time in Manhattan. |
We then boarded the subway to Flushing where we stayed in a hotel near the airport for our early morning flight. We were exhausted and our bodies (especially our feet) were worn to the bone. However, we walked a total of 36 miles around Manhattan and really tried to make the most of our time there. I'll never forget the feeling of exploring everything we could and I really just can't wait to go back. When we got home, my poor feet were bursting out of my shoes and swollen bigger than I'd ever seen them before! I also found out I had runner's toe...which was funny since I never run anywhere for anything. It took several days to recuperate (and some days I still feel like I am). But now we watch movies set in NYC and excitedly yell out, "We saw that!" every time one of the places we visited flash on the screen.
Now I ask myself, "What wonderful experiences will 2020 bring for us?" That, my friends, is an answer I hope to share on this blog this year. Stay tuned...and ride the waves with me! It's bound to be an adventure!
