Good morning USA! I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to be a wonderful day! Or at least better than the last two days…
Do I look like a tourist?
So one of the pros of still kinda being on British time is we were up and out of the hotel by 7am, and eager to enjoy a bit of New York whilst others were still in bed.
We’d looked on Google and the socials for a good place to have breakfast near Times Square and this place popped up: Juniors, on the junction of Broadway and 49th Street.
Aimee ordered a coffee, cos yaknow, New York.
I have never really liked coffee so I had a glass of water. However, eventually I though eff it I’ll have a sip, who knows… And oh my… I was converted, instantly.
Suddenly, I got it. Drinking coffee in a New York diner about to scran some smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers bagel…
I finally felt on holiday.
Aimee ordered some French toast, which she confused for eggy bread and garnished with red sauce. She discovered that ketchup and cinnamon don’t really go well together…
Ignoring the ketchup, I actually thought Aimee’s breakfast was better than mine – and I love salmon bagels. Wow, French toast, where have you been all my life? I vowed to return to Juniors later in the week where I would have my own French toast, with bacon and maple syrup like the Americans have it…
With food in our bellies we headed for what is apparently the most filmed location in the world…
We’re in the Park. I suppose the blog’s title gave it away…
There are many subway stations you can use to alight at the Park, but it’s just a 13 minute walk from Times Square up 7th Avenue.
It had just gone 8:30 in the morning but this is New York, so I was still expecting it to be busy. It was dead! The busiest part we found was the Wollman Rink.
Aimee loves ice skating – me, not so much. But I was willing to be a nice guy and go skating with her – until I saw the skaters already on the ice. They were whizzing around and twirling like Torvill and Dean. Imagine the sight – a load of American ice skaters gracefully and effortlessly gliding around like birds in the sky, like leaves in the breeze, and a podgy British bloke on the side, struggling to stay on his feet and clinging to the wall like a drunk at chucking-out time.
Thankfully, even Aimee was put off by the skating display, which meant we didn’t have to fork out $15 for admission, plus $10 skate rental, plus extra if we wanted to do little things like use a locker to hide secure our coats. Honestly, one day Americans will you charge you for breathing air.
Anyway. Central Park. Off we wandered through what you’d think was natural landforms, when in fact it was all artificially landscaped.
The place is so recognisable from TV and movies; it feels like walking through a film set.
Just before 9am we arrived at a very famous part of the Park – Bethesda Terrace, featuring puddle.
There was nobody else for company, except the busker setting up his instrument for the day.
It genuinely felt like we had the place to ourselves. Here we were at a place I’d seen countless times on the telly, where the Impractical Jokers often hung out, where Kevin escaped from the Sticky Bandits in Home Alone 2, and I could have just been at some nice park in Winsford.
It was very relaxing. Eventually, a few more people started to trickle onto the terrace, so we headed on to see what we could find.
Behind the Angel of the Waters fountain there’s a lake, one of eight lakes in Central Park. This lake is called The Lake.
Bow Bridge crosses The Lake, and Spider-Man fans will recognise it from Spider-Man 3.
This is where Mary-Jane breaks up with Peter. I’d say SPOILERS but the film came out 16 years ago…
After resting on a lovely log bench for a bit, we had a little ramble through The Ramble, one of three woodlands in Central Park. Walkers are asked to keep to keep to the path, to preserve the landscape.
I’ve seen people on telly saying how Central Park really allows you to escape from the city but I didn’t really buy it until I visited for myself. Walking around, you can absolutely forget you’re in one of the most densely populated places in the world.
We only explored a fraction of the park, making it to Belvedere Castle before turning back. Covering 843 acres, you could spend a whole week in the Park and not uncover it all. I imagine it’s beautiful, if a little disgustingly busy in the summer, but I cannot recommend enough getting up early and heading to the Park.
#VidOnTour 
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