The Park

There comes a point in a vacation like this where time catches up with you...the heat, the pace, the relentless feeling that there's always more to see and do, and you're missing out if you spend an afternoon taking a nap in your very expensive hotel room. Anyway, I reached that point yesterday. I was ready for a slow down today, and wanted to enjoy The Library Hotel...so we did. I did wake up and head a few blocks down to Bryant Park for an early morning "quiet" moment...although it was permeated by the sounds of an enthusiastic calisthenics group, rushing commuters, jackhammering being done on the N.Y. Public Library right nearby, and the usual city traffic sounds. But then...leisurely breakfast at the hotel, a quiet morning in the room, and a lovely quiet afternoon in a park. Central Park, of course....

First, some free M&M ice cream treats they were giving out at the entrance:

Next, a stroll past the Sheep's Meadow. The sheep were looking tan and oily...

We rambled through The Ramble, and found Narnia...if only it was snowing and we'd come through a wardrobe, I'd know just what was going to happen next...

Next, a little castle overlooking The Great Lawn, with the following list of rules, including a helpful suggestion:
We stopped, read, and napped in the strength-sapping heat, and then slowly trudged back to the subway. We saw this very well-mannered guy on the way:

One last stop at Strawberry Fields, right near John Lennon's home, where a kind of crazy guy arranges these flowers each day, calls himself "The Mayor of Strawberry Fields", and gives speeches to the tourist hordes:

Then, our last subway ride, a stressful taxi in rush hour traffic to Penn Station, and the train to D.C.!