New York Travels Day 2: A Day at the Park(s)

When I originally planned out my vacation, I imagined getting an early start everyday just so I could explore as much as I could. Typically I wake up around 5-5:30am during the weekdays to go to the office and 6-6:30am to go to the farm on the weekends. But sleeping in felt so nice. It's definitely been a while since I've been able to sleep until 9am which is what ended up happening through most of the trip. So after finally dragging myself off of the couch, I got dressed for a morning which turned out to have a decent chill. I was really preparing for it to still be hot, but Terry said that the weather changed just as I got there, which was an experience in itself. Living in Hawaii, the most I prepare for the changing of the seasons is sometimes it gets a little colder. I figured this was the beginning of summer turning into autumn.

But you don't care about the weather so let's get back to the story. Today I headed out to Central Park. After a train ride and buying a hot dog and a coke from a street vendor, I started my trek through Central Park from the south end.

Central Park Southend

It really was strange to be walking through so much green knowing that just outside was a forest of towering buildings. Definitely different than how I would usually be spending that Tuesday - stuck inside an office with no windows for 8 hours. It was a good change of pace. Speaking of change of pace, it was probably one of the few times I was able to just walk while on vacation. Typically with all the people around and the hustle of it all, I was walking at a much faster pace than I do back home.

But back to Central Park. Honestly, I assumed that it was just a gigantic park within the city. I had no idea that there were actually things inside the park. I bought a southend map for a couple dollars and started walking around. After wandering around for a bit, I made it to a small field and just sat down for a bit.

After a rest and jotting some story ideas in the notebook I managed to remember to bring with me on the trip, I started exploring Central Park again. I found a Merry-Go-Round as well as a dozen or so tables where people could play chess or checkers on then (I seem to have forgotten to take pictures of both of those). But after walking for a bit and turning down a bunch of pedicab ride offers, I made it to the "Friends" fountain! The one from the opening theme song.

Honestly, it isn't that impressive without the water

After this fountain, there was apparently another fountain marked on the map I'd bought which turned out to be pretty impressive. Sorry Friends fountain

From there I spent the rest of the day wandering around the park, heading north and following the map to any other landmark with an interesting name. Honestly I have no idea how long I spent in the park. I know eventually I got hungry again and bought another hot dog and coke. In wandering around I was really surprised at the amount of statues. I saw a couple dedicated to poets as well as writers and even their works. There was even an obelisk! I couldn't quite get a good picture of it so I decided to try to sketch it, which apparently prompted some random guy to come up and start talking to me about the history of the obelisk as well as it's purpose. Something about contacting aliens, I think, and that he was part of a group that needed to be near it to get closer to ... something or other. Honestly, I tried not to pay too much attention once he said that he wasn't some religious fanatic because, well, once you start justifying your fanaticism to someone who didn't ask, well it means that you're a fanatic. Plus he said that he was an incarnation of the angel Michael and that's about when I decided to cut our conversation and start my wandering again.

Just past the obelisk though, I came upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art, aka The MET. Looking at the time though, I didn't have a whole lot of time so I figured, since I was there, I would at least see one exhibit before heading back. And obviously, if you tell me you've got an exhibit featuring a history of armor and arms, well, that seemed to be the way to go.

I think I really just like seeing the tools we used to use to kill each other with. All of them are very unique and, at times, even elaborate in their designs which really have nothing to do with the functionality of the weapon. That someone would take the time to add any sort of craftsmanship for someone who was probably going to die. It's very different from the functional design of the guns we use today. I got a bunch more pictures, but I think these really exemplify the exhibit.

Well, after The MET, I figured I had accumulated enough stuff from random gift/souvenir shops that I should probably head back to Terry's place to drop it all off. So I got a little lost looking for a subway station, but after wandering a couple blocks looking for the entrance I finally found what I was looking for. And, thanks to all my bus training, I figured out the best route to transfer trains to get me back the fastest. After a nap, it was time to head to Citi Field! We managed to buy some tickets online for some really good seats for the price they were selling them at.

 So, like I said, one of the reasons I chose this time to visit was to catch the Braves at Mets. Sure, I thought at the time the Braves had a chance to make the post-season, but that all fell apart in the months leading up to the trip. Anyways, we had great seats. From the seats in right field, we could see the whole field and the big screen. And since we were at the ball field, I got another hot dog and fries. And since we were at Citi Field it was $11. And then another $11 for a Coors tallboy (yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but I think Awkwafina sang it best "Citi Field b****, where the overpriced drinks at"). And I promise (even though it's probably considered blasphemous in my household), since I was in New York, I was cheering for the Mets to win... but they lost. But I did buy a bunch of souvenirs from the team shop. After the game we all packed onto the train and headed back. Oh, and it was there where I got my first taste of the differences of homelessness between Hawaii and New York. In Hawaii, people will usually just sit in front of stores or on the sidewalk to ask for your change. And if you don't want to give them anything, you just walk passed them and that's it. Well, when you're on a train, there's no where to go once the person enters your car and starts rambling his or her sad life story to beg you to give money. So you just sit there, uncomfortably, as the person walks back and forth on the train, though this guy also ruined his spiel by asking, halfway through, if the Mets won.