More Signs of Spring

Taken at the Southeast corner of Central Park

So, the other thing we did last Saturday in addition to bar-hopping in a blanket was to wander around Central Park some more to take even more spring pictures. I'm starting to think that spring might be my favorite season. I used to think it was summer, but that might have just come from too many years of summery weather in Florida (and the fact that my birthday is in July doesn't hurt!). I am just so excited to see things blooming and the weather getting warmer this year.

Eric had planned to run a 4-mile race on Sunday, but he was invited to golf with one of the big shots at the firm so he did that instead (and played a great game!). He still wanted to go pick up his number and t-shirt for the race, though, so we did that Saturday morning. The pick-up location was on the Upper East Side near Central Park, so we stopped there then walked over to the Park. We were much further North and East than we usually are on our Park walks, so we got to see things we haven't seen before.

One of the new things we saw was the Obelisk, or Cleopatra's Needle. According to the plaque at its base, it was first erected in Heliopolis, Egypt in 1600 B.C., then was moved to Alexandria in 12 B.C. It was presented to the city of New York by the Khedive of Egypt in 1881, and is the oldest man-made monument in Central Park. I liked it because it reminded me of DC, for obvious reasons!

The Obelisk

Looking up at the Obelisk from its base. I love the hieroglyphics!

Apparently, by the time the Obelisk was moved to Alexandria, the lower corners had broken off. So, the Romans had bronze supports in the form of sea crabs placed under them. These are replicas of the originals.

Other new things we saw were the Boathouse Restaurant and the Alice in Wonderland statue, which was crawling with kids.

The Boathouse

Boaters on the Lake in front of the Boathouse

Alice in Wonderland statue

The March Hare

It was really cool to see some things we hadn't seen before. Central Park is just so big! Sooner or later we'll see all of it. It was just nice being out on a beautiful day (high 70s and sunny!) and seeing all there was to see.

Crowds of people on the Great Lawn

Turtle Pond

Look at all those chihuahuas! Too bad Achilles wasn't with us, he could have made friends.

Model sailboats and ducks on the Conservatory Water

Of course, my favorite part was the blooming trees. It's just so pretty. It is different than the cherry blossoms in DC, but still beautiful. In DC, the sheer volume of cherry trees is what is so striking. There's just so many of them, in such a concentrated space. You can just walk and walk along the Tidal Basin and nearly every tree is a cherry tree covered in pink blossoms. It's breathtaking. Here, the blooming trees are more spread out. There will be a patch here and there, and there's a greater variety of types of trees. They're all beautiful, too. What can I say? I guess I just love spring.

Gorgeous blossoms

Well, hello there, spring!

Me amongst the trees at the base of the Obelisk

A blossom canopy

We've been collecting seasonal pictures of lamp posts in Central Park. Now we've added a spring one, and our collection is almost complete! Each season is so different, but so pretty. Which of these is your favorite?

After leaving Central Park we went down to the East Village for the Snuggie Pub Crawl, as you read about in my last post. Before we started crawling, though, we wandered around for a bit. And then I saw another wonderful sign of spring - a street fair! And not a Christmas street fair (although I do love those, too), but a summery one, selling all kinds of random goods and delicious food. I loved the street fair that took place on weekends on 8th Avenue near our apartment in the fall, so I'm excited to see the return of these events. The whole place was just swarmed with people. It was just such a beautiful day!

Crowds in Union Square

What a great day. And on our way home, we saw a really fun street performance in the subway. This group had actually rolled in a piano, and they had guys tap-dancing! We stayed and watched them the whole time while we waited for our train. Man, I love this city.

Tap-dancing street performers

VIDEO: Tap-dancing in the subway

And that was our Saturday! Of course, the beautiful weather didn't last long, and by Monday it was back in the 40s and pouring rain. It has been overcast and a little warmer the last two days, but by the weekend it's supposed to be back to sunny and OVER 80 DEGREES! Can you believe that? I will hardly know what to do with myself. And we have more things planned for this weekend, so stay tuned!