Wednesday, June 30, 2010

New York Day 6

We stepped out of the apartment and almost felt chilly at 25 degrees... and dry! What a wonderful feeling! It was a brilliant sunny and clear day, and we were off to Central Park.

Central Park is another New York icon that everyone knows, but that people too often do not take the time to explore. For excitement, weekends are probably best, with loads of people and street performers everywhere. While there are particular "sights" in Central Park, the true joy comes from the delight to slowly stroll through a quiet park, away from the noise and hustle and bustle of one the world's greatest Metropolis.


With the brilliant sun, Hera decided that today she was going to shoot infra-red. Infra-red is light that our eyes cannot see, and her infra-red lens filter effectively blocks out all visible light. Thus all her shots, must be shot on a tripod with long exposures. But is sure beats the days when we had to be careful that our infra-red film did not get exposed from simply being too hot, and having to load the camera inside a light proof bag.


We meandered in the lovely park, around pretty lakes, through romantic tunnels, over lawns and fields, the variety is quite amazing. Hera trudged along with her tripod, but she was in infra-red heaven as she so often said.

It is amazing how quickly one adapts to one's surroundings. The peaceful quiet of the park suddenly broke, and we were jarred back to the noise and traffic of New York. Back on 5th Avenue, we walked past several of the high end designer stores that we visited a few days ago, Hera picked up an item at Armani store.


We also walked past the Rockefeller Centre, that now had a Lego city sprouting up along the promenade. Children were having a blast creating small Lego buildings, that workers slowly added to the developing complex. There was even a line up today to walk into the Lego Store!


Walking along 47th Steet, we found ourselves on Jewelry Way. Store after store of fine jewelry. Even on the street corners, there were jewelry "vendors" plying their trade.


We stopped in an Irish Pub for supper, quench our thirst, and rest our legs. Without the heat and humidity we had suffered through over the past few days, today felt wonderfully refreshing, and our clothes were still dry!

Recharged, we made our way to Times Square.


Times Square is always a joy no matter what time of day one is there. And no matter how often one has been to Times Square, it is equally a joy to walk around and about it, criss crossing back and forth. Billboards and bright lights, stores and people, this place, more than any other, is New York.