I spent my last day in New York biking Central Park. I started off the morning with a bagel (not toasted, like a true New Yorker) from Bagel & Bean, where everyone was really friendly. It would turn out to be a stark contrast to the angry mob of Saturday tourists I was about to encounter at Central Park Bike Rentals. The people were out of control. I accumulated +10 patience-as-a-virtue points, as I tried to be nicer & more patient for each act of impatience/rudeness I encountered from everyone else. I felt better for having done so and highly recommend the exercise if you ever find yourself around that much negative energy. On a side note, the bike wasn’t awesome, and I think Bike & Roll would have offered a better bike selection. Either way, I just went for the full day rental and appreciated being off my feet at long last (and away from those people).

Last Day (August 7)

  • Began at the south end, heading counter-clockwise. First stop, The Mall & Literary Walk. I had to walk my bike everywhere outside the main road, so regretfully, I didn’t explore it at all.

  • Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. HUGE! So bizarre seeing such a large body of water surrounded by urban buildings. It was created as a backup water supply when the main water company had to shutdown for a couple weeks. Today, that same amount of water wouldn’t last the area more than 4 hours. Amazing. I couldn’t help but ogle at the duck family as they swam by.

  • Conservatory Garden (British). The Burnett Fountain was created as a memorial for the author of “The Secret Garden” by her friends. It was incredibly tranquil and lovely. Luckily, I finally found a spot to lock up my bike so I could explore the area more quietly by foot.

  • Conservatory Garden (French). This garden featured the Untermyer Fountain, surrounded by lots of big, bold flowers. There was an older man in suit pants parked on a bench near the fountain reading the paper. His dress shirt sat to the side of him. He was totally a business man sunning himself on a Saturday afternoon. It made me want to put on more sunscreen.
  • I stepped outside the park to look at the Vanderbilt Gate, which stands at the entrance to the center Italian section of the Conservatory Garden. It was previously in front of the Vanderbilt mansion before it was destroyed.
  • I got pig in a blanket (I forget what they called it) from Knish Nosh, a little place just inside the park, and looked out on Harlem Meer for a bit. (Didn’t realize what knish was until looking at their Yelp page…should have tried it.) The humidity was almost completely gone, which was awesome.
  • Continued up & around Harlem Meer which brought me to the first real hill. My host later told me it’s NYC’s equivalent of Boston’s “Heartbreak Hill”. I definitely saw a few defeated faces, but I had so many gears, it was really no problem. (Nothing compared to the hills I’ve tried here anyway!)

  • Stopped at The Pool and discovered a trail leading down the rocks of the Pool Grotto which lead me under the Glenspan Arch to a completely secluded area called the Loch. There was a stream (image down below, right) and complete silence all around, which was incredible considering it was 1 PM on a Saturday in Manhattan. Sat on a log for a bit and enjoyed the shade before heading back to civilization. It was really hard to believe it could be so quiet.

  • Took in the view of the Reservoir from the other side for a minute and noticed that park bench. Kind of cute to sit there, looking out at the water wondering what David & Donna were like and how long ago they shared a moment here.

  • Further down, I stopped at Turtle Pond to climb up Belvedere Castle which gave an incredible view of Central Park (image below). It’s also where they measure the temperature in the city. The pond really had turtles, too. There’s a little guy on a rock in the lower right of my castle photo.

  • While I was on top of the castle, we noticed these weird clouds ;) The last words were a bit fuzzy, but I finally realized it was a Geico advertisement. Slightly less exciting than I was hoping.
  • I was exactly 3/4 around the park at this point but I could feel I was on my last leg. Even without the humidity, the heat of the sun was killing me. I ended up having to backtrack to Strawberry Fields which was packed with people. It felt weird, as people rotated through lying on the mosaic, so I stayed only long enough to snap a photo of it.

  • The Pinebank Arch is one of the five original seven cast-iron bridges. Spotted it as I was about to leave the park.

There were several things I missed seeing in the park: Osborn Gates, The Ramble (specifically the Azalea Pond), Bethesda Fountain, zoo, Whisper Bench (needed a buddy anyway), and walking through the entire Mall & Literary Walk. I needed a better map and more places to lock up my bike…and more time! I’ll have to add the Met to the next trip’s “to see” list as well.

After ~4 hours of biking around the park, it was time to head back, pick up my luggage, and leave for the airport. I took one last look at the area I’d called home for the past few days and left for Laguardia. Overall, it was a very positive trip. I could have done without the heat & a few rude people, but in general, it was a great city. I arrived expecting to be overwhelmed and left feeling mentally recharged (despite being physically exhausted!). It’s weird. Since that first night in NYC and every night since I’ve been back in SF, I’ve slept so soundly. I’m not sure if it’s jet lag or general fatigue, but it’s the longest stretch in awhile where I don’t remember waking up during the night. I’m thankful for it, whatever the source.

Anyway, glad to be back in the chilliness of SF, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss the warm summer nights of other places. Luckily, I can get my fix from these travels. One major thing I realized in NYC, as I was walking through the cathedrals and biking around the park, is that I need to do the same in my own city. SF is full of treasures to be explored, too, so I need to be more mindful of that when I find myself with free time.

Regardless, I’m glad to finally mark off NYC from the list of places I always say, “Oh, I really need to go there eventually”.

Full collection of trip photos, divided by day, are up on Flickr here.