A Walk Through Central Park...

Central Park is a wonderful way to spend a day while in New York City.  It gets you away from the hustle and bustle and noise that can be found in the city and I'm pretty sure if I lived in New York, I would be spending a great deal of time there.  Last Saturday found Hubby and me making our way though the park despite the cold temperature.  Along the way, I took a LOT of photographs that I would like to share with you.

Taking photographs just gives me so much joy and it is very relaxing.  I can find beauty in the most simple things behind the lens of a camera.  We started out on our walk through Central Park, with the goal of making it to The Boathouse for a little brunch.  Not only is The Boathouse a lovely, cozy little restaurant nestled inside Central Park that serves delicious food, they require no reservations, so Hubby and I walked in, asked for a table and were seated in under one minute!

                                  One of these days I'm going to row in one of those boats!

                                           Now do you see why I like this place so much?!

As I said,  the walk was beautiful.  I took a variety of photos of the park and the city since it was our last day there...

The Subway.  The only way to get around town if you live in or visit New York.  I've always wanted to get some black and white shots of the subway with no people in them.  I got my wish!

Isn't the park just as beautiful as I told you it was?

Then on the walk back through the city, I captured a few more of my favorite things...

A church.  Because I love churches and the architecture is so beautiful in old churches.  Every time I visit a new place and find a beautiful church, I will definitely be photographing it.

                                          Rockefeller Center because...It's Rockefeller Center!

              And I love the streets and apartment stoops that can be found within the city.

          And this storefront...I have always loved it and captured just the perfect picture!

It was a quick "Birthday Weekend" but so much fun!  And now time has raced by and another holiday season is right on my heels.  It's time to get geared up for a yummy Thanksgiving turkey this week and start listening to my Christmas music.  Here's wishing you a wonderful holiday season! 

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For the Love of New York!

Hubby and I had a wonderful time for his birthday weekend.  Oh, the leaves were beautiful as expected but we had to wear coats, hats and scarves, along with insulated underwear instead of just jackets.  A cold front blasted through but a little thing like that didn't keep us from exploring the city and enjoying ourselves.

We stayed at the Casa Blanca Hotel at Times Square this time and what a unique hotel it was.  The rooms were small (as most New York hotels that we have stayed in are), yet cozy.  Named after the classic movie of the same name, the Casa Blanca Hotel was decorated as such, including a lounge area that looked like a library.  Complete with a fireplace, daily refreshments and even candlelight and a piano player it definitely made one feel at home.

We got into New York around noon on Thursday and spent the afternoon bustling around town.  However, our first stop on our way out was Starbucks to grab one of those yummy Peppermint Mocha Lattes!  And every day there after, we made it a habit to stop for an afternoon coffee at one the more than three thousand Starbucks that can be found in the city.

Loving to discover new places to dine, we set out to eat dinner that evening at Uncle Jack's Steakhouse.  You know whose restaurant I'm talking about don't you?  The guy who has the television show,  Restaurant Stakeout.  The restaurant was beautiful and the food wonderful.  Completely exhausted from our day of traveling and walking around town all day, we headed back to our room to get a good night's rest before hitting the pavement the next day.

Friday was actually Hubby's birthday and we decided to head over to Chelsea Market to look around.  We are great fans of many of The Food Network shows, and this was a place we've wanted to visit for a while.  There were many restaurants, shops and, of course, the grocery store you see show contestants shop at many times...

After making our way though Chelsea Market, we stepped next door to eat lunch at Morimoto's.  Anyone who has watched The Food Network knows that Morimoto is one of the Iron Chefs so we definitely wanted to try his restaurant out.

                                                 The wall you see is made out of Saki bottles.

                              We sat at the sushi bar so we cook watch the chefs prepare the food.

                                          The presentation of this appetizer was beautiful!

                                                     And everything was SO delicious!

                                They even brought a Birthday Dessert out for the Birthday Boy!

 We walked downstairs to visit the restroom before we left (Hubby says I have made it a goal to see all restrooms in the country, He-He!)

 But WOW!  Look at this one.  I know, I took a picture of a bathroom.  But look at that; it was directly behind the toilet.  I was so mesmerized that when I sat down I was pleasantly surprised to find that the toilet seat was heated.  OK, I know...a little too much information, perhaps?  It's the little things, people! 

 On our way back to our hotel, we decided to stop and see a friend who is living and working in the city.  Yep, he has a gumbo business and moves around with a company called Urban Space to different areas of the city.  If you are ever there find out where The Gumbo Bros are serving up their Creole fare and get you some!

After we visited for a while, we walked back to our hotel where we sat by the fire and warmed up a bit, drinking hot tea and cappuccino.  We stood in line earlier that day to purchase theater tickets and wanted to walk around Times Square a bit before our show.

 Still full from that late lunch, we decided to just grab something from a food vendor for dinner.  And then we popped in to the Toys R Us store and Hubby captured this photo of me longing to ride that Ferris Wheel.  Although I looked at him with my best puppy dog eyes, the answer was still, "No" (hmph!).  One day...

We then went to see "Matilda", a musical that featured a large number of children in the cast.  I thought it was very good and quite entertaining.

 Bundled up from head to toe, we made it back to get some rest before our last full day in New York.  Believe me, we needed it because REALLY...who just walks around all day long for over 12 hours a day?!  I predicted we would wake up very sore the next morning.

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