Away for the holidays - Central Park, New York - Part 1

It's a place to go and spot the movie starts, or perhaps their dogs.

It's a place to go for long walks on idyllic spring or autumn days

It's a place to go to look at a zoo, though I didn't realize there was one until I made a wrong turn.

It's a place to go for a horse and carriage ride, although it does not last that long

It's a place to go to look at statues, fountains, architecture, and in winter, an ice skating rink

I'm sure there's a whole lot more there that I don't know about.

I have to say I've only visited in winter, and the first time there was snow, the second, none.

Both times it was cold, but this didn't seem to deter people.

But...

This time there was no snow, so there was a sort of bleak beauty about it

and, as I said, it was not enough to deter the people.

They could, of course, be there to play games, such as chess or checkers

Or be there, like us, to go to the souvenir building, or just to get a map

And, the closer to the building you got, the more chance you had to see the squirrels

who would sometimes pose for the photographers,

or run like hell into the nearest tree when they saw children coming

It adds a who new meaning to 'quick as a flash'.

More on the park in the next post!