the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
ready to go - why hasn't anyone invented a cool looking bike helmet yet?
Central Park 
On Tuesday morning we grabbed coffees and walked up to Central Park to explore the beautiful park on a bike tour. We sifted through the tour-hawkers and rent-a-bike-here signs and ended up at Bike’n’Roll at the one of the southern entrances to the park – we were given bikes and helmets and a tour guide, EJ, and off we rolled. The tour was great and we loved – LOVED – Central Park; on the next visit I want to spend more time there – go for a run, more bike rides, relax… you know. And there are so many neat things going on there: free concerts, a roller disco on Saturday afternoons, poetry and readings; being there on the weekend is a must, as much of the aforementioned cool stuff happens then. The gardens and grounds were beautiful and everything was so well kept – we were all very impressed. We saw Strawberry Fields, Lennon’s memorial, the Jackie Kennedy Onassis reservoir, turtles sunbathing in Turtle Pond, a castle and more.
before and after lunch shots at the Carnegie Deli
After a few hours of biking and touring and silliness (we were doing the wicked witch of the west on our cruiser bikes) we hit up famous Carnegie Deli for lunch, and I tell you… they mean meat. Jen and Venus both ordered Pastrami sandwiches that were absolutely colossal – there was enough meat in there for a week's worth of meals – and I had the recommended and not-too-goopy egg salad sammy which was also enormous. Our waiter Wayne sold us on the strawberry cheesecake for dessert (apparently they sell more cheesecake than they do food), and it was to DIE for! Some of the most worthwhile dessert calories I’ve ever consumed, for real. Post deli-piggery, Venus and I made for Rockefeller Centre and the Top of the ROCK, the observation platform at the top of the building. The views were spectacular, and the density of the city was just so obvious… NYC means business. From there we went our separate ways – there was shopping for some, internet business for others, and Venus went all the way to Staten Island and back to get a closer view of Miss Liberty.
views from the top of the rock... pretty impressive!
the view gave us a good idea of just how big the park is!Our mid-day hiatus was followed by more split plans: Jen and Venus met up with Katie and hit up the oldest (est. 1854) bar in America, McSorley’s, cruised St Mark’s Street, ate at Bua (a grilled cheese with any type of cheese place that sounds amazing), and downed a few bevs and Little Frankie’s. Griff got a tour of the lower east side (super cool), and Venus and I both called it an early-ish night. I met up with an awesome and very good friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in AGES, Anna Marandi… and we had such a good time! It was so great to see her and so great to feel like we picked up right where we left off, even though neither one of us was quite sure of when that was. We had drinks on a roof top patio near Union Square (I think the bar was called 13), and by 11:30 I was fading into sleep-zombie zone so made my way back to the our hotel. That’s about all there was for Tuesday, but we were up and going going going once again on Wednesday morning – we were NYC machines!!
me and Anna!!Wednesday was another great day. We got a bit of a late start, but again, managed to fit a ton of stuff in. Venus and I walked up to the NBC studios to see if we could check out the Today Show, but didn’t catch much – they were filming in the coffee shop next door (Dean and Deluca), but neither of us felt like fighting crowds for two seconds of TV time… and so we didn’t. Instead, we made for the New York Public Library which ended up being closed (it doesn’t open until 11!), so continued on to ogle at Grand Central Station. Yes, we ogled – it’s a beautiful building inside and out. From there we met up with Jen and hopped on a subway bound for Coney Island, which was a great idea – we loved it there. The beach was long and beautiful and covered with people of all sounds and colours and sizes, and the water was lovely. Jen was the only one smart enough to bring her bathing suit, so she went in while Venus and I waded as far as we could. The park there was interesting, but apparently most of the original stuff has been torn down, and apparently they’re also re-doing the walkway there as well. Anyways, it was hot and we had a good time checking out the old rides and strange shows and famous hot dog stands, and all agreed that on the next visit, time allowing, we’d spend more time – a day or a morning or afternoon – out at Coney Island. The next stop was famous Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, and after we devoured a really yummy pizzapie we walked across Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. The views were fantastic – it’s a must-do thing in NYC. We split up again and I checked out the library (next time I’d do a tour, but I missed the boat on that one this time) while Jen napped and Venus took down Union Square. On my way home I checked out the original escalator in Macy’s and then fought the busy rush hour crowds back to the hotel. Last night’s escapades included dinner in Little Italy (a bit of a tourist trap, but decent food) and drinks at a trendy bar/restaurant called La Esquina. We had our first and last celeb siting – some girl kept bumping into Jen and when she turned around to give the dirty look saw that it was Mischa Barton so just decided not to say anything. The drinks were yummy but we were all so exhausted from our four day whirlwind trip that we had to head for the hills after drink #2. We got home, donned runners and comfy clothes, and busted up to Times Square for some last late-night pics and then came home and crashed…. It was a solid last night. For now, c’est tous!
just outside the NYPL
at Coney Island
yummm... pizza! 
crossing the Brooklyn Bridge
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