New York City (Day Six), USA
Instead of running around Central Park today I decided to walk it, meandering through many of the minor paths that I passed by yesterday. Manicured gardens, fountains, lakes, waterlilies, Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle, reflections of the city skyline on the water - there was enough to keep me entertained for hours, and I didn't even see the whole park. I discovered there was a fun run taking place as hundreds of people with numbered bibs passed by. I wish I had known about it sooner so I could have signed up.
I met Danny at the Chelsea Market for lunch, which looked wonderful but was far too expensive for what we were after. After a quick loop we left and walked the length of the High Line, a park built along an elevated, disused railroad. Here we grabbed some empanadas and tacos from a food stall to munch on while taking in the city views. While it wasn't the most exciting tourist attraction, it was nice to be able to walk in a car-free environment for an extended length of time.
Here was where I left Danny to take in a few more sights:
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Grand Central Station. Impressive, but do train stations really need to be that big?
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Chrysler Building. So-so.
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Trump Tower. An obscene amount of gold and unnecessary opulence. I could think of at least a million better ways to spend his money.
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Somehow I became caught up in the expensive fashion district. I got out of there as soon as possible.
Trump.
Grand Central Station.
Trump.
After yet another salad bar dinner, I trekked up to the Guggenheim to meet Danny. There was a long line out the front, due to it being pay-what-you-want night. Once we finally made it inside Danny sprinted around the circular building then left, happy to escape the horde of visitors. I took my time exploring the museum, marveling at the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. The temporary Colombian exhibition was fascinating but heart-breaking, highlighting the darker events of the country's past. New York's museums were definitely living up to their reputation.
I know the feeling.
